In a way, it could well have been any given tender family moment on any given Sunday morning.
I knelt upon the floor between my big brother's thighs, my hands clasped together in my lap. Leaning back against the sofa, my eyes were closed as my ears focused upon the music of Hamasaki Ayumi. I probably had a slight smile upon my face, for "Bold & Delicious" was definitely one of my favorite songs.
Slowly, deliberately, my big brother brushed my hair. He took his time, his fingers reveling in the feel of my many strands, his heart being poured into the act. It was such a simple thing, having my hair brushed, especially by him, but it meant so much to me – to us both – that my heart pounded faster than usual, threatening to burst from the love swelling and pulsing within.
I sighed contentedly, reveling in the feel of the bristles against my scalp, the feel of my big brother's thighs pressed against my arms, the feel of the gentle tugs on my hair. I knew, deep within, that this was where I belonged, even though the sigh reignited a most unusual pair of aches.
Granted, to an outsider, seeing a big brother slowly brushing his baby sister's hair would not seem at all unusual – especially in large families where the older children are expected to help take care of their much younger siblings, I am fairly certain that such activities take place quite often between an older brother and his younger sister. However, there were several significant differences to the scene we presented to the imagined outsider.
First, my big brother is indeed older than me... but only by a few minutes. I have absolutely no doubt that he essentially shoved me aside to exit the womb first, asserting his dominance over me even before either of us had taken a single breath on our own.