It’s that time of year for families. Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to be forces that pull all sorts of relatives together. For my brother Jim and me, a Saturday evening served as a reconnections with cousins.
Jim, cousins Charlie and Brenda, and I were born within three months of each other. Our families were close, and holidays were spent together during our childhoods. We played outside in all sorts of weather and made up our own adventures. Sometimes we also tormented each other for sport. It was as if the four of us were brothers and sister instead of cousins.
Brenda lived not even a mile from us in those days. We went to Ball Camp Elementary and Karns High. She was the smartest person I’d ever known. Jim and Brenda were in sixth grade together, and my mother was their teacher. She was amazed that Brenda scored so high on achievement tests that they ran through the roof. In high school, Brenda was one of those few persons who made a perfect score in the ACT. At the same time, she enjoyed all the activities that go with high school.
Over the years, she has worked in law enforcement and has traveled to several areas. For the last couple of years, she has lived in Knoxville and again not more than a mile from the house. Shamefully, we’d seen each other only one time when she was in the hospital.
Charlie, Jim, and I shared plenty of make believe times during our younger years. That included playing army in the woods behind the house and building imaginary cars with bricks and sticks. On weekends, we would spend the night at Charlie’s house and the next day catch a bus to downtown and take in a movie. No adults chaperoned us. In high school Charlie came to live with us for a year. He and I became running buddies then, and it continued until I left for college. During those times we ran the roads, drank alcohol, chased girls, although we were afraid to catch any, and postured for fights that never materialized. Charlie was involved in a car wreck that darn near killed him. His injuries had us all scared, but he recovered and remained the same guy we’d always loved.
Charlie, too, is a brilliant individual. At an early age, he taught himself calligraphy. His drawings were precise and detailed. He worked at Mercer’s Television Shop as a young boy. He learned the printing trade and became a master of the craft. Charlie is no stranger to hard work either. He’s handled marble and now works in Townsend at an RV park where he can do anything.
Facebook reconnected us. Jim brought us together. It had been as many as twenty years since we’d assembled. Amazingly, the time seemed to have melted away. The four of us fell into conversations as if we talked every day. A bonus on the evening was the presence of Charlie’s sister Sherry and Brenda’s sister Sandy. By the time we broke up, our stomachs were sore from laughing and our friendships had been rekindled.
We’re all orphans now. Our parents left us several years ago, and at least one brother/cousin has passed. I had no idea how much I missed my cousins until I sat with them again. Brenda posted pictures of the evening on her Facebook page, and she put things perfectly when she wrote, “The circle is no longer broken.” One thing’s for sure: we won’t wait another twenty years to get together and it won’t have to be a holiday.
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