The Cedarville Review 2018

50 THE CEDARVILLE REVIEW Nonfiction by Nathan Robertson LOVE AND ADVENTURE— A CALVIN AND HOBBES STORY I walked into the bathroom where my mom was giving my twin brother Nicholas a bath. The question I wanted to ask burned in my stomach the way it does when you’re eight years old and you’re about to ask your parents a question that will probably make them upset. However, the question needed to be asked, and I was going to be the one to do it. The redness slowly filled my cheeks as I stood guiltily, even though no words had escaped my mouth yet. Head down, I could see from my peripheral vision the mirror through which I saw my mom glance up at me with a puzzled look on her face. “What’s wrong Nathan?” she asked. After a brief silence, I forced the words out of my mouth as fast as I could. “Why do you love Nicholas more than me?” Nicholas has a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome. It is a deletion in the fifteenth chromosome that eliminates his ability to speak, to think critically, and to even walk on his own. He will be fully dependent for the rest of his life. Everyday someone has to change him, bathe him, dress him, and feed him. We did not find out this information until Nicholas and I were about three months old. That was hard, to say the least. I wish I could write a whole story about my parents and their unrelenting strength, their constant love, and their