On my brother, Bobby’s, 18th birthday, after we had his cake and ice cream at the dinner table, my father made an announcement.  “Your mother and I have decided that upon each of your 18th birthdays, you will receive $1,000.  We believe that at that point we have instilled in you all the values and morals we can and the rest is up to you.  We expect you to use the money to be on your own.”  I was 13, when dad announced this for Bobby, the eldest. 

When we went to my brother’s attic apartment in an old home on 5th Street, his new stereo took up most of the apartment.  The black speakers were about 4 feet tall and a foot wide.  I thought, ‘that’s what you spent your $1,000. on?’  But he was so proud of it.  He showed us the turn table, the cassette player, receiver, and talked of the amps, etc… His albums were in a red milk crate.  He had; The Cars, Pink Floyd, The Who and Van Halen to name a few.  He worked at grocery store on the corner of State and Broadway.

Chicks chased after Bobby.  For decades our telephone number in the phonebook was under our dad’s name (which was the same as Bobby’s) and it had our physical address.  Girls would show up at the door batting their eyes, ‘Is Bobby around?’  (before Facebook) I had buckteeth back then, so I enjoyed disappointing these pretty girls with a “Nope…don’t know….have no idea.”  Our phone would ring frequently, too.  Someone would answer and Lois might ask, “Who was that?”  “Just another chick looking for Bobby.”  She’d roll her eyes.  Even Amber had a crush on Bobby.  She’d smile and ask, “So, what’s your brother, Bobby up to?”  It was about as bad as when my brother, John, was a teenager and could have held a bake-sale from his bedroom with so many girls bringing him baked goods.  Bobby drove an orange GTO, muscle car.  He’d rev the engine, like he was a big deal. 

To my recollection, there were three women, who hold a distinction above all the rest because he fell in love with them.  We were surprised, when he shacked-up with a good-looking, fun-loving gal, named Venessa, who lived around the corner from our house in a back apartment on Court Street.  They had Adam.  But Bobby had a roaming spirit and loads of temptation with women throwing themselves at him, from my point of view.  So, it didn’t last.  Years later, we were shocked, when he informed us he wanted to marry; a spunky, cute, petite brunette, named Donna.  They had ‘little Bobby.’  It lasted for some years.  And then there was Amber, who tamed him the longest: a couple decades plus. Funny, how he evolved to become quite sentimental about love.  In the words of my sister, Tina, ‘he confided that the women in his life had a lot of power over his heart.’  And I can hear Bobby agree with a short chuckle and a ‘yup.’