It’s nice to hear from you Soupe. I’m in a slightly similar position with my brother. He’s estranged himself from this side of the family completely. He has claimed continuously that he has no grudge against me personally but still, I never hear from him. He lives ten minutes away and I haven’t seen him since July, and I haven’t heard from him since November. And I only heard from him then bc I sent a message to make sure he got my digital Christmas gift for his family. I know he is traumatized by our upbringing and I believe his wife is in his ear saying none of us even like them and we don’t deserve a second chance. I doubt we’ll ever make up, in fact I suspect they are moving an hour away to be closer to her family. I probably won’t see him again until my grandmother’s funeral, whenever that ends up happening (she is still alive). It’s tough losing a sibling, especially when it’s not your fault.

Good luck with everything, I’m happy you made a new friend!