Siblings

Denny

I’ve never been to the big Orlando theme park resort hotels, but I’ve seen a lot of pictures. What sticks out is that they’re all themed, high quality, clean, and modern—at least, that’s my assumption from pictures. I know that half of their appeal is that they’re actually attached to the parks. It’s my understanding that staying in them is as much an experience as the parks themselves.

When Leon’s wife suggested this place, Brown Bear Lodge, Tyler and I looked it up, and I was immediately reminded of the Orlando resorts. There’s a water park inside, and it spans acres. There are slides and hidden grottos, a lazy river that moves through the entire hotel, a wave pool, and so many different rides in the park that I was shocked that it’s actually inside.

We booked a four-bedroom suite—a room for each couple, one for the kids, and a central living space where we can all come together. I kind of wanted to get our own room that’s completely separate. This is a lot of forced together time with people I just don’t know. I get it; they’re my brothers. My sisters-in-law. My niece and nephews. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re strangers.

Tyler promised he’d be a diva and get us out if I needed a break. I don’t know that I actually believed that. He’s not a diva in the least. Can he pull that off? There’s a part of me that wants to see it.

We’re the last to arrive. The location we chose is in the northwest, and we’re heading there straight from our visit to Newfoundland. It was our first vacation together as a family. There’s a chance that it was probably the single happiest time in my entire life.

The shuttle pulls up outside the hotel as I’m thinking about the tiny, romantic cottage on a lake we just came from, and the stark contrast as it towers over me has me staring. I can see where a water slide tube juts out of the side of the building.

“Sally and I would have loved this as kids,” Tyler says as he stands beside me with Ty in his arms.

“I would have too. It’s unreal.”

“The nice thing about having adult money is that you can have the experiences you never did as a child,” Tyler says. He hands me Ty, as I continue to study the massive building in front of me. The façade is made of enormous logs to make it look like a true lodge in the woods. While I know that there are trees the size of the logs on the building, I imagine that they’re not real. That’s a lot of trees. Besides, would it offer the infrastructure to support the water park?

Tyler stands beside me, having grabbed all our luggage from the shuttle. One of the concierges meets us where we stand and loads all our things onto the cart. I’m too engrossed in studying the building to pay them the attention they deserve.

Besides, Ty is feeling a little grumpy. It was a very long day of travel. Lots of airports, very long plane rides, and long car rides. Not to mention the time zones we crossed. He’s been strapped to a seat for so long, and he’s been such a good boy, but he’s ready to stretch his legs.

“You ready?” Tyler asks.

“Yeah. Sorry. There’s something engrossing about looking at this building.”

He smiles and slides his hand into my free one. “Come on. Let’s get settled so Ty can roll around like he’s dying to do.”

Ty shifts in my arms to look at Tyler and gives us a grunt of agreement. The sound makes us both laugh. We’ve both caught him repeating words and sounds he’s heard, but generally, he much prefers to simply make noises at us. Probably because we find it so damn cute.

Check-in is quick since we’re the last to arrive. It’s simply us receiving our keys and the concierge leading us to the elevator and to our room with our luggage. As much as I don’t want Ty to grow up quickly, I won’t be sad when I don’t have to travel with all the furniture that he requires. His folding bed alone is a pain in the ass. Then there’s the car seat and stroller. They attach, and there’s a large compartment under where the seat attaches for a medium suitcase, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re lugging around a car seat and stroller.

Then there’s the other crap that comes with babies—diapers, bottles, formula, snacks, seat coverings because there are too many germs all over the place, blankets and toys and bibs, and, and, and.

It’s exhausting just making sure we have everything. I used to travel with nothing but a small carry-on. The life of a parent traveling is nothing to scoff at. I’m thankful as fuck that there are two of us adults. I can’t even imagine doing this with multiple kids.

Tyler suggested we might be overdoing it with what we’re bringing as first-time parents, but we’ve literally used everything, so… what would we leave behind? What can we do without? Quite literally, everything felt essential.

Tyler knocks on the door and then opens it with his key. The noise of the kids beyond turns silent as the door opens wide. I think I hear my heart like a drum in my head as I stare inside.

A gentle squeeze on my hand reminds me that I’m frozen again. “Sorry,” I murmur. I’m thankful to be holding Ty. He feels like a shield to hide behind and take the attention, as babies do.

Also, thank fuck for Tyler. He smiles as he leads us inside; it’s friendly, comfortable, settling. One of the wives points to the room we’ll take, and as a large group we watch the concierge unload our luggage just inside the door of the bedroom. Tyler gives him a tip on his way out, and then we’re plunged into silence.

Tyler looks between us and then huffs. “Hi. I’m Tyler. This is Ty and Denny.” He waves a hand in front of him, left to right, and then leans into my side.

Ty points at the kids on the floor, and reluctantly, I relinquish my shield and set my son on the ground.

The wife who pointed to our empty room takes Tyler’s lead. “I’m Tamsin, Anthony’s wife.” She rests her hand on his knee to her right. “The little blond boy is Colby, and the one who looks just like Anthony is Nate, three- and two-years-old.”

I already knew which brother was which. Of course, I did. 

Leon gets to his feet and crosses the space between us, picking through the toys on the floor like it’s a minefield. He offers me his hand, and as soon as I reach out to shake it, he hauls me in for a hug. It’s brief and awkward, but it’s tight and dislodges a sudden well of emotion I hadn’t known was sitting so close to the surface.

“Glad to see you, Denny,” he says.

I nod, unable to get the words from my mouth. Then he hugs Tyler. This one looks far more familiar, as if they’re brothers instead of Leon and me. He lifts Tyler off his feet, and Tyler laughs. I find that I’m smiling at their greeting. I’m not all that surprised. Since the impromptu conversation they shared when I accidentally left my phone at home during a practice, they’ve talked often.

Part of me secretly thinks that I made the effort with my brothers because it meant a lot to Tyler. His relationship with his sibling couldn’t be further from what mine was with my siblings. I think he craves the sibling bond he lost, and while I know my brothers will never replace Sally, I hope he can take some comfort in my brothers.

“My wife, Juney,” Leon says, holding his hand out to where Juney is on the floor with the kids. Juney places her hand in his, and he easily pulls her to her feet. She’s tiny. Can’t be more than five feet tall. “Our babies, Bradley, Luis, and Agnes.”

Agnes is dressed like a princess. She’s wearing a princess dress and a plastic tiara on her head, around her pigtails. Her nails are painted, and she wears fake pearls around her neck.

“I think you mean Princess Agnes,” Tyler muses.

His comment makes Agnes beam. She gets to her feet and does her best to give him a curtsy.

“You’re her new favorite person,” Juney says. “Prepare for a Velcro niece.”

I’m not sure she could say anything at all that would make Tyler happier. He meets my eye, and the smile on his face says it all.

“Come in. I know you’re probably exhausted from the long trip, but we were thinking of grabbing some dinner downstairs,” Leon says.

Tyler and I look down at Ty.

“I don’t think we could convince him to sit still again today,” I confess. “He’s been so good, but if I were him and forced to sit for another couple hours, I’d break down and throw a tantrum.”

“That’s fair,” Juney says. “We’ll call dinner up. Have a picnic on the floor so the cousins can play together.”

Tamsin is already on her feet and retrieving a binder from the desk across the room. “What’re you in the mood for?”

“As long as it’s not squid or octopus, I’m game,” Tyler says.

“Ew,” Bradley says, making a face. “People eat those?”

“They also eat whales, sharks, and dolphins,” Tyler says.

Bradley, Agnes, and Colby look absolutely stricken. Tyler looks up at the adults with wide eyes. “Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that knowledge.”

Anthony laughs. “Just don’t suggest that the chicken in certain foods is a domestic animal or we’re going to have a riot.”

“I’m with Bradley on that. Ew,” Tyler says, scrunching his nose.

“We’ll just avoid seafood for now,” Tamsin says. “Burgers, nuggets, and fries for the kids. Yeah?”

There’s a loud chorus that answers her as the kids that aren’t mine respond as if they’re in an arena and need to be heard over the crowd. It’s so loud that Ty jumps and leans away from them, slightly horrified. I try to cover my laughter when he looks up at me with concern.

My brothers laugh at his reaction.

“Only kid syndrome, right there,” Leon says. “He’s used to a quiet, calm house, isn’t he?”

Tyler and I nod.

“Most certainly. He’s the loudest in the house, and I think his toys make more noise than he does,” Tyler says. He leans down to run his fingers through Ty’s hair in comfort. I can practically hear him saying, “You’re okay,” though the words don’t leave his mouth.

“You’re probably going to judge me, but I’d really like a salad,” Juney says. “I’ve had very little outside of airport food today, and I’m craving something not greasy or deep fried.”

“Same,” Tyler and Tamsin say at the same time.

“Actually, I’d like a salad, too, but I need some protein. Shrimp or steak or something,” I add.

“That sounds good,” Anthony agrees. “I’ll have that too.”

“Is it weird that I want a burger with the kids? You all going to judge me?” Leon asks.

“Yes,” we all agree, and then laugh.

Just like that, it already feels like maybe we’re brothers, after all. This is okay. This is going to be okay.

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