My Brother

My dad was married many times.

First, it was Sharon. I wasn't in the picture then. He didn't have any kids then. They were madly in love. He was attractive and funny, she was beautiful and sweet. Eventually, Sharon became pregnant. They had their first child, a boy, whom they named William Eugene Cameron, Jr. Black hair, tan skin, brown eyes. He was the center of their world. Soon after, she became pregnant again. Their second child, another black haired, tan skinned, brown eyed boy, they named Justin. And again, awhile after Justin, Sharon became pregnant again. Yet another black haired, tan skinned, brown eyed boy, this one named Jordan. They were the perfect family, and three boys were enough children for them.

Then, my father got a new job. There, he met the southern blonde beauty, Tina. Naturally, he couldn't help himself. He divorced Sharon for Tina, tearing apart their perfect family. Gene married Tina, who already had a son and daughter of her own. And, soon after that marriage, Tina became pregnant. Another black haired, tan skinned, brown eyed boy, this one named Sterling. And two years after Sterling, they had another child. This time, a black haired, tan skinned, brown eyed, little girl. They named her Morgan. This, of course, would be me.

Tina was an alcoholic. This is what tore this happy family apart. Gene and Tina divorced, and Tina moved to Kentucky with her new boyfriend who loved drinking just as much as she did. Not that my father doesn't drink quite a bit, he's just rarely drunk, unlike Tina, who I don't think even knows what sober is. Gene, Gene Jr. (who at this point decided he wanted to be called Will), Justin, Jordan, Sterling, and I moved to Vance, Alabama (we had been living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Vance wasn't too far from there, only about twenty minutes).

Dad (unsurprisingly) got remarried, again. This wedding was the most beautiful. It was on a beach. I didn't have the wear a stupid frilly dress and heels. Instead, I wore a beautiful, flowy, white summer dress, and no shoes. I really liked the way the sand felt under my feet. I mostly turned and twirled in my dress during the reception, and danced with my favorite and only biological brother Sterling. He (as well as the rest of the guys who were in the wedding) was wearing a flowy white button up shirt, and long khaki cargo shorts. While everyone was packing up everything, Sterling and I stayed at the beach. We had been there for a week before the wedding as a sort of vacation, even though it was only about thirty minutes from our house, we didn't get to go there often. We enjoyed our final day there, since we were going back to our house with our new step mom after everything was packed. Sterling and ran and played at the edge of the water, where it was only deep enough to get our feet wet. Sterling splashed me with water as best as he could, laughing the entire time. I twirled through the water, loving the way the skirt of my dress flowed around my legs, with my long (waist length), dark brown hair blowing in the wind, the beautiful flowers I had arranged in my hair staying in place. Sterling picked me up and twirled me around. It was kind of like in a movie, like it was in slow motion while pretty music played in the backround. Not to mention it was sunset, and the light sparkled on the water making it all the more beautiful. We played in the water until my dad yelled at us to get in the car. I remember the two of us walking solemnly to the car, saying goodbye to our vacation.

Fast forward to the present.

I (now 13) still live in Vance, Alabama. With my dad, my stepmom Leigh, brother Sterling (16), stepbrother Seth (12), and stepsister Alex (18). Leigh has another daughter, Krystle (27), who lives with her husband, Justin. They have two children, Braleigh and Brodee. Will (27) lives in Kentucky with his wife, Kassie. Justin (22) lives in Kentucky on his own. Jordan (17) lives in Kentucky with Sharon. I don't like how far apart our family is, but I know I'm fine as long as I have Sterling. We're amazingly close. We're pretty much all each other's ever had. We're the only things we can depend on to truly always be there. We can't trust any of dad's wives, because who knows how long they'll be here, and dad's not that type of caring person. But with me and Sterling the only kids dad had with mom, we're just naturally close.

And you can always count on a little sister.