Special Delivery

I love family.
I love my family.
I love spending time with my family.
They're fun and funny.   Moments occur over birthday parties and during casual gatherings that stay with me forever.  Things are rarely heavy and when they are, they have the propensity to get light, real quick.  I blame Durrell, James called by his co-workers and non-family members.

Born with a hole in his heart, about 40 years ago, he has been such a gift.  For as long as I can remember, we've ALWAYS had cackles with and because of him. Sometimes he's purposefully making us laugh, with his sporadic dance moves and others, it's completely unintentional.

I don't know what to call him, 'sides my cousin.  I guess medically or socially, he's "mentally challenged."  He has the mind of a young child, maybe 9 or 10 years old.  There are times when his knowledge downright shocks us, thus the laughter.  He'll never live alone, though his departure from living with my aunt, uncle, and cousin are constant topics of any conversation you'll ever have with him.  He scours the sales paper for furniture to put on layaway.  Oh and he loves perusing the Sunday papers for newly listed homes for sale.  An impromptu pop over to my aunt's for a visit easily starts with a Durrell hug, coupled with the sound of rattling paper.  Yep, behind his back is a newspaper.  The hug will prematurely end with a newspaper shoved in your face and a plea or invite, depending on his mood, to help him "move."  Obsessively, for the rest of my visit, I'm asked about helping him move with his WIFE AND SON, LOL!  See, that's the part that's not of a 10 year old's mind.  He wants out and to be on his own. Eh eh, ain't happening, but you can't tell him that and he'll never believe otherwise.  This cycle has been going on for at least 20 years.

He's very sporadic, so sometimes he's married and sometimes he's engaged and sometimes he's just got a girlfriend.  Hell, at times he's got one of each.  Being a recent divorcee, I break his ass down and tell him how it's wrong for him to be cheating!  He doesn't get it and my rant is met with smiles.  He laughs and partially understands. That lecturing session is short lived.  He moves on to talk about his sons, who over time have included - Michael Jackson, Bow Wow, Usher, and R. Kelly, just to name a few.  Oh, I forgot to mention, he has a speech glitch, so sometimes it's really hard to understand him and I'll look to his mom, my aunt, for translation.  Anyway, last weekend at our family reunion, he was talking about his upcoming move to a three story townhouse on the 26th.  Whilst soliciting even more help from our NC family, he brought up, yet another son. When I asked him to repeat the name, my sister chimed in with her translation.  I swear, I choked when she repeated his son's name - JUSTIN BIEBER!!!  I fucking hollered.  My boo is current and keeps up with the times, huh?  It really was the funniest shit.

Seriously, this is just ONE example.  Imagine always having him around to lighten the mood.  During birthdays, reunions, and deaths, he adds a smile when there might not have been one and a laugh when we didn't think it was possible.  He probably will never know or understand his impact, but I hope he can feel the love - somehow.

I heart Durrell.

UPDATE...he we are!