James

Facebook is a crazy tool.

So I'm riding with B to the train station and reading my mobile status updates, when I see "Janeice is sad. Rest in peace daddy." now, janeice is my brother's godsister (its a strange thing, my brother and I have different God parents), the daughter of my mother's best friend. So her dad... I knew him. He was one who had a hand in raising me.

My aunt Linda, boy, she's a saint. She adopted 3 kids and raised many others, me included. She has run a daycare for at least 20 years. Taken care of me, my brother, and many of my cousins, even to this day. I say this to say that I spent a lot of time at her house. Neicey and I are a month apart.

I never knew uncle James had a drug problem. I was too young to get that. All I knew was that he could cook. he said "commode" instead of toilet. He had a brother with a wife named Linda too. He always had a smile unless we were in trouble. He, like my dad, had dirty hands from work. He fixed up the basement so we could play. He bought the kids a little dog, a Yorkie I think. His hair was a loose curl that looked really pretty even though it was longer than you'd expect. He let us eat in the livingroom. He could sing. I specifically remember him singing that one song that goes,"take to the skies on a natural high, loving you more til the day I die." I can't remember its name. He loved dominoes pizza. He helped us when we kicked the ball over the fence he built. He showed us garter snakes.

He was a nice man. He died today on the tables during pacemaker surgery. I haven't seen him in years.

I'm sure my mother has spent hours on the phone with her best friend, consoling her as best she can from thousands of miles away. Sigh. I hate this.
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