My Black Sheep Uncle Influenced This Gay Boy
Uncle Harold died this morning at 96 years old.
I wanted to take a closer look at my relationship with Uncle Harold, his recent death, and my impending (not yet anticipated) one!
My cousin Rick had texted and informed me that Harold was dying and that I might want to reach out to him. I think his choice of words recognized that it is not easy to reach out at times like that, and many people avoid it. I have the tendency to dive in.
So I called, Rick answered the phone and handed it to Harold. “Hi Unk. How are you doin’?” I asked.
Slowly, with little breath left, he replied, “Well. I’m dying. Actually, I am looking forward to it, Banana Nose! It’s good to hear your voice!” He always, since I can remember, called me Banana Nose, although my nose is quite attractive!
We chatted about this and that, I let him know how much I loved him and how important he had always been to me. I asked him to give Gregory (my husband RIP) my love when they got together.
“I will give him a hug. I need to rest now, I love you,” he replied. We hung up. Harold died the next morning, only a few days after being diagnosed with kidney failure. He passed quickly and peacefully.
