The advice

It had been a couple of months before I got to speak to David. His phone was off, his Facebook status had not been updated since then. But on this early morning, I logged onto Facebook and saw that there was a message. My heart about leaped out of my heart.

But then I was saddened and hurtt because here I was worrying about gas payments and my brother couldn’t find a reliable life line or find a good paying job to survive. 

He had finally confessed that everything wasn’t “fine,” which is something he would always say. He was sleeping on parked benches and on stair wells and God only knows what else for sustenance. 

My jaw dropped. I couldn’t fathom how it had gotten to that point. My brother who spend $300 on jeans (when he could afford them), who I had dubbed the ‘fashionista’? Was doing what? 

And so, I said something that he has been telling me my whole life, “Get it together.” I felt he didn’t need me to scorn or reprimand him, but to push him in the right direction. 

I gave him that advice, and he logged out so quick that I definitely thought that he would never reach out to me again. I felt that he thought I had taken so light of the situation and was done with me. 

With just a quick message, I was intertwined and worried about him. And with a simple log out button, he was gone.With only a message on Facebook to let me know that he was at least alive, until he decided to contact me.