My uncle is a pretty decent guy. He's gone through quite a few changes in the almost 30 years I have known him. I've seen him as the happy-go-lucky uncle who is playful and jolly, and I've seen him as the sober, morose, skinny and generally unhappy uncle who rarely smiles, and NEVER smiles for photographs.
For many years he has been the latter. Holidays and celebrations with my mother's side of the family have been spent watching the Patriots/Bruins/Celtics/Red Sox/whatever sport happens to be on at the time, listening to my cousins criticize the refereeing (they are all umpires) and heavy drinking.
Until this past Easter. When he finally met Anna.
He held her. For like an hour. He allowed my mother to take a photo of him with her.
And actually smiled.
OK, I'll chalk that one up as a fluke.
Until we went to visit my aunt. My uncle decided to stop by.
HE DOES NOT STOP BY PLACES.
He stopped by. I handed Anna over to him in the first two minutes. He stayed for three hours.
It was like a whole different person.
He talked to her, cooed at her, fed her her bottle, burped her, played with her, walked around with her (and nearly decapitated himself on the ceiling fan he was entertaining her with), and perhaps the most impressive:
HE STARTED A CONVERSATION.
With me. With my husband.
And I'm pretty sure it's the most I have ever heard him speak. Ever. Like if you combined all 30 years of conversation it would not equal what we heard tonight.
And then it was dinnertime. And my uncle said "I'll take her, you go eat."
WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS MY UNCLE?
I take it back. I like this new guy! Maybe it's just a man who had three sons who really wanted a daughter just enjoying a baby grand-niece.
Whatever it is, it's awesome. I hope Anna can cause this effect on demand. Cause that would be even more awesome. Talk about a superpower!
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