Remembering My Cousin

[note: this story was written by my sister Esther]

Albert lived in Kentucky with his Mother, my Aunt Bessie and Father, my uncle Alvin, and his older sister, Rosa Lee. I loved going to see them when Dad would take us there on his vacation.

My two older sisters, Marion, Adeline, and Rosa Lee were in the same age group, so they palled around together. My five brothers and Albert were always doing boy’s stuff. Mom and Dad were with Grandfather and Grandmother. So every one was off doing their thing and I was always with Aunt Bessie in the kitchen doing what Aunt Bessie wanted me to do and helping her to cook for every body.

One day she wanted to make a pot of veggie soup. I helped to peel potatoes, carrots, and to chip celery and onions. I did not like to eat any thing with onions, and asked her to not put them into the soup. She told me I did not have to eat soup. She told me how nice I was chopping the onions and no one would ever know there were onions in the pot. So would I take a bite if I was not able to see any onions in it? I did promise I would and since I did not see them; the soup was very good. She made me like onions from that day ever since.

Albert had his chores to do and the boys helped and there were some times he would come get me to walk with him to gather some things for the kitchen and we would talk while doing the tasks. He was always doing some nice things and he would show me his hobby and when the boys played cards he would ask to include me. He was a nice cousin,

Years later he was still the nice boy when his Mother moved to our town in Redwood City, California. His father had passed away and Aunt Bessie came to spend some time with us. She bought him a new car for his birthday. Vernon worked the night shift and I was expecting my second child any day. I asked Aunt Bessie if Albert could come and stay with me at night and if I needed him, to take me to the hospital. She said yes and it was a comfort to have him, he had to sleep in the sofa and it was not the best for a tall man. One night I had some muscle cramps and it hurt so bad I yelled. Poor Albert got up took my suit case to the car and came back to get me . We laugh now about it but at the time he was so sweet. But it did scare the life out of him. I will always treasure him and that memory.

Another time he came to see me while we were living at Mom Smith's house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I saw the car come up the long drive way and did not recognize the car, or the young man that got out of it. The children were out there and he walked over and asked for me and I was shocked to know when he told me he was traveling through the country and he had lunch with us. The children thought the world of him and he told us about every one at home.

It was not too long after Albert came that I had another car come down the drive way and it was another cousin, Homer. His Mother is also my Mother’s sister, and my Aunt Bessie . Like Albert, I did not recognize him either. Two Aunt Bessie’s sons in two months was wonderful.

It’s was a sad day to learn he is not with us now. But time has a way with age. And I will always think of the good times we have with all our family and kin folks.

[family note: There are two "Aunt Bessie"s in the family: One is my father's sister: Bessie Dennison, the other is my mother's sister: Bessie Ross. Albert is the son of my father's sister Bessie Dennison. Homer is the son of my mother's sister Bessie Ross]