I'll admit it up front: My younger brother, David, and I haven't gotten along since we were in junior high.I'll admit it up front: My younger brother, David, and I haven't gotten along since we were in junior high. Since he's my only sibling, I've often felt more like an only child. Nevertheless, when he got out of the service at the age of 22 and was job-hunting here in Houston, Beth and I put him up for a couple of weeks. I suppose it allowed me to demonstrate my economic superiority (an unworthy motive but mine own) and besides, our sofa-bed wasn't *that* comfortable. A few days after David arrived, my wife's younger sister, Janet, came down for an unexpected but welcome visit. She was twenty and still living under her parents' roof while she worked and attended junior college -- but her folks often treated her like she was still fifteen, and every so often she had to escape or risk popping an artery. I liked my sister-in- law and the two of us had always gotten along well. An air mattress and a sleeping bag on the other side of our living room took care of her sleeping arrangements. Beth and I found out later that David and Janet apparently had spent several nights sitting up late, talking. They certainly hit it off because they started dating and were married about a year later. I couldn't, for the life of me, understand what a nice, sweet, smart girl like Janet saw in my oaf of a brother; as they say, there's no accounting for tastes. |