Next Sunday, February 28th, 2010, we are celebrating a milestone birthday of Aunt Frances, the oldest member of the family. She will actually be 90 on March first, the next day, but at her age, we can’t take any chances she might not make it.
I suppose you’d call Aunt Frances the family matriarch for my family group, but technically that dubious honor belongs to me, since she is not a blood relative, even though she is the oldest. In her own family group, she is most certainly the matriarch.
Aunt Frances is the widow of Uncle Buddy. We adored Uncle Buddy. My husband was named for him and, no, his name wasn’t “Uncle Buddy,” it was Morris. But who wants to be called Morris? Thus, the nickname, and naturally my husband became Little Buddy.
Uncle Buddy was a confirmed bachelor, we thought, and no one dreamed he would ever marry, including Uncle Buddy. We were all astounded when he began dating Frances, and completely stupefied when they announced their engagement. He was 60 and Frances was a cute little widow of 52, and without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to him.
They married in our backyard on a “weird weather” day in May, where it alternately rained and then sizzled with heat, warping the vinyl record of the Wedding March, the playing of which gave a surreal air to the whole event, as the audience sat watching and sweating on rain-dampened chairs.
We loved having Aunt Frances in the family and welcomed her with multiple sets of open arms. Of course Aunt Frances and Uncle Buddy came to all the family gatherings, and they even hosted several of their own.
Aunt Frances made Uncle Buddy’s life immeasurably brighter for eight years, until his years of lonely bachelor drinking finally caught up with him and he passed away.
After Uncle Buddy’s death, we just decided to keep Aunt Frances. She was too special to let get away. By this time, her younger sister Mary Jo, just as charming and just as “keepable,” began coming to the family gatherings, so we kept her, too. She and Aunt Frances have been in the family now for nearly 40 years.
The years have passed, as years tend to do, and the family gatherings have continued, observing all manner of birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, holidays, and deaths. The family changed of course, as families also tend to do. More deaths, a divorce here and there (which upgraded the membership), a sprinkling of marriages, births of perfect children, and of even more perfect grandchildren, nieces, nephews. Always changing, but still the same family.
And honoring each special event there was always Aunt Frances and Mary Jo. A family gathering wasn’t a family gathering without the two of them.
Nearly 25 years ago, older daughter Anita Lee married Steve, and we welcomed him into the family, too. Naturally, Aunt Frances and Mary Jo were at the wedding.
After a decent interval, Steve and Anita Lee were joined by Perfect Grandson Number One, and the family continued to expand.
More years passed, more people came, more people went, there were more family gatherings. Aunt Frances and Mary Jo were a constant.
One day, after such a family gathering, when everyone had been in attendance, Steve and Anita Lee were at home, having the usual post mortem that follows any party. Well into their discussion, Steve turned to Anita Lee and asked, “Tell me, what’s the deal with Aunt Frances and Mary Jo?”
My daughter, puzzled, said, “What do you mean, ‘What’s the deal with Aunt Frances and Mary Jo?’”
“Just what I said,” he replied, “Who are they?”
I suppose you’d call Aunt Frances the family matriarch for my family group, but technically that dubious honor belongs to me, since she is not a blood relative, even though she is the oldest. In her own family group, she is most certainly the matriarch.
Aunt Frances is the widow of Uncle Buddy. We adored Uncle Buddy. My husband was named for him and, no, his name wasn’t “Uncle Buddy,” it was Morris. But who wants to be called Morris? Thus, the nickname, and naturally my husband became Little Buddy.
Uncle Buddy was a confirmed bachelor, we thought, and no one dreamed he would ever marry, including Uncle Buddy. We were all astounded when he began dating Frances, and completely stupefied when they announced their engagement. He was 60 and Frances was a cute little widow of 52, and without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to him.
They married in our backyard on a “weird weather” day in May, where it alternately rained and then sizzled with heat, warping the vinyl record of the Wedding March, the playing of which gave a surreal air to the whole event, as the audience sat watching and sweating on rain-dampened chairs.
We loved having Aunt Frances in the family and welcomed her with multiple sets of open arms. Of course Aunt Frances and Uncle Buddy came to all the family gatherings, and they even hosted several of their own.
Aunt Frances made Uncle Buddy’s life immeasurably brighter for eight years, until his years of lonely bachelor drinking finally caught up with him and he passed away.
After Uncle Buddy’s death, we just decided to keep Aunt Frances. She was too special to let get away. By this time, her younger sister Mary Jo, just as charming and just as “keepable,” began coming to the family gatherings, so we kept her, too. She and Aunt Frances have been in the family now for nearly 40 years.
The years have passed, as years tend to do, and the family gatherings have continued, observing all manner of birthdays, marriages, anniversaries, holidays, and deaths. The family changed of course, as families also tend to do. More deaths, a divorce here and there (which upgraded the membership), a sprinkling of marriages, births of perfect children, and of even more perfect grandchildren, nieces, nephews. Always changing, but still the same family.
And honoring each special event there was always Aunt Frances and Mary Jo. A family gathering wasn’t a family gathering without the two of them.
Nearly 25 years ago, older daughter Anita Lee married Steve, and we welcomed him into the family, too. Naturally, Aunt Frances and Mary Jo were at the wedding.
After a decent interval, Steve and Anita Lee were joined by Perfect Grandson Number One, and the family continued to expand.
More years passed, more people came, more people went, there were more family gatherings. Aunt Frances and Mary Jo were a constant.
One day, after such a family gathering, when everyone had been in attendance, Steve and Anita Lee were at home, having the usual post mortem that follows any party. Well into their discussion, Steve turned to Anita Lee and asked, “Tell me, what’s the deal with Aunt Frances and Mary Jo?”
My daughter, puzzled, said, “What do you mean, ‘What’s the deal with Aunt Frances and Mary Jo?’”
“Just what I said,” he replied, “Who are they?”
No comments:
Post a Comment