Saturday, September 22, 2007

The new roommate

My uncle is moving in with me. It’s not as bad as it sounds! He’s only 8 years older than me, he’s just going through a difficult separation with his wife right now and I have the room to spare while he figures things out. When he called me to ask if it was cool to stay with me, he sounded completely defeated. It was very hard to hear him like this, because growing up he always seemed invincible and above all these negative emotions that us mere mortals feel on a daily basis. I guess that the older I get the more human the people around me I used to look up to become.

This whole situation seems a bit surreal and will stay that way until my uncle actually starts living with me next week. I guess I am still a little shocked that even somebody like my uncle could go through such a tough patch like this. He’s the coolest most genuine guy I have ever known! I have always looked up to him for many reasons, he’s funny, creative, and caring, but mostly it’s because he has this quality about him where he is able to bring out the best in everybody around him.

While I am super excited we are going to be roomies for awhile, I am still a little bit apprehensive to confront the possibility that he’s not the superhero I have always assumed he was. However the more I think about it, the more I realize I am being ridiculous! Sharing this time with my uncle will only help us grow closer because our relationship will evolve into something more special and intimate than it ever could have been before. No longer will I be a boy idolizing this iconic figure, I will be his equal and his friend.

So yeah, I guess that it took me awhile to come around to the idea of my uncle being my new roommate, but now I am pretty psyched by the whole thing. The only person more excited about my uncle and I living together is my lola. My uncle was her last child and I was her first grandchild, so we have always been the favorites, and the babies of the bunch. To this day she still refers to both of us as, “the babies”. I am looking forward to her visits when she comes down for the day and spends the whole time cooking all the Filipino yumminess that she is famous for!

A lot of my friends have been bringing up a very specific issue about living with my uncle, so I am sure a lot of you guys are thinking about it also. This issue is how living with my uncle would affect my comfort level and my, “lifestyle”. It’s a pretty simple answer. My uncle grew up with 3 old sisters that were lesbians. Not only were they much older, they were also much wilder and he has seen more gay shenanigans than I have ever been able to possibly imagine! I am not even a little bit worried that he will cramp my style, or somehow inhibit me because he’s seen more and probably done more than I ever will. Trust me that it’s all good!

2 comments:

RGB said...
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Anonymous said...

Pansit, puto, lugaw...

Go Lola!!!