RECONNECTING BY CHANCE GRIEVING FOR SIBLINGS LOST AND FOUND Written by Gary Kohatsu
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Illustrated by Lauren Hadnot
ince childhood, I have longed for a brother. Somebody who would retrieve my baseball throws, climb trees with me, catch matinees located at the Venice Fox Theater and share my love of yo-yos and comic books. Marc and I were about the same age, 11, and of different ethnic backgrounds. He was Spanish Algerian. I am Japanese American. He spoke English and French. I spoke only English.
However, we shared similarities: both of us wore glasses, he was raised Roman Catholic and I was a Jehovah’s Witness — but neither of us was very religious. We both had a sister, found espionage fascinating and had crushes on Angela Cartwright from “Lost In Space.” Our families had both just moved from Venice
38 Warrior Life
Beach, meaning we had been neighbors all along.
From 1966 to 1971, Marc and I walked or bussed miles to and from Carnegie Junior High and later, Banning High. So much of our lives were intertwined that I think we strongly influenced each other’s behavior and development. In those youthful days, he introduced me to astronomy, Pentax cameras, science fiction writing and Moody Blues music. I encouraged him to join me on the cross-country team, indulge in UFO theories and make voice recordings on my tape recorder. I tried to like everything Marc liked. I think he did the same for me. The power of brotherhood can be life turning, as noted in a 2012 manuscript by authors Susan McHale, Kimberly Updegraff and Shawn