Uncle Frankie
by David Stillwagon
We had just
beaten His Holiness Church in the YMCA junior
high church basketball league. I was ready to
catch the bus back home when my buddy Brian sees
me leaving the Y. He runs up and says, “Oh
my God. I just saw two guys dressed up like girls
walking out of the Purple Owl Tavern!”
“Huh,
what do you mean?”
“You know
they were wearing dresses and stuff like that.”
“You sure
they were guys.”
“Yeah,
they looked like guys in the face, and one of
them was your uncle Frankie.”
No, this
couldn’t be. Uncle Frankie was a great guy
and besides he’s a lifetime catholic and
married for Christ’s sake. “You‘re
full of shit.”
“I know
what I saw. Go ask your dad.”
“I’ll
do just that.”
That Brian was
full of shit, that’s for sure. Dad will get
a big hoot out of this when I tell him.
******************************************
“Son, sit
down on the couch.”
I hope nothing
was wrong. Dad looked awfully serious. I hope he
didn’t lose his job.
“You know
that Frankie is my only brother and I love him.
But he’s does things like this. I don’t
know why but he does. I don’t want to say
anymore. Okay?”
“Does
anybody else know about it?”
“Everybody
but you.”
“Geez, is
it a mental thing? You think it runs in the
family?”
“Hell no!
It’s just him.”
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