Learning a Lesson. My irritation reached a fervor as I stood up to challenge him. Being only two years apart, we had competed at almost everything since childhood,

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“Are you okay with this?”

“About what?” I responded as I sat at my desk.

It was a chilly afternoon in December and I had just gotten home from school. I had no idea what my brother meant. Then I saw my recent math exam in his hand. At first Tomo wore a smile, then his countenance turned expressionless.

Why did he stop smiling? Is he disappointed? Why does he even care?

“Are you okay with this?” He asked again.

“Probably,” I replied quietly.

After a moment of silence, he flipped thru the pages of my exam once more then he emphatically slammed the test on my desk and said:

“Well, you shouldn't be.”

My irritation reached a fervor as I stood up to challenge him. Being only two years apart, we had competed at almost everything since childhood, be it Yu-Gi-Oh matches in our primary years to playing tennis and basketball matches in our adolescent years. Though he was older, I had a size advantage and possessed the aggressiveness that accompanies a younger sibling’s temperament.
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“Why do you care? Not everyone is a math genius like you.”

He simply said, “You can do better.”

My brother was considered a math prodigy at our high school. When I entered ninth grade, teachers and older classmates would remark, “Your Tomo’s brother right?” “You possess the same brain?” “I bet you’re talented too” Hearing so many comparisons, I felt frustrated to be boxed into being measured to his reputation. At the same time, I wanted to perform just as well, or better. Reticent in nature, my brother wasn’t the type to talk much so ...

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