I was born in Pennsylania, in the era of the civil rights movement (early 60's). I was a little guy, and so is the rest of my family (on my father's side). I never really knew my father, accept that he was just that, my father (biologically speaking), for he never wanted to see us (my brother and I), or my mom even before she remarried. He even gave our last name to four other children who are not even his, and spent more time with them too. Don't get me wrong, he took me and my brother swimming, we spent the night over his apartment, and he even took us over and spent the night with those other boys with our last name and that got us to know a little bit about them. So at that count, that's about 3 or 4 times we actually spent time together as father and sons, not good. My brother knew my father a lot better than I did, and truthfully I did not care because from what I've heard he use to physically and mentally hurt my mom and that is why she divorced him. My mom married early (16), and had my brother soon thereafter. I was born 4 years later, my mom wanting a girl this time and she said when they told her it wasn't she laid back down on the hospital bed disappointed, I guess I was doomed from the start.
Before I go any further, let me say that I have a half-brother who I have never met, but my brother has many times and has told me that he looks just like me. I remember seeing my uncle at 4 in the back room of my grandmothers house talking briefly with me and my other uncle, both very tall (6"3 and 6"4), and the next time I would here about him would be 6 years later that he was dead. I heard two or more sides; he killed himself, the police shot him, and several others do know he was popular with the girls, and he had light brown eyes. My other uncle was the tough one, very mischievous. I also remember seeing him at the hospital, jumping up, and brushing past my grandmom to the door (he was in a wheelchair), injured from a car accident. He was also in the armed services for awhile. My other 2 uncles are mentally disabled, along with 1 aunt. I recall at about 11 my uncle taking me to a boxing match at the spectrum seeing Willie Monroe and others box, and the half-time show was the musical group "Fat Larry's band".
I also remember going to the food stand and being robbed by a guy with his hand in his coat pocket like he had a gun, of course I did not know that, and he took advantage of a young boy. When I went back to my seat and told my uncle he jumped up and we went looking for the guy, and when we found him he was scared, and if it was not for security he would have been hurt. I recall riding around with him and his little son several times with the rooftop down, nice breeze, and no worries. His son was quiet like me and wanted to do the right thing. I lost contact with him shortly thereafter and did not see him until the early 90's, and that was brief. In '97 he began to come around more often and we got to know one another and he was doing good, for he got married, and had a little daughter. But tragedy struck early one morning and they all left this earth. We all will miss them dearly.
