Teaching Me to Love by Kiante' Davis

Have you ever learned something from someone younger than you? I never would have thought in a million years that my little brother would teach me how to be a better person and how to love. First of all, my little brother and I never got along as we were growing up. We used to argue and fight all day long. My mother used to say, “Kiante, be the big sister, not the little one.” I used to ask, “How could I if he acts older than me?” So, I never had the thought that I could learn from him.

After a few years went by, I had a baby. My little brother was the first to hold him in this world. I guess that’s the day he changed himself. After arriving home with the baby, my brother, Marquis, began to act differently. He always wanted to help me, go places with me, and do things with me. When I would go to the park, he would beg me to let him go. His demeanor just started to change completely. It started becoming very visible how he was changing into a better person. So, as I began to watch him and notice how he was changing, I realized that watching him made me want to change and become a better person as well. His changes were huge changes. He started going back to church and school. He even started doing community service hours after he would get off of his part time job. When I saw this tremendous turn around, I found myself attending church quite often, and I enrolled at Miami-Dade College and worked two part time jobs. My mom, on the other hand, began to worry about me. She asked several times, “What brought on the change in you?” I replied, “Marquis.” She began to laugh and asked other questions like… “Are you sick? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?” I simply laughed and continued on my path of becoming a better person.

As I journeyed on my path, I often thought to myself that I could never love. I figured that I was made with some kind of defect in my body. But, I came to find out that I just didn’t know how. The way that I now unconditionally love my son and my little brother is unreal and crazy to me. I never knew I had it in me. I never thought I could show so much love to any person. I learned how to love from Marquis. Now, I know the thought of a sixteen year old teaching a woman may sound crazy, but it is real. Ever since I had my baby, Kimari Marquis has changed so much and has done so much for him, that I could never repay him. He did things like play outside with him, teach him his ABC’s, and even how to say mommy. All of the events that I witnessed dragged my emotions out of me. When I watched Kimari’s gestures and emotions when Marquis was around, it made me lose my mind. Kimari smiled so much that his cheekbones would reach from Florida to New York. He would jump up and down and run to Marquis with his arms stretched out in front of him.

After seeing the love that Kimari and Marquis displayed, I felt bubbly inside. I didn’t know what was going on, but it caused serious reactions and emotions from within me. I started playing ball and enjoying hanging out with them. I didn’t even mind going out for ice cream. The more I went with them, the less bubbly I felt. I had become so comfortable with Marquis taking care of Kimari, that I didn’t mind him taking Kimari to places without me. The day Marquis dropped Kimari home from an outing, was the day I knew what I had been witnessing. I had been learning how to love. Kimari dashed out of the car going 100 mph while yelling, “Mommy! Mommy!” He jumped into my arms and held me so tightly that I began to cry. He was bragging about the good times he and Marquis had. Tears started to flow down my cheeks. Everyone started to ask me if I were okay? I snickered, “Yeah!” with a huge grin on my face. Just as I smiled, a fly flew in my mouth. I knew that incident would be significant for the rest of my life. Marquis ran to my rescue and helped me. We laughed and hugged as if we were departing forever. After that moment, I never had the bubbly feeling again because I knew how to love and it was no longer frightening to me.

In conclusion, Marquis may be my little brother, but he is also my teacher. He taught me to be a better person and to love. I know with these two things, I am unstoppable. It’s like them and me against the world.