Born to Suffer So My Brother Learns
My dad, Tyrone Blanchard, looked at Mom, his eyes so bloodshot that they seemed about to bleed.
"Are you out of your mind? You know perfectly well I'm allergic to alcohol! Stop joking around—Helena's dying."
My older brother, Irwin Blanchard, threw himself at Mom's side, grabbing her arm and shaking it desperately.
"Mom, please stop joking around!" he begged, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Helena has pesticide poisoning. If we delay any longer, she's not going to make it!"
Yet, Mom insisted that Dad had been drinking. Even though the breathalyzer had cleared him, the traffic officer was required by protocol to take Dad for a blood test.