MY BROTHER TOM

MY BROTHER TOM

JAMES ALDRIDGE

            The story begins in small town in Australia in the '30's with World War II period. There was a small family lived in St. Helen which background is hard attitude, lead by a father, Edward J. Quayle. He has 2 sons, Tom which the youngest one of the both are grow up wild. In his school time, he often broke the window. At once he set fire to two hundred acres of a dry grass near his house, and then somehow put a six-foot black poisonous snake alive through his mother’s old fashion mangle because he wanted to flatten it out to make a snake-belt.

            Time by time, tom had already try as possible as he could to have good abilities in the local high school. He had decided unhesitatingly that he wanted to be a lawyer although he had no hope of getting to University because his family couldn’t afford it. In his seventeen years old at local high school , he carelessly fell in love with the girl, Peggy, which family combination was Australian and Catholic , the sporting-betting-drinking crowd, that in Quayle’s believeness,  its family was nothing less than destructive and disastrous. And the unusual relationship which Tom brought to theirs two families began with a fire that burn Lockie McGibbon’s house, Peggy’s family to the ground.

            Peggy, the red hair and green eyes’ girl, who Tom fell in love with, always act like never care about what Tom did. She’s like an arrogant, but hides her feelings. In a bad situation between their two families, Peggy often uses coldly hard words to him. But Tom stay calm still, never meant all of her attitudes. He just let his feelings grew for Peggy, though the conflict became more complicated. It was not easy for Tom to neutralize the two different conditions.

            And Kit, Tom’s older brother, thought that his brother was the brave young man to take a risk in his story love. Although Tom know that he would get his father’s anger if know about this. But not Tom if couldn’t get Peggy’s heart. He knew actually Peggy was a girl whose heart is soft. So he never gave up showing his feelings slowly. But Peggy just an ordinary girl who could fell in love with a hard Tom. She realizes all of Tom’s effort. Though their both father was an enemies in everything, they just careless about that.

Until one day, St Helen was attacked by big hurricane. Tom braveness didn’t stop just for his story love! He helped his big family also with Kit, his older brother. Every effort had he done for his lovely people, included Peggy, while prove his love. But unfortunately, God planned something out of Quayle’s predict. Tom was dead in big hurricane attack. His grief news arrived later after the torment. His corpse was found in not right condition.

Peggy was really shocked. Almost everyday she let herself alone, flow with her sadness. But Kit, not stay calm to saw this. He knew that Peggy can’t be alone to face this. So with bigger heart and pure wish, he married Peggy. Both family were loved Kit’s way to helped Peggy got up. Then Peggy’s petition was that asked Kit to call her Eileen, to erase slowly her sadness about how Tom ever called her along her life. That’s the way Kit end his wife’s sorrowfull while to commemorate his brother, Tom’s love.

Fitri Rahmania VI A

Synopsis