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Learning to Fall: eat cake.
The whole time with Uncle Jacob seemed weird to me. He looks and acts so much like Momma I get confused and find myself wanting to hug him and kiss him at the oddest times, the same way a kiss or hug urge will pop out of nowhere when Momma's just sittin' around havin' a smoke. Then I think about how he's a gay and all and I want to kick myself in the butt and close the door.
He sat up with me and helped me get comfortable that first night and I was kinda' upset about him bein' in my room. He sat on the bed and propped me up and brought me a glass of water, exactly like Momma does with a plate of pecan sandies, three of 'em, just like Momma. The next morning he made me peanut butter pancakes and they tasted just the same as Momma's, but then Dad says I'd eat a turd if it had peanutbutter on it, which is no where near's true.
We spent a rainy day puttin' together a puzzle and eatin' cake on the porch. Jacob and Jillian and Alex and me, and it was normal even though I half expected something weird to happen just 'cause of Uncle Jacob bein' there and bein' so much like a woman, like Momma. Jacob told Alex to call him Jake and told Jillian to not worry so much about Alex's hair 'cause he thought it looked just fine. I could tell Jillian thought of our uncle just like she thinks of Momma, and after a while that seemed okay to me. Plus, I got to eat four pieces of cake, one of 'em with ice cream.
"What about callin' you Jackie?" I asked, holdin' out my plate for the third time.
"Kennedy-Onasis or Robinson?" Uncle Jacob handed me another piece. "Because if it's Robinson, we'll need to have a talk, little man."
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