Today is the anniversary of Uncle Bob's death.
I'm not sad about it. He wouldn't want that.
Uncle Bob is Alex's father and my Mom's brother. He was a fun, mischievous and carefree spirit. He lived for the moment, didn't worry about tomorrow and enjoyed a good practical joke. Not only as the giver of one, but he could also laugh when he was the recipient.
Whenever I'm with my family and reminiscing about Uncle Bob, there comes a lull in the conversation when we're all lost in our own memories. Then I'll look at my Mom. She'll grin, then I'll grin. And we both know we're thinking about the same thing.
The Soup Incident.
Uncle Bob lived with us for a few months one summer while his house was being built. He had a morning routine of getting up before everyone else. He put the kettle on the stove to boil water for tea. While the water boiled, he'd go downstairs to the washroom and get ready for work. Well, one morning, he set the kettle on the burner that Mom had used the night before.
Mom is a night owl and was in the habit of cooking and baking late at night. She had made a huge pot of soup the night before. The soup had spilled over into the burner. It was late so she thought she'd clean it up in the morning, rather than wake everyone up taking apart the burner to clean it.
Uncle Bob gets up, completely unaware, sets the kettle on the same burner, turns the burner on high and goes downstairs for his morning constitutional. He's there for a while ... reading ... when suddenly the smoke alarm goes off. He gets himself together as fast as he can and runs upstairs to find the burner on fire and smoke filling the kitchen.
Now, when Uncle Bob was around to tell the story, you almost peed yourself laughing listening to him retell it. He would squat down and pretend to be reading the paper and re-enact the whole thing, including the look of horror on his face. It was priceless!
Mom never let him forget that he ruined her favourite kettle!
We miss you, Uncle Bob, but I know that wherever you are, you're having a great time driving everyone crazy with your practical jokes!
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6 comments:
Three cheers for Uncle Bob!
I like this story for the following reasons:
1. It amused me;
2. Uncle Bob squatted (squat? wtf?) down whilst telling the story (my family is very into the charade method of telling stories as well); and
3. You used the phrase "morning constitutional" - priceless!
It's wonderful when a family has warm, funny memories to rely on after a loved one leaves this old Earth. Uncle Bob sounds like a character!
Thanks Mo.
Sometimes (alright always) I have a hard time accepting that he's gone. He was too young and way too much fun to be taken away from us.
I remember how many times I wore a buttered piece of bread in my face or the time he set my shorts on fire while I was wearing them.
He hardly had any thought to consequences just act. (hell, he married my mother...lol)
There are a million storries like that.
That's my dad and I love him dearly.
great story. nice tribute to your uncle bob.
loved the fact also that he had a morning constitutional. LOL
hope you have many more occasions to remember his funny stories.
:-)
Great story. I think everyone needs a nutty uncle. My uncle used to call all us kids "dildos." I had no idea what a dildo was until I was a teenager, then it seemed pretty inappropriate, but that's an uncle for you!
that is so funny...I love family stories like that!!!!
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