Audio Narrative Script James Sigman 9/19/13 As I back myself into the rear-left corner of the Honda Odyssey

I see him hugging Mom and Dad. We are parked right in front of the Center for Christian Studies at the University of Virginia. Entranced by the interaction between my eldest brother and my parents, I keep my eyes fixed upon them, filled with sheer bewilderment. My face is pressed forcefully against the window, from my temple to my jaw. How do people do this? More importantly how will I do it? I convince myself I have a whole life to live between now and then. I dont feel half as bad for either of my parents as I do for myself. When I return home, I have to adjust to a new house, the 6th grade and a different family. I watch as oceans well up in Moms eyes. Although I cant hear anything besides a steady drum beat from the headphones that my brother Richard is playing too loud, I can make out a gentle I love you from her to Johnny (Cue drum beat). Still, I only think of myself. Although Im the youngest of four, now is the point where I become an only child. Page had left a few years ago, Johnny is off now, and Richard, though still living at home, just acquired his drivers license, meaning his social life would soon dominate his family one. I witnessed it with Johnny and Page, as soon as they could drive they barely spent time at home. All I want to do is go home, yet my house is no longer my home, my friends are far away, and my brother is gone. I am inevitably alone. I look out the window to see the last glimpse of my brother (car starting), knowing that when he comes home things will never be quite the same as they are in this moment in time. Johnny will be grown up, and Ill still be a child, an only child at that. No more games, tomfoolery, or brotherhood. Its inexplicably difficult to contemplate separation from someone Ive lived with my whole life. I no longer have someone to shoot off bottle rockets (bottle rocket sound), play baseball or ride bikes with. I no longer have someone to sit around and be bored with, no one to argue with, no one to complain with. I no longer have a brother. I remember when my family used to go on long vacations driving around the country to see historical sites and natural wonders. As a result, my brothers and I had gotten very close despite a large age gap. Seeing all fifty states in twelve years with the same people seems to do that. Moreover, waking up early and traveling extensive distance every day against our will brought us closer together. Griping about our parents dragging us to Millard Fillmores grave and Franklin Pierces birthplace made us brothers. Now that Johnny is off to college it seems we arent. I watch the rearview mirror and see the pain in Dads eyes. I can hear the barely audible stream of tears rolling down Moms cheeks. Despite preparing themselves 18 years for this day, there is nothing to dull their pain. The conversation is dominated by silence as we drive back. I am an introvert, but even for me this situation is discomforting. I think back to the last time Johnny and I went fishing. We got chewed out thoroughly by a man whose yard we crossed through in order to get to the creek. After having a laugh about that, I remember just sitting together fishing on a sunny day, but enjoying the serene, quiet beauty of nature

(Birds singing or bugs chirping). I keep thinking how much that time contrasts with this one. We didnt need to talk to enjoy each others company then, yet now the silence is unbearable. When we finally get back to McLean, my Mom gives me her smile when I get out of the car. It is not unlike the one she makes every single day when I leave for school. Richard gives me a pinch on the arm as to be expected. While we unload the car, I begin to understand that the family is still the family even with Johnny gone. We may be missing a member but the whole remains. That is what is important, and that is what cannot go away even if one of us leaves. Just because we no longer live under the same house, we have shared the same experiences. We have memories that will not die no matter how great the distance between us. For some reason things as simple as smiles and pinches bring me out of my depression. They remind me that everything is still the same as it once was. I had spent so long feeling sorry for myself I forgot to think about Johnny, and how life on his own was just beginning. Sure, my parents are as sad as anyone, but they went through the same process. They know that this is an event necessary to transition to adulthood. If my Mom can put on a smile, so can I (Brass section). Though I will always cherish the memories that Ive had with my family I can now see that I should be looking forward to the next part of life, not yearning for the past. All those shared experiences have made us a family, and my home is wherever my family is. There I will be welcomed with outstretched arms. Though Johnny is gone, the family remains. Though we miss him, we look forward to his future. Even as time, in its eternal continuity, progresses on, family never changes. Brotherhood lasts forever. (Trumpets)