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So, I have this uncle.

Growing up, he was not really a part of my life. He was heavy into the drug & alcohol scene. He would go around with this huge knife strapped to his back, stumbling through his purple haze, and my mom was basically afraid of having him near us. Then, somewhere along the line, he moved to Arizona, for quite a while. Not even honestly sure when he came back.

So then this past summer, mom's sister Elaine called us.

Elaine: "Louie has a brother Frank, doesn't he?"

Mom: "Yes."

E: "Is his wife's name Mary?"

M: "Yes. Why?"

Long story short, Elaine is a CNA at a hospital here in RI. She thought she recognized Frankie (my dad & his sibs all look alkie, especially all the boys) and when she saw the last name matched, she called to make sure we knew Mary was in the hospital in very bad shape, battling Hep-C. Of course, we didn't. Dad's sibs never call him. Long story behind that, don't ask, you don't want to know. And if you already do know, you understand what I'm babbling about. Anyway...we went to see my aunt in the hospital. Uncle Frank cried when he saw us. Maybe a week, a week and a half goes by, and my aunt lost her battle, which had been an 11 year struggle. Since she died, dad & Frankie have talked on the phone a couple times a week. Frankie credits my dad with saving his life, cause he badgered him into getting a persistant cough checked. We've all gone out to dinner, and he came over & taught my dad to make linguica and peppers. In the few short months we've actually spent with him as an active part of our lives, I've learned so much about who he is. He doesn't present himself as even half of the intelligent, witty and fun-loving man that he is.

Anyway, Frankie's oldest son, also named Frankie, lives out in Cali with his family. When Mary died, it was basically a given that Frankie and his younger son Aaron would move to Cali to be with Frankie's family. Didn't expect it to come about so soon, but it did. He left early this morning. We'd all gone out again last night, and I hated to say goodbye.

It's hard to say goodbye no matter when it happens, but it just sucks to say goodbye, when you've just barely said hello.