Borp Chronicles

So, I am sure the first thing to run across your mind is: What the hell is a Borp. A Borp is my brother Jordan. This has been his nickname since he was very small. So what is a Borp? You can’t find it in the dictionary, because there is no definition. However I can explain, to the best of my ability, what a Borp, my brother Jordan, really is.

  Jordan is the closest sibling to me, in that he is just a year younger. Growing up, he was a mild, easy going child. The door to his bedroom, entered directly into mine. Saturday mornings were filled with him, coming into my room, in his white long johns, and saying  “Kaye, do you want to play Barbie’s?” I can’t say that I was always the nicest sister, and at times would be very irritable towards him, and yell at him to get out of my room, and he would scamper off, because his feelings had been hurt.

   We always joked, and said that Jordan had inherited “The Haggerty Dingy Gene.” Which now looking back, I am pretty certain that each one of us children inherited that gene; Jordan just got a double dose. Up until Jordan hit puberty, he had a very high voice, and when he would get upset he would say things in a very high pitched tone. This is funny, when you know that Jordan’s voice didn’t start to change, until he was well over six feet. Equally funny, was when Jordan’s voice started to get deeper, I had endless hours of amusement, imitating his voice.

   As a small child, Jordan loved to jam rocks, sticks, and cat food, up his nose, and ears. My Mom would only be able to tell, because he would have a trickle of blood coming out of his nose or ears. Mom would have to go and get the tweezers, and then have to physically catch Jordan, because when he knew what was coming, he took off running. She would have to restrain Jordan on her lap, while she did this, the whole time he flailed his arms and legs.

    Jordan loved to chase cats when he was little. He loved grabbing their tails. Cats however didn’t like Jordan as much, and would take off in different directions when he showed up on the scene. There was one time, my brother Joseph, was supposed to have been watching Jordan. Joseph turned his back for one second and Jordan was off chasing a cat. Not always being coordinated, Jordan was prone to many accidents, however, when he didn’t want to be caught; he could give you a run for your money. This was the case with Joseph, and he had to exert quite a bit of energy, into catching Jordan.

   One day my Mom got a call from the school. They told her that Jordan had been hurt and she needed to come at once. Mom got to the school, to find Jordan sitting in the nurse’s office, holding a tissue to his nose. My Mom wanted to know what happened. The hall monitor told my Mom, that he had found Jordan lying face down, in the hallway, crying. Jordan claimed that someone had pushed him. When they got home, Jordan confessed the real story. He had been walking in the hallway, when he had tripped over his shoe laces. Rather than get up, he just laid there crying until the hall monitor helped him up.

   Pork and Beans were the way to Jordan’s heart. If you wanted him to do anything, all you had to do was tell him you would give him Pork and Beans, and he would do whatever you wanted. I remember him sitting in his highchair, in an old sailor hat, grinning from ear to ear, covered in Pork and Beans.

   There was one time; my Mom was walking with Jordan and my little sister Amanda, to Little Grandpa’s. Jordan started to trip. Rather than drop his Pork and Beans, Jordan elected to fall face first.

  If you looked up the word gullible in the dictionary, you would see Jordan’s face. My sister Beth took advantage of this. Oranges were a huge treat for us growing up. Beth had convinced Jordan, that rather than eating the actual orange itself, that the peels, were the best. So, while Beth demolished off the orange in two bites, Jordan sat there chewing on orange peels, making a sour face.

   Summers were filled with vacations. One summer we visited my Aunt Molly in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My Aunt, Grandpa, Grandma, Jordan and myself had taken a trip to a nature trail. While the rest of the group took off, Jordan and I hung back. I started picking on Jordan. Getting annoyed Jordan decided to join the rest of the group, and took off running. He ran up behind Grandma yelling “Grandma, Grandma, Grandma,” in an attempt to get her attention. Just as he got right behind her, Grandma decided to pass gas. Jordan’s face went white, and he faintly said “Ughhhh Grandma.”

  My Aunt Marcie and my brother Jordan were two peas in a pod. Every family function, you could find the two of them hanging out in the basement, we fondly called them Cellar Dwellers, and Family Guy Disciples. They would hang out and play video games, or invent list of songs no one would ever listen to, or invent products that no one would ever buy. Marcie made it a ritual to call Jordan once a week, to which I dubbed the name ‘The Fireside Chats.’

  On January 23, 2008, that all changed forever. My Aunt Marcie was involved in a pedestrian automobile accident. Here is the link:
http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=22892&home_page=&archives=1

  Jordan lost his best friend that day, no his other half. My heart ached equally at the loss of Marcie as for Jordan. A part of him died that day. Many days I have wished I could go back in time and change what happened. My heart still aches for Jordan.

  I wanted to write this to let Jordan know how much I love him. I am happy to have him in my life. I am proud to call him my brother, I am proud to call him my friend.