Blood

My brother and I were sitting in the front seat of the truck, waiting for my mom so we could go home. "Whatcha doing?" I asked him, even though I could see he was working on some kind of a puzzle book. He didn't answer, so I started nudging him with my elbow and saying "Huh?, huh?" over and over. Without warning, he hauled off and punched me in my nose, which immediately started gushing blood.

Let me explain here that I have a serious problem with nosebleeds. I have an enlarged vein right under the skin. Of course when I was a kid I picked at it all the time. But even a bump in the right place can make it bleed, and once it starts it takes forever to stop. My parents tried all sorts of home remedies for stopping it when I was younger. Nothing ever worked, so instead I had to take preventive steps, like medicine and stuff to thicken my blood. At the time of this incident, we were living in Leadville, which is known as the highest city in the continental US (They are referring to elevation. Aspen wins the other title). Besides being at a very high altitude, Leadville also has a very dry climate. Both of these exacerbate the nosebleed situation.

So back to the story. I must have screamed or something, because my mom came running over. My brother and I were both trying to tell her what happened - him, that I was pestering him, me the obvious - that he hit me hard enough to make my nose bleed.

Let me explain here that my mom has always treated my brother and I differently. My dad says she babies him, I used to just think she liked him better.So think what you will when I tell you that my mother made me get out of the truck and walk home.

It was about two miles from the stables to the house. I had to walk through two pastures, but in an indirect path because parts of them were under about four inches of water where they had been flood-irrigated. I pinched my nose and started walking. I made it through the first pasture before I got dizzy and had to sit down. The best way to stop a nosebleed is to tilt your head back and just pinch your nose until it clots. I couldn't lay down, but I sat there for quite awhile, until I began to get hungry. I didn't want to be hiking cross-country in the dark, and I was already covered in blood, so I decided to just get it over with. I lifted my shirt up to use as a cloth, and started walking again.

Once I got to the highway, I had another 50 yards or so to our road. Several times cars started to slow down, as if to offer me a ride, then sped up again after getting a good look. By this time, the top half of my shirt was soaked in blood, as were my hands, arms and nose. My nose and eyes were swollen and red. It was dark when I walked in to find my mom and my brother eating dinner.

I have no idea what my mom said to my brother. What she said to me was "Are you hungry?" There were no questions about how I was feeling, if it hurt, was I OK. No apology of any kind from anyone. My dad thought to ask why I hadn't punched him back, but otherwise the incident was never spoken of again.

Did I pester my brother again? Of course, he's my brother. Did I have more nosebleeds? Always, but never again because I got punched. Do I still believe my mom liked my brother best? Doesn't matter - on that day she didn't like me enough that I had to walk two miles in the semi-dark, across a swamp, losing enough blood to make me light-headed. Call it what you like, but I am not making this crap up.