HEY COUSIN!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing my cousin Billy who happened to be on Long Island and was attending a high school reunion in Huntington. It’s funny how we change physically as we get older, and then with those changes we see glimpses of the past by mannerisms and inflections of the voice.

Billy lives in Virginia Beach, and usually travels to Florida to visit his Mom, who is in her early to mid eighties and widowed. When Billy visits my Aunt, he does as much as he can to help her. He is a good son who appreciates all his parents did for him, taking my widowed and walker bound aunt wherever she wants to go, and fixing up little things around the house for her.

While attending college, I lived for a while at my aunt’s house and saw Billy grow up. He was always a good kid and did a lot for his parents. Being a chunky little kid who was very active, he would make his parents pancakes and coffee at the tender age of 6 or 7 years of age.

Billy loved the New York Knicks when they were still awful 60”s style. A bunch of bad and over the hill players who could only be watched under a gun, he loved them, watching every game on TV. We got along very well, since I was so much older, and he loved to wrestle with me, getting red in the face with his blond hair sticking up and sweat pouring out of it. He had a great toothy smile and was always happy, doing what any mischievous kid at that age did, getting into little peccadilloes and getting his reprimand from Mom and Dad.

Since my Uncle was very low keyed, this kid was a box of action, laughing, rolling and rollicking, noisy and at the same time loving. He really was a special kid. Yesterday I noticed he now has a little southern accent in his voice.

As we get older, we lose touch with what is really important. People who leave found memories are important to me, and in Billy’s case, I dropped the ball. Billy is adopted, but he is the only cousin I have who not self indulged, and I am proud of him.