…..their kinship was real and could easily have been confirmed by paternity testing if for some reason that ever became necessary, but other than DNA there was no element of closeness connecting them. Blood was not thicker than water in their case, and love—the main acknowledged staple of family relationships throughout the ages—did not pass freely between the two brothers. Rather, an odd vacuum existed where there should have been love—a vacuum packed chockfull of indifference and wariness and even ambivalence—and, surprisingly, the obstinate pair readily accepted this peculiar dynamic and did not find such an accommodation the least bit unusual. They didn’t get along, they didn’t respect each other, they hardly ever fraternized except when traditional family alliances mandated they must…..and yet neither brother found this bizarre situation even remotely disturbing. It was just the way the world existed, no different than the stars in the sky or the molten stew roiling at the Earth’s core…..
Fred's Soapbox 