My oldest brother turns 36 today. I remember when my dad was 36 years old, that’s how old 36 years old is. I mean, there’s no getting around it. He’s old. It’s not like he can say he’s “just past 30.” Officially, he’s more “almost 40″ than he is “almost 30.”
He’s married. He has a kid. He owns property. He’s got almost 10 years experience in the same position (not the same company, but same job title). Regardless of how you frame it, Shawn’s an adult.
I can still remember when he would make me shut all the shades in the house because he wanted to play G.I. Joe’s with me and didn’t want any of his friends to see. He was probably 16 or so, and I was about eight. And I can remember when I first got my driving permit, when I was sixteen, and him and I had to go get some beer or something for a cookout, and he let me drive, and I ended up rear-ending some asshole who got all pissed at me and was yelling and screaming, and my big brother was just like, “Dude, he’s a freakin’ kid, and there’s barely even any paint on your bumper, so relax.” And I remember when my other brother and I drove up to Plymouth State College in N.H. to drive Shawn home for the weekend or something, and I was laying down in the backseat, and he put in a tape and said, “These guys are awesome,” and I heard the opening harmonica riff from Blues Traveler’s “But Anyway,” and they quickly became my favorite band; plus, I think that same weekend, the time when, as I walked out of the bathroom, which was between his bedroom and mine, when he said, “Dude, come listen to this song, it’s hilarious. You’ll love it,” and I went into his room where put on a cassette tape of Jimmy Buffett’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and Buffett quickly became my other favorite musician. And I remember when, for my 21st birthday, he surprised me by renting a limo bus and taking me and some of my friends (and some of his friends) into Boston to celebrate, and even though all of his friends stayed in one bar, he came with me and my friends to another club, and then when the limo driver ended up stealing the bus and going on a bender, leaving us all stranded on Landsdowne Street, and all of his friends and most of my friends took off, grabbing cabs instead of waiting around for the bus, we stood there for a couple of hours, the two of us just totally unable to comprehend that the dude wasn’t coming back, and even though the night turned kind of ridiculous, it was still a great birthday present. And I remember all the times he protected me from my other brother, who seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in causing me pain during our childhood years. And I remember when I first saw him holding his daughter, and he looked so scared but also so happy, and I knew that he was going to be a hell of a good dad.
Still, the dude’s just old.
I hope he has a great time at the Jimmy Buffett concert today. I can’t think of a better place for him to spend his birthday.
Happy birthday big bro.
