We had a memorial service for my favorite uncle over the weekend. He was the last of his siblings to go to pass away. A few there shared what he meant to them. At home, I was remembering two things that happened one day when he and his brothers were working on one of their houses.
My Dad had insisted I come along with him and my brothers to work at Uncle J.W.'s house although I had a book report to read for a school report. The boys would be outside running to get things for the men as they worked. Since I had a book to read, my job was to sit inside and read when not fetching for everyone who knocked on the backdoor to ask for a glass of water, refill of coffee mug, or a snack of one of the cookies my mom baked the day before. Around noon, my Dad went to get everyone lunch and he took the boys to help carry the food.
I had been sitting near the door for fetching duty, so moved to the far end of the table to continue reading before lunch. Two of my uncles sat on the other end of the table with their mugs of coffee. It seemed to be an unwritten rule that if sitting at the table, the men in that family had to have a hot mug of coffee in front of each of them whether or not they drank any of it. Anyway, they were arguing about something while I was reading and not listening to them. Somehow, they determine that ten-year-old me could decide the truth for them. Here is how I remember the conversation going.
"Girl, you tell us which of us is the best man?" I do not remember which uncle started the conversation.
"What do you mean best?" was my reply.
"Who is the best uncle? I know you will say me and not him." said Uncle L.C.
"No she will pick me! Everybody likes me more." said Uncle J.W.
I thought a couple of seconds and said, "Well L.C. is my favorite uncle." Which resulting in L.C laughing and puffing out his chest.
"What about me? I'm not your best uncle?" asked J.W.
"Your my handsome uncle." I replied. Which made J.W. laugh and L.C. look shocked.
L.C. then responded "You think he is better looking than me. How could you say that?"
In my ultimate age ten wisdom, I offered this logic "Well you both have good hair and nice faces. L.C. has more muscles, but Johnny is younger."
They both lauged and L.C. said "Being younger don't make him better looking, but you're right I am strongest."
That was the end of the conversation as my Dad arrived with the food. I am sure I never really said who was the better man. But if I had been asked who was the strongest of all their brothers, I would have said my Dad. After all, I had seen him lift up the back-end of a car all by himself so another guy could crawl under it to remove something stuck underneath that the car had been dragging.
One thing I do know is that conversation resulted in a fun way for those two uncles to end any mild argument. For years aferwards at least into my teenage years, I would sometimes hear them end a slight disagreement in a unique way.
Uncle J.W. with a grinn on his face arguing "I'm the best-looking brother."
To which L.C. would not exactly acknowledge his words by saying "Maybe, but I'm stronger." Then he would chuckle.
With the conversation and reminiscing this post got a little long, so I will explain why I think he was my favorite uncle and the second thing from that day that I remember in second uncle post.
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