fbhjr

My mother has been known to loudly proclaim that my brother is not gay at pretty much any family function.
He and I have never discussed it. He and I have spoken at all in the last 10 years, but not for anything to do with that.

However, I do not think my brother is anything as straight forward as gay. I don’t know what he is, but I expect it to be much weirder than that if I ever find out.
And, the bug story is an example of why:

Somewhere around 25 years ago my brother was working for a company that made volley ball sets. He was the person who kept the bins of volley balls full for the people who put them in boxes.
He had this job from faking his way through the special needs system and getting it as a special needs disabled job. (My brother playing dumb to get into special needs is a much longer story.)

One morning about 6AM, my parent’s phone rang. It was the security people at the factory where my brother worked.
My brother had shown up at about 5 in the morning and tried to get into the plant. As his shift started at 7 and they didn’t open the gates until 6, they refused to let him and held him until they could call my mother.
This was a surprise to my mother, who thought my brother was still asleep in his room as it was only about then his alarm usually went off.
When he was put on the phone, my brother told my mother that in the middle of the night he had woken up and not been able to get to sleep. Lying awake in bed, he began to wonder if the giant bug in Provident RI that is an add for an extermination company was illuminated at night.
Having nothing better to do, he decided to go find out. He got up, got in the car, drove the 40 or so miles to Providence to see.
But, as he drove into Providence, he decided he didn’t have enough time to see the bug and get back to work on time.
So, bug unseen, he turned around and drove to work.
But, he had misjudged the time and got there too early.
My mother told him to tell the guards he felt sick and come home for the day.
Which is what my brother did.

I thought that was very strange.
I told the story to one of my roommates who was from Providence and gay.
“I know that area near the bug,” he said. “It’s a gay pick up spot. And, specifically a pick up spot for folks who are into the stranger stuff.”

Now my brother is 45, has never had a girlfriend, still lives at home and only has one friend named Ron. He and Ron go on trips out on Cape Cod to “look at the lighthouses”. They’ve also gone to Vermont and LA together to look at the light houses.
When my brother was in high school he used to work at a department store. He used to bring home a lot of money some nights and told my mother it was tips the manager gave him for collecting the shopping carts in the parking lot. It was usually at least $20 back when minimum wage was about $3.50 an hour.

But, anyhow, the reason I bring all this up is that yesterday my wife and I drove through Providence RI going from the funeral she attended to go see my aunt.
And, we passed the big bug that is still there along the side of the highway.

I have to admit, it’s a big bug.
It was about noon, so no clue as to its nighttime illumination.
And, we didn’t get off of the highway, so no idea what goes on in the shadow of the bug these days.
But, I can’t see it without thinking of my brother and that strange story he told.