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I seem to forget how much my oldest brother hates the way I reminisce about the past because I continue to try to engage him.
He’s sitting in my den watching basketball on TV, the sound turned down out of deference to me. He’s twirling a toothpick in his cheek, a habit he’s had since adolescence.
“Remember when you and the boys in the neighborhood turned our backyard patio into a roller skating rink so you could play roller derby?”
He doesn’t respond.
“And you were always the fastest skater.” My brother was fearless in those days. I can still see him, jeans cuffed at the ankles, flannel shirt fanned out with the wind he created as he skated by. “And Princess used to nip at your pant legs while you skated? Remember?”
“Princess? We never had a dog named Princess.”
