Brianna, My Brother, and the Blog — Jack Weyland

The thing I dread the most is the weekends, Brianna said. Each of my roommates is seeing someone, so they ll all go on dates, and I ll be left all alone in the apartment with only my 8 x 10 of Robbie. Actually, it s his high school graduation picture. I keep getting older but he stays the same. She paused as though she wasn t sure she should say what she was thinking. You want to know something weird? Last week I realized I was starting to think of him as my nephew. That seemed like an odd thing to say, but it also made me very happy. If you get lonely on the weekends, give me a call. I ll never be doing anything. She hesitated and then asked, Are you serious? Totally. Brianna needs a friend, someone to keep her from being lonely while she s waiting for her missionary, Robbie, to come home. And who better for the job than Robbie s brother, Austin? He can keep the other men at bay while giving Brianna guy- type help, like hauling her harp around on weekends to play at wedding receptions. Since there s no romantic involvement of course not, how could there be, he s saving her for his brother Austin is free to learn what it means to be true and faithful friends with a girl. He begins posting his findings in blog entries that will become a useful (and sometimes hilarious) blueprint for anyone trying to figure out the opposite sex.