Ok, this is quite a personal one.
A few years back I had an odd conversation with me mum. As much as I would like to type in something like me saying "Why are you dressed as a German officer?" it was something far more personal and completely spur of the moment. I also believe she hasn't told my sister this, which I genuinely don't know how to tell her about this as I don't know if me mum would deny or confirm what I'm about to type.

I'm from a family of 4; mam, dad, sis and lazy dobber who posts on forums quite often. A few years ago I was helping me mum move some stuff around in her bedroom when I moved an old jewellery box to the other side of her bedroom for her. Out of random curiosity I happened an innocent glance in there, thankfully not being presented with a view of something scarring like some anal beads (thank fuck, must've been kept in a different drawer :p) but I found something that looked odd. It was a hospital arm tag.

It had me mum's name on it, but the date was a good few years, a few before I was born (I think it was sometime in '71). I picked it up and showed it to me mum. She saw it, stopped what she was doing, and calmly sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Did you have an op?"
"Um, I didn't."
"What's it for then?"
"I had your brother."

What the shuddering fuck? I'm almost 30 at the time, and it's the first I've heard of this. My head reels a bit. "Brother?"
She slowly answered; "Well, half-brother actually. Before I met your dad, me and my ex-boyfriend had a baby boy. At the time though he left me when he found out I was pregnant, and I was not long out of school. I didn't have the heart to abort him, but I couldn't look after him either. So somewhere or other your brother was put up for adoption."

Fucking hell. Somewhere out there I've got a bigger half-brother. God knows where though. She didn't keep any details to do with the process, apart from the hospital tag on her arm when she was in the ward. I am very close to my mum too, as she has always been a good listener and friend to me through the years; I've been very lucky.

I didn't say much in response, as I still don't know the full details leading to this. I haven't pressed the issue with my parents as they have been through a lot and both have stood the test of time. I've never mentioned it to my sister as I don't know how she'll react to it. I do feel though that it's not fair that she doesn't know; she's entitled to make any choices concerning what she'd want to pursue if we ever found out who he is.

The thing was I found this out as I myself was becoming a parent; having just married then a few months later finding out we were expecting I literally put this event to the back of my mind and planned for the family which could be rather than a family that could have been. After complications with the birth, being made homeless by a vindictive landlord, my wife being made redundant and being pursued by bailiffs I completely lost this memory.

Then on the off-chance last week after finally feeling relaxed and comfortable in life again, my daughter growing happily in my new home, all debts under control and all the stress of the last two years finally behind me, I turn the TV on and some adverts play on-screen. One of them played a tune...."...he ain't heavy.....he's my brother"

I almost cried.
( Jeccius Steam Borderlands 2 junkie, Thu 28 Jan 2010, 22:28, Reply)