This Time Around

 Younger walks in less than 6 hours.

He'll do what his brother did; stay on to attend VoTech while attending the community college.  We've been here before, and yet, we haven't...

There are differences this time; there are things that younger had access to that his brother did not.  Was it that his brother wasn't paying attention?  Or was it that he wasn't invited?  Or maybe he opted out? The young man who is no poker player has his game face on. He's a score keeper; he knows exactly who got what and when.  He's pointed out more than once when younger got something he didn't.

"You are two different people," I remind him, "You didn't do band.  You did other things."

But.  When I was running my last volunteering effort at the high school last week, I got into a conversation with one of the advisors about the mugs we were passing out to the students (I had younger's stashed under a table). She said, yeah, they've been doing this for 17 years....

I blinked.  Four years ago, elder didn't get a mug, and I mention that.  

She blinks.  "Oh, we have extra, if you can wait, I'll get it for you."

I was willing to wait. 

(And a mom posted on social media later that her kid didn't get a mug.  I felt that.)

Later in the week, younger had graduation practice. I drop his brother off to job shadow first.  Younger reminds me that we need to go to his elementary school after to walk the halls.

I am game to do this. But....elder didn't.

If you go back in my blog 11 years ago, the why is pretty clear. But by the same token, I don't recall even knowing it was happening. 

Elder isn't saying anything.

There are dozens of other little differences.  But then, they are different people...and times are different.