Of drinks and things

Jonathan has corrupted me! I am incensed! How dare he bring his evil vices into this family! You might be wondering what he has done...well, I'll tell you. Yes, I will. I will not hold back any of the details. I will explore, expunge and exfoliate! He has bought a liter of Dr. Pepper! Can you imagine that?

Of course, that explains why he is fitting in just fine. Apparently there are only two types of soda pop in Texas. Namely, Dr. Pepper and Coke. You either say, "I'd like a Dr. Pepper," and then they'll get you a Dr. Pepper, or you say, "I'd like a Coke," and then they ask, "What kind?", then you have to say, "Sprite," or "Root Beer" or "Mountain Dew". But I digress.

At first, Jonathan was content to buy a box of cold cereal. I was fine with that. Cold cereal, I could accept that. Then he went to the store and bought Zingers. Okay, small, chocolate Twinkies. I could handle that. After all, there are some great benefits to eating chocolate, right? But I had to draw the line at Dr. Pepper. When he came home with the bottle, I lectured him. How could he like that vile tasting brew. At least bring home Coke (what flavor, please?), but leave the Dr. Pepper on the shelf.

He looked at me, eyebrow faintly raised (yes, he can raise one eyebrow). He tilted his head down, just a bit. Then he asked, "So, when's the last time you tried it?" Well, the truth be told, I had last had a sip of Dr. Pepper when I was about 10. I was in California, visiting my Aunt Carolyn, and my cousin Michael had given me a small glass of Dr. Pepper. I gagged on the drink. To me, it was disgusting.

But Jonathan knew better. He knew how to sell this potent brew. He looked at me and saw my drooping shoulders, my blood shot eyes. He knew that I hadn't slept the night before. He offered me a Zinger, and then he said, "Dr. Pepper has the highest caffeine content out of most sodas." He got me. I confess, I stopped munching on the Zinger. I looked at the cup of brown liquid in his hand. It did look like coffee. I pushed my jaw forward a bit, squinted my eyes and said, "Well, I'll try just a sip."

That was the end. The ice cold brew slid across my tongue, trickled down my throat, and gave me a zing that all of the chocolate Zingers hadn't been able to do. I felt awake, ready to take a walk, ready to run even though it was over 100 outside, ready to wash dishes, clean house, fold laundry, chase after kids...yes, my brother corrupted me. But then, it is my fault that he's left handed, so there.