Emily Helps Her Little Brother

Emily Helps Little Brother

It was the custom in Baker family for as long as Emily could remember. The whole family from her Mom’s side would gather at one of the sibling’s homes for Christmas. It would usually last about a week.

This year, it fell to Emily’s family to host the event. The week before all the family was to gather, there was an unusual storm that passed through and dropped about 10 inches of rain. This was unusual for December, but it could have been worse. It could have been snow. But all that rain caused some flooding in the area and their effects were felt at the Baker house when the basement flooded. It couldn’t have happened at a more inconvenient time. Nine extra people were piling into the Baker house in just a few days. Usually the basement was set up for the kids to sleep in leaving Emily’s, her brother Matt’s and her little sister Joy’s room plus a guest open for all the adults in the family.

Without the basement available things were going to be a little difficult. Emily knew this reality but it did not keep her from protesting the fact that she would have to share a bed with her little brother Matt. Her sister was going to stay with her best friend who lived next door. The arrangement was only for a couple of days until the basement dried out and they were able to get it cleaned up and deodorized.

“Mom, why do I have to share my bed with Matt? Why can’t he sleep in sleeping bag on the floor somewhere else?” ask Emily with an annoyed tone. “Emily, think about what it feels like when you step out of bed every morning? How cold is that floor when your feet hit it?”

Emily thought about it and she knew her Mom was right. She hated that first walk in the morning from her room to the bathroom especially during the winter months. For some reason the floor in her room seemed to be the coldest in the house.

“Well, I guess you are right. It is pretty cold,” Emily relented, “But if that little burger messes up my bed I’m going to kill me.”

“Now Emily,” her Mother replied, “As brothers go, Matt is a pretty good kid. I have never seen him get in your hair and bother you much.”

Emily again thought about her 12 year old brother and she had to admit that as brothers go, he was not that bad. He was kind of a nerd that could offer up facts to just about any subject, but he mostly kept to himself. She never had to worry about him being in her way or in her stuff. Her 10 year sister was another matter altogether.

“I guess he is ok,” Emily reluctantly admitted.

Emily had just turned 15 and was in her sophomore year of high school. She was much younger than most of the students in her class at the time, but she was also pretty mature for her age. She was also kind of a nerd herself, but not the social nerd type, just the smart student type.

About 6 PM that evening the extended family started to arrive. Her grandparents came first, then her mother’s sister Ann and her husband with a brand new 8 month old baby. Ann and her husband had been trying to have a baby for years and finally after several tries at a fertility clinic, she got pregnant and had a baby girl. Ann and the baby would be staying in the guest room. The grandparents where going to stay in Joy’s room that had a nice double bed (the bedroom suite had actually come from those grandparents when they moved to a smaller place). Next, Emily’s mom’s brother John and his wife and two kids came through the door. John and his wife Carol had two girls that were 6 and 8 respectively. All Emily could remember was that they were a handful. The girls were going to take up Matt’s room and the John and Carol were going to sleep in the Den until the basement dried up and then move into Emily’s room.

As she contemplated the sleeping arrangements she had to breathe a sign of relief that her mom had not put her with those two rug rats. All in all, Matt was the better choice. Plus it was only for a couple of nights and then they would move down to the spacious basement.

The house was full of activity as everyone caught up on life around the dinner table and later in the family room. Ann and her husband Ed, put the baby down about 9 PM and stayed up for a hour or so before heading to bed, claiming that the baby would be up a couple of times through the night and they would need their sleep. John and Carol also sent the girls to bed and not long after they would follow.

Joy had gone next door to her friend’s house right after supper. Soon just Emily and Matt were left in the family room watching a holiday movie. When it was finished Emily headed to her room and changed into her night clothes which was a long sleeve night shirt that came down to just under her knees. At 15, Emily was almost at adult size. The likelihood was that she would not grow any more in stature but would fill out a little more in other places. She stood at 5’4” tall and weighed about 110 pounds.