SMALL DEEDS MATTER - a short story

I have an older brother three years older than I am, we lived with both parents in the village. While we were younger, i wanted to buy a shoe which all the boys around me had, so I went to steal three thousand naira from my father's bag. He found out about the missing money right away so he called my elder brother and i and told us to kneel against the wall...

He held his belt firmly in his right hand and asked with a loud voice "who took money from my bag" i became very scared and afraid to talk. I and my elder brother were both quiet and just stared at my father and neither of us admitted to taking the money, my father shouted again "since none of you wants to admit, then you two should be beaten" as he raised his hand to smack us, my brother shouted "i did it" the belt hit my brother's back repeatedly, i was still kneeling there speechless. My father was so angry and he continued to hit my brother until he was out of breath.

My father then sat on the wooden chair amd scolded my brother "you are an embarrassment to this family, you have began stealing from your own house at this age, you would ne worse in future and probably start carrying guns. You shameless thief you should be beaten to death"

That night, my mother and i consoled my brother. His body was swollen and full of wounds but he did not shed a single tear. Later that night i was very sad and got up from my bed to go admit wat i did but my brother held me back and as if he read my mind he said "tayo, there is no need, everything has happened and is in the past" and with tears in my eyes I hugged him. I still hate myself till date for not admitting wat I did.

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Years went by, but the incident remained fresh in my mind. I will never forget how my brother protected me. I was in junior secondary school 3 and just got accepted into senior secondary school in a better and more expensive school. Kunle too just got admission into the University. My parents didn't have a lot of money, my father lost his jobs months back and has now turned to smoking.

One night my father opened a packet of cigarettes and started smoking while he was talking to my mother "both our children have very good results" my mother amidst her sobbing replied "what is the use? How can we finance both of them?" my brother suddenly walked out of nowhere, stood in front of my father and said "papa, i don't want to continue with school anymore" my father struck his face immediately with his left hand, my mother quickly pulled my brother away. My father barked "shut up boy, you don't know what you are saying. Even if I have to beg to send both of you to school I would". I walked up to my brother and sat by his side consoling him,i on the other hand had decided to drop out of school to learn a trade but nobody knew.

Before dawn the next day, my brother left the house with some worn out clothes and a small bag of beans. He left a note by my side "tayo, getting into that school isn't easy, u are smarter than me and I know u would do better in school. I will go find a job and send money to get you through that school and into the University" i held the note and cried silently that morning. My brother was just 19 at that time.

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With the money my father borrowed from the entire village and the money my brother earned from carrying cement at a construction site, i made it to my second year in the university. One day, i was in my room and my roommate came in and said "there's a villager waiting for you outside" as i walked out, I was wondering why a villager would be looking for me and who it could be. I got outside and saw my brother from afar, his whole body was covered in sand, dust and cement. I ran and hugged him then asked him why he didn't tell my roommate that he is my brother, he smiled and said "look at me, won't they laugh at you if they know im Your brother?" i was touched and with tears in my eyes I hugged him again, then I told him "you are my brother no matter how you look and I don't care about what people would say" he just smiled and handed me a plastic bag with a pair of shoes in it "i saw most boys wearing it, so I thought u should also have a pair" he said this time i let the tears flow freely and hugged my brother again for the third time.

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I noticed that the broken window in my room was repaired the first time i brought my girlfriend home, the house was scrubbed clean. After she left, i danced to my mother "mama, u didn't have to spend so much time cleaning the house" she answered smiling "it was your brother who got home early to clean the house, he even repaired the windows didn't u see the wound on his hand? " i rushed to my brother's room saw his bleeding hand and then looked at his thin face with a large scar across his forehead, at that moment i felt like hundred of needles pricked my heart. I rushed to get the first aid box and put a bandage on his wound. i asked him if it hurts he said "no it doesn't i have experienced worse things at the construction site" i wanted to cry because i know my brother has gone through all these because of me, he has done so much for me in the past and i keep wondering what i must have done to deserve his love.

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Years later i got married and become the director of my father-in-law's factory as he didn't have a male child. I invited my parents to come and live with me in the village but they refused as they saod they don't know what they would do once they left. My brother agreed with them and promised to take care of them while he told me to take care of my family in the city.

The post of manager became vacant in the company and i called my brother to come and take up the job but he refused and chose the position of a repairman instead. One day he was working on top of a ladder repairing a cable when he got electrocuted and was sent to the hospital. I went to visit him and grumbled "if you had taken the job as manager this wouldn't have happened to you, now you are suffering a serious injury, why don't you ever listen to us?" his expression changed and with seriousness in his voice he said "look at you, you just became the director and i being uneducated would become manager, what kind of rumors would fly around?" my eyes filled up with tears "but you lack in education because of me" i said, he replied "don't talk about the past". That year, i was 27 years old and my brother was 30.

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My brother was 31 years old when he married a farmer girl from the village. During the wedding reception, he was asked "who is the person you respect amd love the most?" without thinking, he answered "my brother". He continued by telling a story i couldn't even remember.

"When we were in primary school, everyday, we would walk 2 hours to school which was in another village and back home. It was always very cold on our way to school as it was very early in the morning. One day, i was ill and I lost the other pair of my glove. My brother gave me one of his and we had to walk far. When we got home, his hand were trembling because of the cold that he couldn't even hold his spoon. From that day, i swore that as long as I live, I would take care of my brother and will always be good to him*". Applause filled the reception room and all the guests turned their attention to me. I found it hard to speak, and in this happy occasion, in front of the crowd and my wife, tears were rolling down my face. I stood up and went to hug my brother where he was sitting. I never knew this little incident was the cause of the love my brother showed me throughout the rest of my life.

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Moral of the story : Love and care for everyone around you every day of your life. To you it may be a small deed but to that person, it may mean a lot.