My Brother

4:39 AM, February 18, 2007 (Pembroke)

I got an e-mail today, and I'm really excited.

In junior high and high school I had a friend named Steve. We lived a few doors down from each other on the base, and we basically had all the same interests. Steve loved reading fantasy novels, and playing RPGs. He introduced me to the Dragonlance series, and we spent entire weeks making maps of the old Goldbox games (Curse of the Azure Bonds, Pool of Radiance, etc). We used to "sword fight" with those wooden pegs that city workers stick in the ground to mark electical lines.

Steve used to spend so much time at my place that he called my mother "Mommy #2". We called ourselves brothers.

During my second or third year of high school Steve's family was posted away to another base. He moved to Quebec, and we kept in touch for quite awile. I even went out to visit him a couple of times. Unfortunately around the same time that my parents got separated his also started having problems. Both families were so mixed up that we lost touch with each other.

I've tried searching for Steve on and off over the years, but I never knew the name of the school he went to after he left, or what city he was living in after his parents separated. His name is a little too common for a Google search too.

Today I went on MySpace, and out of curiosity I decided to browse the profiles listed under my high school. Another thing Steve and I had in common was our tendancy to have really strong crushes. I came across a picture of Steve's greatest crush, it was the first one listed for our school. He was always obsessed with her. They never got together, but the three of us hung out in the same group, and she and Steve were really close.

I decided to send her a message on the spur of the moment. It was just a quick note to see if she was actually an active user who would respond. I said hi, asked how she was doing, and asked if she was still in touch with Steve.

I got home from work today and there was a reply waiting for me. She gave me her e-mail address and told me to add her to MSN so we could get caught up.

I'm really looking forward to talking to her. It's been a long time since I've spoken to her, or anyone else from our old class for that matter. There's a lot we have to talk to by now, especially since it turns out she's been in contact with Steve the entire time.

After more than 10 years I may have a chance to get back in touch with my brother. I wonder how much he's changed. It's odd to think of how much I have done since I saw him last. I spent years playing Vampire: The Masquerade. The last time I spoke to him I was still in love with Shandra. I discovered anime, and became obsessed with it. I worked in a call centre for years. I've been to Japan and back!

What have you been up to Steve? I guess I'll find out.