Brotherhood

Buddy and Rico used to be really good friends. Like I titled of my diary, they were tight like brothers, and there might be better getting going. However, before “Rico” being told, our narrator Buddy thought that Rico ruled their bros. More specifically, Buddy held that it was Vietnam killed him; it was Vietnam made their Fantastipo die the death. Why would Buddy say like this about his best friend? What had happened related to Vietnam (the name of a country) and Rico (the name of a person)? What’s more, if the “Brotherhood” is still there?

In my view, the conflict rose between Buddy and Rico may mostly due to Rico and Buddy’s various individual characteristics and their different standpoints of life. As Buddy elaborated himself, “I was more the thinking type unlike Rico” (Pg. 20). For example, Buddy would think of his future more. He mapped his future through getting an education and finally going to college. By contrast, Rico’s rarely thinking characteristics and little caring about his future were described in this story through a boxing guy named “Tommy”.  Tommy said Rico had “pro” on boxing. As a pity result said by out narrator that, “He (Tommy) was the first one to point him to a future, but the map, it turned out, was Tommy’s.” (Pg. 20) Once Tommy yelled at Rico, and people counted that “it wasn’t the first time Tommy had yelled at Rico for losing control for fighting instead of sparring. “ (Pg. 21) Although as a fight manager, Tommy was seemed to make a lot of money from this; Tommy loved Rico’s talent more than he loved pork chops. Tommy yelled at Rico because he thought Rico himself had decided it was over, and he chose his way without thinking seriously, and left with a bang.

Here why he left with a bang? I’m not sure but I guess it should be something related to the Vietnam. Yes, the war happened early in Vietnam. Rico admitted to Buddy that he would go to Vietnam for the war. Again, without caring about himself and his friends, Rico made this decision. What was worse, Rico realized that he wasn’t that necessary one to go for the war. But he just wanted to go out of town to make his future happen, or he even didn’t have future at all. One sentence, I think may prove this. Rico said, “For us, Vietnam had no moral ambiguities; the government called, and we went, Simple as that.” Well, since it was simple, there should be ways to solve that problem. …Silent…(.?.)

Like what I said, Rico could only make his future and value by leaving out of town. The reference resources are numerously available on page 26 of “Charlie Chan is dead 2”. Although Buddy tried to stop him for many times, Rico’s persistence eventually made Buddy rise and begin to take the first steps of his backward shuffle towards the door.

Lastly, are Buddy and Rico still good friends? Of course Yes! As Buddy described himself in the story that, “He (Rico) must have known I’d surrendered, and that giving up wasn’t easy.” Rico also reacted kindly by regarding themselves as, “you know, tight like brothers” (pg. 26)

Rico’s decision of leaving was set up yet and would not change at all. Buddy cared about his safety or even say his everything. Nobody knows that how long would Rico set apart from Buddy- the best friends, tight brotherhood. Maybe a couple of months; maybe a couple of years; maybe never ever… With and without hoping, Buddy backed through the doorway and imagined Rico as a picture in a frame. Henceforward, Rico has been a seam of Buddy’s memory - motionless, wordless, leaning forward, and head bowed.

That is about my brotherhood story. I hope you like it.