Here We Are Again

I was so angry with you. Like an interloper, you appeared and whisked her away. My vivacious, regal, beautiful aunt. It was one thing when you just came by the house. And I loved wearing such a beautiful dress and being a flower girl in your wedding. And I even understood that the two of you were going away on a special wedding trip to Mexico.

But she didn’t come home after that. “She has a new home now,” they told me, “with your new Uncle.”

“I don’t need a new Uncle. I’m fine with my other Uncles.”

But it was clear, even to a young girl of six, that you made my sweet aunt so happy. And, in time, it was hard to remember when you weren’t a part of the family.

I still remember the last time that we played “Hearts.” It was the Summr of ’81. It was the last time because I shot the moon and those twenty-six penalty points were enough to send you right over the edge, into “Hearts” oblivion. You were always a very serious game player and being soundly whooped by a ten-year-old was a serious afront. It was Beginner’s Luck…it really was.

I was wrong. It turns out that I did need another Uncle.

Baruch dayan HaEmet — Blessed is the Eternal Judge.