2. The Eldest

As I grow in person and in character, I flash back to see whom else’s footprints I follow in my journey through life. A memory comes into my head, like an old black and white silent picture that has captions flash across the screen every few seconds. Here is the story that evolves…

There once was a guy, the eldest of six kids, who went off into the world to seek his fortune. He was the one everybody looked up to, as they knew he’d always be there for them. His brothers and sisters could count on him and his gentle ways. Some of them admired him and wanted to be just like him.

One year, this man came home to spend the Christmas holidays with the family he deeply loved. They lived in an old, cozy farmhouse. It wasn’t on a farm, mind you. It was in the edge of a neighborhood with a large field behind it. The field belonged to an old widow who left it alone, let some trees and shrubs grow, and allowed neighbors and teenagers to walk, ride, and play around in its web of dirt paths. The paths led from one end of the neighborhood to the other. One path in particular led back to this quaint, red farmhouse.

He arrived after a cold, Wisconsin snow. His new, dark and usually shiny car was light and dirty from the salt and sand that enveloped the highways for safe, winter driving. But it was his, paid for by his own money from his first new job. He was his own man. He came bringing many packages that they all knew had to be gifts.

It was a lovely Christmas that year. The family was blessed with a new addition; a little Shiatsu that looked remarkably like one of those Star Wars characters called Ewoks. The little ones of the family wanted to name it “Wicket,” one of the starring Ewoks in the movie “Return of the Jedi.” But the rest of the family agreed upon “Un Poquito,” or “Un Poco,” or just plain “Poco,” meaning small in Spanish.

There was what seemed like hundreds of gifts underneath the Christmas tree that year. The “big” gift was tucked away on the far corner of the tree, out of sight. All of the kids knew it was there and had sneaked a peak whenever it was their turn to choose the gifts for the next unwrapping. It said it was from Santa Claus, but didn’t say whom it was to. They all knew it had to be from the eldest son, but humored themselves into thinking it was from Santa.

The giant gift was the last to be opened, and the eldest presented it to his parents. The mother and father’s eyes swelled with tears. It could have been from their pride over the success and gentle hearted unselfishness of their eldest, or the realization they no longer had to watch television through the confines of an old, broken down cathode tube.

It was a brand new 24-inch screen television that was cable ready, equipped with a remote control. Oh, the ease of sitting back in the broken beige recliner and turning the channel had run through all of their minds. The eldest, standing back with a childish grin on his face asked if they liked it. He was smothered with hugs and kisses by seven people as well as a dog.

******
After a few days of settling in came the argument. He and his father began talking about work and life in general. As the little ones played with their new wealth of toys, they heard their father’s loud statements and their brother’s calm, collected responses. They could tell that both their father and brother were getting angry.

Several minutes went by with the arguing. The father stormed into the sanctuary of his office, while the eldest chose the door leading outside after grabbing his winter coat. IT was a cold night where the moon reflected on the snow. Clouds were starting to roll in with a gift of a light snowfall. It was a surreal scene.

The second youngest son saw what had just happened and decided to try and console his older brother. He put on his winter jacket and snow boots and ran out the door, down the steps and followed the footprints in the snow.

He had to hurry. He had to catch up with him, but what would he say? He kept on, following step by step in the freshly packed snow footprints. They led through the back yard into the field. The path was scarred by nothing but the prints in the snow.

They younger brother started to wonder what his older brother’s life was really like. It had seemed such a straight path, unchanged by the surroundings. With each step he took, he thought of how much he wanted to be like the eldest. He dreamed of a successful life with many presents and toys to give to his family.

He reached a crossroad in the path. The footprints had turned left. The boy wondered what if he had turned right or gone straight ahead. What life would lie ahead of him there? He decided to follow the footprints and find the path his brother had taken. He looked ahead hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother storming onward with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He saw nothing but what seemed like endless footprints in the snow.

He started to run. He had to catch his brother before…Before what he wondered. He slowed his pace, and kept pondering his own future. More turns were ahead, of that he was sure. He may never find his brother to save him from his anguish. Was it his place to do so? He didn’t know, but it felt right, so he kept moving.

The footprints had led back to the farmhouse. Snow covered the roof like a warm, comfortable blanket on a cold winter’s night. That whole walk, and for nothing. I am back where I started, the boy thought. He’d remember his own journey through his mind, of that he was certain. He hopped up the steps and opened the door to the warm comforts of home. There they all were. His brother and father had just finished hugging and making up for their argument.
Everyone seemed joyous again, unaware that the little boy had left on his own journey to rescue his eldest sibling. He didn’t say anything, just took off his jacket and boots and went on to the hordes of toys that they had acquired a few days before. Dinner was almost ready, and they were all famished. The little boy thought of how pretty the footprints in the snow were, then occupied his mind with the hot nourishment set before them.

*****

The eldest sister woke up early the next morning, got showered and dressed. She had just purchased a new roll of film to take pictures of the newly fallen snow with her new camera. She wandered out to the back yard to see what wonder nature brought the night before. Something caught her eye. That is gorgeous, she thought. The shutter snapped.

*****

Years later, the eldest son had found his own home, started his own family and was a very loving father, husband, brother and son. On his wall in the front foyer to his house was a photograph framed in dark brown stained oak wood. The photograph was that of the entrance to the field that was behind their old house back in Wisconsin. The trees hung low over the path due to the weight of the freshly fallen snow. The path was marked only with a single set of footprints. Only one couldn’t see that the footprints were not stepped in once but twice.