Boy Genius

My brother Rodney has a borderline genius IQ. He has actually been tested. We had some encyclopedias in the house. I used to set them all over the floor in stacks and jump from pile to pile for amusement, but he actually read them--cover to cover! We had 2 sets of 24 , 1 set of 10 and 2 large, complete dictionaries. He read all of them by the age of 12. I once had a conversation with our grandfather (our mom's dad) and he said that he is quite certain that Rodney was actually reading and understanding "Archie" comics before he could speak! I have been in awe of him for his academic achievements all this time. He has many degrees, and has spent years teaching others to learn. The man has published works and everything! He is "THE SHIT", so to speak. He is also one of my most loved and admired people. He is this wonderful, amazingly intelligent person. I could call him at any time and ask him a question about...I don't even know, anything...and he would know the answer!

It was a truly amazing thing to have shared my childhood with him. He is kooky, quirky and a little socially inept (though has learned very much in his 39 years) and he has the kindest heart. He has "big love" to give. He is the best big brother a girl could ask for. He used to hang out and play games and stuff with me a lot. There are 4 years between us, but he was very patient. We used to put on puppet shows behind the breakfast bar between the dining/kitchen area for our babysitters. We would make them sit on a chair in the kitchen while we put on a series of plays with assorted puppets and stuffed animals from my toy box. The storey lines varied depending on current movies or tv shows, of course. Now that I am writing this I am helpless to recall an actual theme. Rodney, help me out if you read this please!

When I needed a place to live after high school, all I had to do was ask. When I moved to Vancouver in 1991, I simply moved my things in. He was so very happy to have me there, and I was overjoyed to be with him. See, as it turned out, once Mom passed we went to different places. He was nearly finished high school and went off to dorms at Saint Mary's the following year but I was still in school. We kept in touch and spent time together as often as we could while living in the same province, that is. Wow I miss him! Good times, good times...

We have always been close. I believe the experience with our mother has forever bonded us unconditionally. We are links to her.