Beer and Pastries

Whenever my mother goes out shopping, I always expect her to bring back unfinished pastries from her coffee breaks. Along with brand-labeled bags filled with clothes, there would always be pretzels or muffins, cinnamon sticks or scones. And every time, like a stalking vulture with a sweet tooth, I would claim the remaining goods, devouring it all for myself in the solitude of my room. My mother never minded; at first she would inquire about her missing delicacies, but as time went on, it was as if she brought them back specifically for me. Sometimes, fresh bags of pastries were left on the kitchen counter. And it was for this reason that I knew I was her favorite, for if one of my brothers ate the "leftover" pastries, she would scold them for spoiling the supper she was in the midst of cooking. Of course, that was never their intention–to get her riled up and upset–they simply wanted a taste of the same affection that I receive. But that was a perk only the youngest had in a family as large and chaotic as mine.

Today, the carcass is from an apple tart with barely a nibble on its circular design. I take the small pastry bag as my mother calls down my brothers to try on the new jackets she bought for them in anticipation for the upcoming winter season. As I pass them on the way upstairs, Benny, my second oldest brother, takes a swipe at my freshly scavenged treasure. I pull it away and give him a sour look as he murmurs, “mama’s boy” from his crooked mouth. It's no surprise that Benny was not blessed with the same good looks as my other brothers and me. In fact, many misjudge his relationship with the family, assuming initially assuming him as a close friend than anything else. His nose is much longer and his eyebrows seem burnt off, which is a foreign trait compared to the rest of the Roe family. While my other brothers and I can easily be considered as handsome, Benny is anything but, and perhaps this is why he sticks so closely to my brothers at school, why he tends to eat with them during lunch whenever he can. Like the ugly girl amongst a group of attractive friends, he is oblivious, or rather, refuses to accept his physical appearance, or lack thereof.