Homeward bound.
Route 440 North from New Jersey, about to enter the Staten Island tolls...

"Ive got a disease
called
'Leave me the FUCK alone'
and
its already full blown"

- 'Mount Up' by M.O.P

There was a pause inside the SUV... and then everyone busted out laffin...

LilBro: Them Brooklyn folk are SO creative...
----------

When LilBro went to my grandfathers funeral a month ago, basically as the only representative from his oldest daughter's family, he came back having met family members we were only vaguely aware of.

Hence the BBQ today at BigSis's house where I met an aunt and her children and grandchildren for the first time.

I kept looking at my aunt.. seeing my mothers chin, height and build, my late Aunt Ellen's East Indian hair and asian single-fold eyes, and my late Aunt Cherry's bosom, light skin and thin lips and face.. and all of their voices and Runaway Bay accent.

I just kept staring. At the face of my family. All descended from a wandering half-indian man I never knew, never met, and occasionally saw riding his bicycle down the road.

No-one fully answered my question about how many children this man of 90 ended up having. They mentioned 4 girls and 5 boys.

I suspect there are more, as they did not mention names Ive heard.

But at his funeral they announced him having 35 grandchildren.

Holy....

And FIFTY-FIVE great-grandchildren.

Whoa.

There is a running joke in Runaway Bay, that you dont get enamored of the pretty boys or girls .. cause it might just be a relative.

Whoo.

He took it a bit far.

I stared into the face of a daughter of a man I never knew and who my mother always called Mr Gooden.....
-------------
BigSis loudly complained.. "I only have one niece and no nephews. When are you men going to do something about it?"

LilBro and I looked at each other and went.. "Uhmmm..."

Youd think we'd get credit for being responsible.

But we never told her why. Really.

Being the children of divorce and grandchildren of a grandfather we never knew... we do know why.

We want a *family*. Not just kids.

Not just kids to have a family.

She'll have to wait.

We might have to wait.

I might have to wait.
-------------
I have to go see my grandmother, who never seems to age, but wont not age forever.

She always asks for me, I hear.
-----------------
I left the house this morning feeling old and tired and in pain.

I came back tonight having laughed loud and freely all day.. feeling fine.

Damn, that's good medicine.
----------------