"Try" by ARK

"Hey, at least I'll try."

That is by far the most meaningful sentence Dev has ever said to me. It may have been for something trivial like an arcade game, but there's a reason it stuck in my head.

Dev and I were heading home from a museum tour today when we passed by a mall and decided to eat lunch there. After that was over, we went upstairs to this arcade known as World of Fun. Some of the games were broken and that was not fun at all. But at least Dev's favorite game was in working condition.

Tekken 6, which is also one of my favorite games, cost two tokens per play. Dev bought a bunch of tokens, but I only bought two...just enough for one game. We then walked to the arcade machine where one guy was already playing. Dev confidently sat down on the other side, meaning he wanted to challenge the man opposite to him.

After a few seconds, Dev lost to his foe. He complained that the joystick was broken. I believed him immediately because with my experience, I have encountered several annoying joysticks. His defeat was acceptable.

Soon we were just watching the "experts" battle it out, hoping that they'd someday leave both sides empty. We really wanted to fight each other, and the only other way to do that (other than waiting endlessly for the experts to stop) was to challenge the experts ourselves. Oftentimes we would watch them first and see if we could beat them before actually challenging them.

So there, Dev and I stood and watched... and soon Dev asked: "Ark, can you beat him?"

And I said "No way."

Dev shrugged me off and said "Hey, at least I'll try."

He sat down and faced the opponent. And even if he did lose again, it somehow stuck to me that my brother is actually much more courageous than he seems. We both knew we were no match to those experts. But the reason he was so much better than me at that moment was because he was crazy enough to TRY.

At least he gave it a shot. At least he did not waste an opportunity.

And all I did was stare, and watch, and repent on the fact that I will lose if I ever tried. I knew I was good at the game. But that did not reflect on me today. Dev was the winner of that round. I applaud you, brother.

Suddenly inspired, I sat on the opposite end and challenged Dev, finally. Yes, even if it meant using the broken joystick he was complaining about. I wanted to try. I wanted to fight.

And yes, I lost to Dev. But at least I gave him a good fight. Which reminds me to exact my Tekken revenge on him the next time we enter an arcade. I will choose the best joystick and I will TRY to beat Dev. Yes, blind courage somehow equates to confidence.

So Dev, watch out. You shall get a piece of my mind next time.

But right now...thanks for inspiring me a bit. This is one of the moments where I am glad I have Dev as my brother.