The day we left
London to head North was probably the rainiest day we had in England but we
were full of anticipation to see my brother and meet one of my nieces for the
first time. It was First Class all the
way to Milton Keynes, a far cry from the train rides I remember as a college
student heading home. Coffee, tea and
bacon butties kept arriving for breakfast and we relaxed in style and
surprisingly for not much more than second class seating. I got a giggle from my coffee cup and a big
boy grinned from ear to ear as we picked up speed and zipped through the countryside
averaging 172 miles/hour. We went from
the sublime to the ridiculous at Milton Keynes when we piled into the taxi that
would take us to our hotel and where we would rendezvous with my Big Bruv. The two cases we had with us would not fit
into the boot/trunk/storage area so we shoved one in and put the other on the
floor leaving two boys with their knees around their ears.
The drive wasn’t long and when we pulled up Big Bruv was
waiting in the rain with his more hesitant daughter sheltering under the
awning. None of the boys have met their
uncle before (long and boring story!) so I was not surprised to hear someone,
who probably didn’t realize they had said it out loud, say “That’s your
brother???” I am not sure that I have
sufficient words to paint this picture accurately. My Big Bruv is seven years older than me,
grizzly looking, in a wheelchair, and covered in tattoos; the simplest
description of me in comparison is that I am not! We have made different choices and followed
different paths in life, my brother and I, but we do share our sense of
humor. We laugh at the same things and
tend to have a live and let live approach to most things in life, including
each other. His daughter, my niece is
lovely and clearly has a good head on her shoulders and there is no doubt she
will be successful in life. Once the
boys had closed their gaping jaws and we got everyone settled and introduced I handed
my brother a coin collection that had miraculously survived each of my parents’
moves over the course of 35 years, being
shipped from England to Colorado five years ago and then back again in the
luggage for this trip.
Big Bruv told the story of the coin collection to four boys
who were mesmerized either by the tale, or his accent, or the tattoos, or maybe
all three. I believe it was 1972 but
could be wrong and Leeds United, Dad’s favorite football/soccer team, won the
FA Cup. Petrol/gas stations in England
were offering a coin representing each team and a handsome album in which to
keep them every time a certain number of gallons of petrol were purchased. There are about twenty coins in total and the
final coin, representing Leeds United, is the biggest and designed to be
prominently displayed in the center at the top.
At the time Dad travelled a lot and consequently bought a lot of
petrol. Every Friday for weeks, my
10-year old brother would meet Dad in the drive and ask him to empty his
pockets where my Dad had mixed in the collector coins with his change. Big Bruv would sort through and then proudly
fit the new coins into their slot. It took many weeks to earn the coins and
finally the most coveted coin of all but that last Friday when he handed it
over, my brother pushed it in to the display and cherished the collection for
years to come. It is a little the worse
for wear now but all the coins are there and it is back in the hands of its
rightful owner.
We didn’t let the rain
slow us down and went bowling; Big Bruv was eager to let the world know that he
beat his Sis and demanded photographic evidence was provided.
This is what I thought of that!
We ate and we talked and then the boys swam in the hotel
pool and we talked and then we ate some more and then the boys took it in turns
to see what speeds my brother’s wheelchair could reach in the hotel lobby! It was a late night but a good day and after
sharing breakfast the next morning we said our goodbyes and once again headed
North…more to come :o)
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