A Tale of Two Brothers: Strong Similarities Yet Still Noticeable Differences
Updated: Oct 23, 2022
Brothers are known to have similar qualities. Some brothers even start to sound like one another, even if they’re years apart. Kevin and Levi are my brothers, and they fit into the mold of those assumptions pretty well. However, although they are alike in many ways, they are also quite different too. Kevin is five years older than Levi, to start. However, through high school, one chose academics and the other chose athletics. As they grew, their similarities seemed to shine and their differences, fade.
Starting from a young age, the look of the boys differed quite a bit. Levi was younger, shorter and had pale white hair that reminded you of Elsa from the movie ‘Frozen”. Kevin, on the other hand, was older, taller, wore glasses and had dark brown hair like our mother. Both of the boys were thinner and had a zest for adventure. Because of this, their age difference never seemed to matter to them much. They investigated the woods by our home, rode their bikes all over town and even gained friends that included a vast array of ages, interests and, on occasion, trouble.
When Kevin hit middle school, the changes began. Kevin started to dress differently, in button-up t-shirts and cargo pants. You know, the popular clothes. He started to become interested in girls and his connection with Levi started to dwindle. Rather than sitting at home and playing video games together, Levi would play, and Kevin would be out experiencing new aspects of life. Kevin started connection with others by expanding his interests. He joined the Mock Trial team at his school and tried out for the school plays. More time away from home, and Levi. Due to this strain on their relationship, Levi dove into a love of football. He began taking the game very seriously and would change his diet to prepare for the upcoming seasons. It seemed that they were doomed to venture on different paths.
The year Levi hit his freshman year of high school; Kevin was a senior. The differences were at an all-time high at this point. With that being said, their similarities started to show as well. Although they were both still taking on different interests, age started to mold the boys into similar form. If it wasn’t for the different hair colors, you would not have been able to tell them apart. They both had gained some weight and Kevin exchanged his glasses for contacts. When they spoke, you couldn’t confirm who said what unless you were looking in your direction. That similarity is still true today. Even with all of these aspects, the boys were interested in different futures. Kevin was already working and had decided that business work was the best option for him. Levi was planning on attending college to become a statistician.
After both men, now over the age of eighteen, graduated high school, the similarities began to grow once more. They both attended college for one year and dropped out, they both found employment in the same field and at the same company, and they even began living in the same home again. They started to play video games together with that same group of friends they had gathered in their youth each weekend. Their visible similarities had grown to the point where our mother had a hard time telling them apart and at their job, their employers could not tell them apart over the phone either. Both of them found this hilarious and began to purposely confuse others for fun.
Today, both men are still showing their differences and similarities with pride. Kevin is married with two beautiful children and Levi is a single bachelor with a dog. They both own their own home, both work in logistics and them both still game with one another on a regular basis. Back in August of this year, Kevin moved with his family to Tampa, Florida and Levi remained here in Ohio. Their connection has become so strong that even the drastic miles between them hasn’t become a cause for concern. It shows that sometimes things come full circle. Over time, differences and similarities between siblings can change like the seasons, but in the end, they’re connected in more ways than one.
🧡Shine Bright, Kayla
This piece was written for my College English Composition course in October 2022.