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Show Ten O'Clcck MhisttB by David Fleisher A family reunion... I haven't been to a family reunion in a long time, but 1 just returned from Colorado Springs where I spent three days with a lot of uncles, aunts and cousins. There must have been at least forty of us from all over the country, including Newport Beach, California; Dalton, Georgia; Ocala, Florida, and Opelika, Alabama. There's something about a major family get together that makes it both exhilirating and confusing. I think the reason for this is because there was an incredible amount of talking going on in Aunt Miriam and Uncle Chester's house where most of the reunion took place. The house itself, situated on the side of a mountain, is rather large and we tended to divide up into groups, some upstairs and some downstairs. This is how one typical day transpired, using only minor exaggerations. First, allow me to set the scene, even at the risk of being superfluous. SCENE: The large house of Aunt Miriam and Uncle Chester in Colorado Springs with a beautiful view of the old, well-kept, almost elegant Broadmoor Hotel in the background. Keep in mind that all of the following action is transpiring at the same time, for the most part. UPSTAIRS: Four of my aunts are engrossed in a bridge game in the living room. "One Diamond, pass, two Hearts." At the other end of the living room, my father along with several uncles are talking about business and the state of the economy. "A recession? Sure there's gonna be a recession." Two of my uncles get into an argument over government spending. A few of my younger cousins are watching "The Best of Saturday Night Live" on television in another room. And further back in the house, someone is singing in the shower (I don't know who it is). DOWNSTAIRS: It's very quiet down here, in stark contrast to upstairs. As I walk into the main room, I notice two people sitting in complete silence staring down at the table between them. Cousin Bruce and Uncle Louie are playing chess. As soon as I walk up to them, Bruce says to me, "How about a corned beef sandwich?" Uncle Louie is winning the game at this point. I go upstairs to make a corned beef sandwich, can't find the corned beef, and immediately try to find Aunt Miriam for help. The bridge game is over. Now it's Mah Jong (a Japanese game using tiles). "One dot, two bam, white." Aunt Miriam makes the corned beef sandwich (on rye) and I schlep it downstairs. The first chess game is over and another one begins. Back upstairs, Louise (cousin) tells me she and her husband have bought a three story, 14,000 square foot school house built in 1902. Louise and Mel are in the process of making a few renovations and hope to move into the house, along with their five children, this summer. "David, go to the kitchen and get something to eat," Aunt Etta tells me. The Mah Jong game is in full swing in the kitchen; the business discussion has moved outside, and somebody is playing the piano in the living room. As I leave the kitchen eating a chopped liver sanwich (on rye), I hear talk regarding the annual salary of the President of General Motors. I play "Heart and Soul" on the piano with my 21 year old cousin, Debbie, a student at the University of Colorado. She's very good, much better than I. Later that night, all forty of us have dinner in the dining room and living room. We talk about what we've been doing over the past months and years. Looking through the window, I can see the lights of Colorado Springs and it looks as if the whole world is lit up. I was sorry the reunion ended; I'm ready for another one. As I walk up Main Street, I hear the Ten O'Clock Whistle. |