FLASH BACK…..

“Lenore, Stevie, what’s wrong?” Brian queried walking into his bedroom, finding his six year-old siblings huddled in a corner. “Why are you crying?”

“Daddy’s mad at us,” Stevie cried. “We didn’t do anything either.”

“What happened?” Brian questioned. “Why’d daddy get mad?”

“Daddy said we broke the lamp, when Jessica’s the one who knocked it over,” Lenore sniffled. “Daddy real mad; he yell at us and spank us; we didn’t do it Brian!”

Brian walked over to where they were, picked them both up, then sat down with them in his lap. “Its okay, it’s okay,” he said hugging them close. “Daddy, probably just made a mistake.”

“Daddy yell ‘cause Jessica got hurt,” Stevie whimpered, clutching his fifteen-year-old brother’s shirt. “He said we not allowed to watch Rescue Rangers or any other cartoon for a week.”

“How’d Jessica get hurt?” Brian queried. “Did she get cut on the glass?”

“No, Lenore pushed her and she hit her head on the floor,” Stevie replicated. “She almost got cut on the lamp, but daddy picked her up.”

“Lenore, did you push Jessica?” Brian asked. “Did you purposely hurt her?”

“Yes,” Lenore answered quietly. “But, she didn’t get hurt the way I wanted.”

“Lenore, that was very naughty,” Brian told her sternly. “No wonder daddy’s mad; you were a very bad girl by purposely hurting Jessica.”

“She deserves it!” Lenore declared. “She get away with everything; I don’t like her either!”

“You should never deliberately hurt someone, whether or not you like them,” Brian informed his two little siblings. “Did you apologize to her?”

“No, she didn’t,” Stevie cut in. “Daddy told her too, but she wouldn’t; she hit her instead.”

“Did you hit her too?” Brian interrogated.

“Yes,” Lenore whispered. “She laugh at me; she think it funny that I in trouble.”

“You shouldn’t hit people,” Brian said. “Fighting never solves anything.”

“You and Kevin fight,” Stevie pointed out. “So, why can’t we?”

“It’s not right that’s why. We shouldn’t be fighting either; we get into trouble for it too, because it’s wrong and we know better.”

“I sorry, I really sorry,” Lenore replied as a few tears trickled down her face. “You mad at me Brian?”

“No. I know that you’re jealous, just don’t let it happen again, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise!” Lenore rejoined.

“I promise not to do it either,” Stevie replicated.

“There’s my little brother and sister,” Brian smiled kissing the tops of their heads. “I love you guys.”

“We love you Brian,” they stated in unison.