Toman Brod with his brother and governess out for a walk

Toman Brod with his brother and governess out for a walk

This photograph, from the year 1937, was also taken on Palacky Bridge, spanning the Vltava in Prague, nearby our former home.

So on this photo we're going for a walk on the bridge, and the governess is saying to us, come on boys, don't fight, there's a photographer!!

Once again, on it are I (on the right), my brother Hanus and our governess. Once again we were being photographed by a photographer that walked about Prague, took pictures of passers-by and then sold them the pictures.

Because the first time he took our picture we had been misbehaving, this second photograph was taken. We're walking along once again, this time properly, except that I, like the good child I was, stuck out my tongue.

My brother Hanus was two years younger than me. For sure he had a better disposition, for I was a terrible, annoying child.

I was a poor loser, even today, when I lose at chess, it bothers me, but if in those days I for example lost in some children's sport competition,
I was really a very unpleasant child.

While he was prudent, would try to calm me down in various possible ways, that it's only a game, and so after a time the anger would leave me. Hanus, I think, was that contemplative, scientific type.

Otherwise, I think that my brother and I were this normal pair. Sometimes we fought like cats and dogs, like all siblings sometimes fight or egg each other on.

But we of course also played ping-pong together, soccer, went swimming in the summer, skated; I really do think that we were a normal pair.

We neither loved each other a lot, nor did we hate each other. Well, of course in childhood it's a different relationship than in adulthood, so maybe that relationship would have changed.

Back then I was jealous of Hanus, he was older, stronger, so I tried to keep up with him. We had mutual friends and so on.

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