False Dogma

It has been said that ‘the apple never falls far from the tree’. Well, no offense to the author of said quote, but I could beg to differ. Because in my experience, the apple couldn’t have fallen further.
My Dad is one of those ‘jolly’ souls. You know the type. Wakes up every morning at about the crack of dawn and brews himself a full pot of coffee. If I could picture him in a comic book (which I try to avoid for the most part), I can definitely see him as the flamboyant hero. The one that talks with the booming, loud voice. The one with one curly lock of hair plastered to his forehead. Only that part of the image is ironic I suppose, since my father is bald.
He favors clean cotton T-shirts and actually enjoys sweeping. As another respectable (although slightly annoying) trait, he’s just about always in a pleasant mood. So, sounds like a nice guy, right? So now riddle me this:
Jesse is my older brother by a year. Jesse is the boy who wouldn’t be in the comic book at all- he’s on the next shelf in the manga graphic novels titled ‘Gothic Sports’. He’s the boy dressed head-to-toe in black who’s constantly glaring at the world.
My dad answers your every question with the longest, most detailed explanation he can possibly give, up to the point that you just kind of tune out and start nodding. Because all you really wanted was a ‘yes,’ or a ‘no’, and now somehow you’re contemplating wormholes and the origin of ancient French words. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a simple conversation with Jesse goes something like this.
“What do you want for dinner?”
(Shrugs)
“Do you have a preference?”
“…Not really.”
“Not really? Does that mean you have something that you might want?”
(Shrugs)
“Is there a particular meal you have in mind?”
“…Food.”
“What kind of food?”
“…Good food.”

And so on and so forth. See, this is just one of the many father-son contrasts that confuse me! And, boy, I’m barely getting started here. I have another reason why the apple-tree thing is completely and totally wrong.
Debates are a common occurrence in the Rainey household. We will argue over pretty much anything, so long as it’s pointless and we’re sure the other person is wrong. Was it a Bengal Tiger trapped in their hotel bathroom in The Hangover, or was it Siberian? The answer isn’t important, argues Gabriel. Buts it’s important for a million reasons, says Dakota.
My Dad is a stubborn person, but he is one of those sensible people who is humble enough to admit he is wrong, and actually tries to see your point. He refuses to let debates get heated enough where there is actual animosity lurking between the two fighters.
Jesse probably challenges everything that comes out of someone’s mouth. It wasn’t a Siberian tiger or a Bengal tiger. It was a Llama. The answer isn’t irrelevant or important- it’s just stupid. And when there’s no answer to be determined completely, the answer is always that ‘Jesse is awesome and always right’. Jesse is the only one out of Dad’s children that I think actually riles my father up. He’s is the epitome of stubborn. The personification of a challenge. And I think their favorite thing to do is contrast each other.
So maybe that’s the answer to my question. The thing that’s been bothering me for the longest time: Why are they so different? The answer is simply that Jesse inherited my father’s stubbornness and deliberately tries to be exactly the opposite of him. I suppose in that way, he’s just a chip off the old block.