Reminds Me

This cartoon really jarred a memory. When I was a child, several of our neighbors were pretty close to our family - not in distance. "Aunt Edna and Uncle Nate" were one of the couples that did love my sister and I as niece and nephew. They babysat us, sent us Christmas and birthday gifts, and looked after our welfare and general well being. Not because it was required of them - just because they liked us and had room in their hearts for a couple neighbor kids.

Nate was a small man with a pretty even temper. Edna was a fabulous cook. I only saw Nate PO'd at her once - Edna had driven a flat tire until it was ruined, and was sitting in said car while Nathan changed her spare. He was furious that she'd destroyed the tire, and she could have cared less. Nate always had a bottle or three of Old Charter stashed in the garage or shed, and Edna listened to our phone calls when we still had party lines. I'm sure they had some serious battles, but the rest of the world never witnessed or heard about it.

What this cartoon reminds me of was this tableu - I was in their basement house one day visiting for one reason or another, and they were both in the kitchen. Edna, who could be a nag at times, was hounding Nathan about something and he wasn't responding in a timely enough fashion for her. "You've got your hearing aids shut off again, don't you Nathan!" she exclaimed in a somewhat frustrated voice. She then looked me straight in the eye and winked. Nate grumbled something unintelligable and cast an eye on me, and winked as well.

It was all an act, and one they enjoyed playing to the hilt. They truly loved each other very much.