An unreliable narrator

How cute is my FBI brother holding this pink computer? He's trying to fix some technical issues on my mac. He is very reliable in helping people, but I have confirmed, over the past two weeks, what I have long suspected: Jerry is an unreliable narrator. A literary device, the unreliable narrator is not to be trusted because the information he provides is suspect, (think Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye). Today, the nurse practitioner asked Jerry what he did yesterday, and he reported he took two walks and used light weights at the gym. Light weights he said, which are allowed. But when I pressed for him to provide details on what light weights meant to him, it turns out that they were not "light" as defined by the bone marrow team. Poor Jerry, can't wait for me to leave. I got his number now.

Many examples come to mind. When he went to Iraq, I was so worried. He called to tell me that he was in "the green zone," but I found out later that he was there at the time of his phone call to me but not the entire time. When I pressed him about this later, he said sheepishly that he was in the "green-ish" zone. When my mom called him last week while he was sick with fever and hives, his tone and demeanor were so uplifting that he could have won an Oscar telling her how great he felt.

With only a few days left in my stay, I am worried about the information I will get from my unreliable narrator of a brother, who goes through great lengths to make sure the people who love him do not worry. I hope the band of brothers who come to replace me in the weeks ahead will be good reporters.