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Brad I love my dad very much. He and I are very similar. My mother constantly points out our similarities, and when she is angry, accuses us of ganging up against her. We deny it, but of course she is right, we DO gang up on her. My dad is the smartest, wisest, and most intelligent person I have ever known. His advice to me, over the years, has always been infallible. Even when I chose to disregard his advice, it always turned out to be something I would regret, or at least, learn from. I don't mean to say that I regard my dad as a god...he has his problems, and I have never put him on a pillar. I figured out early in life that dad had a problem with drinking. He is not the kind of alcoholic who has to have a drink every night...but when he starts to drink, he has trouble stopping. My older brother, Brad, seems to have inherited that same kind of alcoholism. Brad is hard to explain...he's a great guy. But he showed me up in our youth to our mom. In High School, Brad stayed in his room and read every night, something our mom admired. I was very social, something our mom despised. Brad was viewed as a geeky, skinny boy, and I was popular. I went to the same little college in Michigan as Brad. I was a Freshman when he was a Senior. I was a party girl, in the best Sorority (Brad had been turned away from the dweeb Fraternity), and we were just in different worlds. Brad had never been much of a partier in his 3 years there. He got drunk on Homecoming night and was arrested for Drunk Driving. He called me from jail that night, and I posted the bond of $25 and picked him up in the morning. Weirdly, my roommate, Kristen, was arrested for DUI that night, too, in my car. I had to walk over to the Sigma Chi house to get my car, and got them both out of jail together. Brad graduated from college, and went on to get a decent job in Detroit. I transferred back to my home, and we lost touch. My parents told me at some point that he got arrested again for Drunk Driving. This time, he went to jail for 4 days. A year later, Brad fucked up again, and fell asleep as he was driving home to where he was living then...my Grandparents' house. He drove off the road, totaled his car, and ended up with a 3rd DUI in 3 years. He spent 3 months in jail that time. My dad is an Attorney, and he flew out to Michigan to try to get Brad out of jail. Dad told the judge that if Brad was let go early, dad would get him out of the state, and they would never have to see him or pay for him again. The Judge agreed. So, Brad came back to our home state, and generally did pretty well. A few years ago, Brad went back to Michigan for his college reunion. I guess he wanted to seem important, he rented a BMW. He got drunk, and drove the Beem-er back to our Grandpa's house, where he was staying. Along the way, he fell asleep, and rolled the car. He ended up in jail for being drunk. My poor Grandpa got the call, and had to go pick up Brad from jail, and call my parents. Brad came home on his designated flight. My parents picked him up at the airport. I had just come home from a vacation and my dad had told me what was going on. He said that according to the laws in Michigan, a fourth DUI conviction carried a mandatory felony sentence...with a minimum prison term of a year. It was apparent from my dad and mom's shaken appearance that this was bad. Brad came home...he was obviously tired and battered. I didn't want to give him a hard time, but at the same time I wanted to scream, WTF is WRONG with you? My dad contacted an attorney in Michigan and asked what could be done. We waited. At one point, my dad told me that he would take Brad to Canada before he would let Brad go to prison. He told me that he and my mom had agreed on this. (My dad used to work as a consultant for the Detroit police department, I guess he knows how bad prison can be...not to mention that my cousin, who is pretty tough, has spent a lot of time in Jackson County Prison, and his mom was afraid he wouldn't come out of it alive. It's a tough prison, I guess.) My dad told me that he would would not let Brad go to prison. My dad said that Brad wouldn't make it in prison, and that he wouldn't leave him there. My dad asked me what I would do, if I would stay in the U.S. and take care of their house. He told me I might never see them again. I agreed to stay in the U.S. and take care of selling the house, and then join them in Canada. The attorney called one morning. I was sitting in the living room with my parents and Brad. Dad went upstairs to take the call. We sat, sick as hell. Dad finally came downstairs and said that the attorney recommended that Brad never step foot in Michigan again...and that he would never be remanded into the state. My dad was overjoyed, he hugged my mom and kissed her like I have never seen him do. I've never seen him so happy. He went upstairs, and I followed him. I saw him sobbing, it killed me. I went to him, and my FATHER cried in MY arms. I went back downstairs and said to Brad..."I want to talk to you." I took him outside and said, "You have just taken 10 years from our Father's life." Brad didn't get it, he never will. I don't think he has a clue what our dad was willing to do for him. Miss These?
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