My Mother had eleven brothers and sisters. Uncle Frank was the only one still living. When his wife Elsie died he knocked on my door and asked if he could move in. I didn’t want him there but what was I going to say to a lonely old man?
It turned out I was wrong about the lonely part.
* * *
“How long have I been living with you, Joey?”
“Three very entertaining months, Uncle Frank. So far you’ve been arrested for trespassing on government property, disorderly conduct, driving without a license and skinny dipping in a public fountain. Did I miss anything?”
“Yes. First, I wasn’t trespassing, I’m a taxpayer. Second, I didn’t start the fight. Third, everyone else was drunk so I had to drive. Fourth, it was hot and we needed to cool off. And by the way, you left out the most important part. I’m having fun.”
“I hope you’re finished, I have to go to work.”
“No, Joey. I’m not finished. I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Her name is Tracey.”
“What kind of favor, Uncle Frank?”
“I want you to go out with her.”
“Why?”
“Tracey is my girlfriend’s niece.”
“So why do I need to go out with her?”
“You’ll like Tracey.”
“What does she look like?”
“She has a good job.”
“Uncle Frank, I asked you what she looks like.”
“She drives a nice car.”
“For the last time, what does she look like?”
“She has blue eyes, really pretty blue eyes.”
“She’s fat, right.”
“She has a nice personality.”
“She’s fat.”
Now I had a tough decision to make. Did I want to shoot him? Did I want to stab him? Did I want to strangle him? How about all three?
* * *
Friday night, I’m ready for my date with Tracey. Uncle Frank shows up with a shopping bag.
“What’s going on?”
He pulls a shirt out of the bag.
“Here, put this on.”
“What’s wrong with the shirt I have on?”
“Nothing is wrong with it if you’re a monk.”
I tried the shirt on. It was purple with lightning bolts.
“Now you got the smoke rolling – you look great.”
“Remember your promise. This is the first and last date with Tracey.”
“One more thing, Joey.”
“Now what?”
“Clip that hair in your nose or we’ll have to put a hook on it and go fishing.”
“Good bye, Uncle Frank”
* * *
He was right about her eyes. They were pretty, very pretty. I was right about her size. She was fat, very fat.
* * *
The next morning when I came home Uncle Frank was sitting at the kitchen table.
My shirt, the one he gave me, was torn and blood stained. My face had stitches under one eye.
“Good morning, Uncle Frank.”
He took a long time answering.
“Let me guess,” he said. She didn’t like the shirt.”
“No, Uncle Frank. She loved the shirt.”
“Then what happened?”
“We were sitting in the restaurant. I said I’d be right back. On the way to the restroom a guy I knew from work who saw me walk in with Tracey held his arms apart as far as they would go. Then he said is that what they mean by a double date? So I punched him in the face. The only problem was I didn’t notice the two friends he had with him. I spent the rest of the night in the hospital and at the police station.”
“Maybe you should try a different restaurant.”
“Maybe you should get out-of-town.”
“Don’t worry, Joey. You know what they say.”
“No, Uncle Frank. I don’t know what they say.”
“They say One Monkey Don’t Stop The Show.”
“What does that mean?”
Uncle Frank stood up and saluted.
“I have a new girlfriend.”
“What happened to the one that helped create the mess I got into?”
“I caught her showing the tattoo on her butt to my best friend and now she is my ex-girl friend and he is my ex-best friend.”
“I hope your new girlfriend doesn’t have a niece.”
“Let me put it this way, Joey. She’s gonna love your new shirt.”
* * *
I killed Uncle Frank.
* * *
“Wake up, Joey. Wake up.”
“Uncle Frank, you’re alive.”
“Of course I’m alive. You must have had a nightmare.”
“What time is it?”
“Time for you to get ready. Here’s your new shirt.”
theartofbecomingawildflower 