His suit brought tears to my mother’s eyes. His suit projected the future waiting for him. His suit was his new image. My older brother will soon leave the family household to enter into the business world where reality is as real as a footprint in the snow. As I have seen him grow up his maturity level has increased 10 times. I was just realizing how quickly time can pass and how quickly time can change a person.

“Come on Robert pick a tie already,” I said as I leaned forward on the clothes rack.

I watched as he desperately tried to decide between a purple silk tie and a classic straight black one. We were at Men’s Wearhouse picking out a suit for my brother’s graduation from college.  He was confused and a little disturbed as he couldn’t figure out the proper length for trousers.

“How’s this look?” he asked wearing trousers that rose three inches too high.

“Boy, you look like Steve Urkel. Come, let me show you how to dress,” my mom said gesturing him towards the fancy aisle.

As I watched my mom talk to my brother, I felt my heart ache a bit more each time he tried on a blazer. The thought of him leaving and getting an apartment made life seem more real.  As I looked back on my childhood days, Robert was my fantasy super hero. When I was 9- years-old, he performed a skit using his bare hands as puppets and entertained my younger brother and me until we fell asleep. Whenever the room went silent his presence brought it to life. His laugh echoed through the halls and his art work was always plastered on his bedroom walls displaying the hard work of his creation. We saw him work diligently on his computer trying to figure out the complexity of 3D animation as the computer screen flickered with every click.

His choice in heavy metal music portrayed a person misunderstood from his unshaved beard to his long curly hair.  Robert always had a saying: hospitality defines the value of loving kindness and peace. My lips curled into a smile how such an intimidating looking person can have such a pure hearted soul.

“Hey, Kathy,” my mom shouted making me snap out of my trance.

“I present, Robert the fancy new man!”

He walked with style and confidence as if he were the president.  The vibrancy from the black suit made his tan skin look smooth and polished. His trousers were the perfect length as it elongated his legs and made him seem taller and well built. Wearing that black suit, he will not only become a man but an artist.

“It’s perfect Robert. You found your black suit.”