My dad rushed my brother out of the gym. I wasn’t sure what was with the rush. People from all sides were greeting my brother for a job well done. They were congratulating him, saying things like “Good job!” and “Hey idol!” But that wasn’t enough to comfort him for their loss. How do I know? I just do. He is my brother after all.

It was a great game. Great enough to be one of those championship games. This wasn’t one of them though. The scores were close all the way until the last seconds when they tied. Overtime. I wasn’t sure how to react at first. I mean, I did want them to try because seeing the score tied just proved they were as good as the other team. But they were all tired, and my brother has been playing since the first quarter. I’m sure he was tired as hell. I’m sure the coach saw that because when the extension time started, the first five was pulled out and they were all substituted by other players. They were eventually brought back in seeing that the team needed the effort.

This was it. We were all expecting another overtime since the score was tied and we were down to the last 14 seconds of the game. White ball. My brother’s team positioned for defense. The ball was back in. 13.. 12.. White players passing the ball all over their side of the court trying to get a clear shot. 11.. 10.. A white player attempted a shot under the basket. Missed. 9.. White player rebounds and passes to teammate. 8.. 7.. 6.. The ball was passed over to a player from the other side. 5.. 4.. Ball stolen back by the white team. 3.. Ball mishandled and rolls over to a spot just under the basket. 2.. 1.. Ball stops near the foot of a player. White player under the basket does a lay up. 0..

Heartbreak. My dad rushed my brother out of the gym. I was sure what the rush was about. People from all sides were greeting my brother for a job well done. They were congratulating him, saying things like “Good job!” and “Hey idol!” But that wasn’t enough to comfort him for their loss. There was a need for a more effective comfort, asap. I plugged in my earphones to my iPod. I handed it to my brother.

What did he need? It was more than just a type of comfort. Personally, it soars above all negativity. It’s more than just a five-letter word. Because when all else fails, it doesn’t.