In Against All Odds b y Becca Hart, we see a lot of Elizabeth’s relationship with her half-sister, Jenna, but Gilbert only makes a single reference to his brother, Stephen, throughout the novel. In honor of National Brothers and Sisters Day, here’s an interview from his son Tristen’s perspective.
An Interview of Gilbert Callahan by his son, Tristen, for the school newspaper.
This is Tristen Callahan, reporting on National Brothers and Sisters Day for “The Cauldron.” In this exclusive interview with my dad, Gilbert, I’ll shed some light on his rocky relationship with his own brother, Stephen.
Hi, Dad. Thanks for sitting down with me for this interview. My first question is were you and Uncle Stephen close as kids?
Hi, Tristen. That’s hard to say. We competed a lot, as brothers tend to do, and it got worse in some ways when we became teenagers, especially when it came to girls. We didn’t have a great deal in common.
What happened to hurt your relationship?
Oh, Tristen, I don’t want to get too far into that. Even as teenagers, we started to grow apart because of…I don’t know, stupid things, I guess. Well, they seem stupid now. What really hurt it was he and I got into a huge fight over his…money habits and said quite a few nasty things to each other. We didn’t talk to each other for years after that until he came home around the time our dad died. He made some bad financial decisions and did something I’m still working on forgiving him for. We haven’t spoken since, and that was a few years ago.
Wow. Do you have any good memories of him?
A few, all from when we were kids. I was always a nerd, geek, whatever you want to call it, and he was the stereotypical class clown. One time when I was about fourteen, some kids were tormenting me, and he distracted them with something else, so they’d leave me alone. I never told him, but that was one of those moments I was happy to call him my brother.
That’s cool, and you are a nerd, Dad. What’s your worst memory of him, besides the fight and whatever he did later?
That’s a little hard to say, too. I guess it’d have to be when I was almost seventeen, and he found out I liked this one girl. I can’t remember her name. Anyway, he knew I liked her a lot and that I was working up the courage to ask her out. Before I could, he asked her out right out from under me and dated her for over two months. He bragged about it, too, any chance he got.
That’s just wrong. Do you hope your relationship with him will get better someday?
Yes, although I have sincere doubts it will. We’re both too stubborn.
Yeah, you are stubborn, Dad. What do you think he’d think of Lizzie?
Truthfully, I’m not sure. He’d probably think she’s beautiful and that it’s good that I have a shrink in my life. That would be brother’s word, not mine.
I won’t tell. What’s one thing, in your opinion, he’d change about you if he could?
Just one? Probably my bullheadedness.
A lot of people would change that. Last one: do you have any advice for siblings who don’t get along?
Learn to forgive each other. I regret how much Stephen and I have missed of each others’ lives. He’s still my brother, I love him, and I hope we can mend fences someday.
Against All Odds is available now on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Against-All-Odds-Becca-Hart-ebook/dp/B077X2T11R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542049615&sr=8-1&keywords=against+all+odds+becca+hart in print and Kindle. Grab your copy today!
*While not in the book, this scene gives some background on the relationship between Gilbert Callahan, the novel’s hero, and his brother, who gets a single mention in the novel.
More about Becca Hart:
A wife and mother of two, Becca Hart felt the calling to be writer at the tender age of fifteen. She earned her Associate of Arts degree in English from Pikes Peak Community College in 2013. Though born and raised in a small town in northeast Ohio, Becca makes her home in southern Colorado in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. You can visit her website at https://beccahartauthor.wixsite.com/website, on Twitter @BeccaHart16, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beccahartauthor.
Anaiah Press 