My Baby Brother

When Mom was 75 and Dad was 82, they found themselves caring for a young, pregnant woman who my nephew introduced as his girlfriend.  A few months after the baby boy was born, the unwed mother disappeared from our lives, leaving the little one with my parents.

They contacted Child Protective Services and asked to foster the abandoned child but as time went on, the baby’s future seemed unstable.  My parents had fallen in love with the little man and did not want to lose him to the foster system so they decided to adopt him. 

My parents became parents for the sixth and last time.  My little brother was almost two. Mom was 77 and Dad was 83. 

On his second birthday, we were all invited to his birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza.  The next youngest sibling had just turned 40 and my oldest brother was in his late 50’s, so we invited some of our grandchildren to the party so our Baby Bro would have playmates closer to his age.

My father passed away soon after the adoption and our older brother died a few years ago.  One day our youngest sister will take over the care of our little brother, but he has the rest of us to remind him of his parents, the mother and father who did not abandon him, our parents who loved him so much they claimed him as their own and took responsibility for him.