Love and Loss

         I was sitting on a worn stripped couch littered with children's toys and magazines. There was a door way to my right and I could see what looked like the dining room through. To my left was a curtained window facing the neighbors hedge. I was very close to a littered coffee table that must have once been fancy. It was now covered in more toys and books along with crayon marks. The coffee table stood on a plush faded oriental rug littered with spilled toys and clothing. Opposite my  was a small  red love seat and in that seat was a little boy. He was the color of creamy milk and repeating "Mama' over and over. he had a hair of curly black hair and wore a plain tee shirt over corduroy pants. I moved to sit by him as he stuck his fist in his mouth. "Come on ,buddy, what have you put your hand in today? Don't stick them in your mouth." I said soothingly trying to remove them for him. He just grinned and drooled.
         I looked up as someone came in the small room. Summer was looking beautiful in her red dress. "Oh my gosh! When did you come in? Who let you in?" She asked going red. I smiled as I rose holding the little boy. "I haven't been here long. Some little girl about eight or so let me in. She looked a bit like Ginny from the Harry Potter movies." I said calmingly. "That's my cousin, Allison. She gave you the old 'let me get Summer for you'? She does that every time. The tax guy came by one time ... he was here for like two hours before mom found him." She said beginning to return to her normal color. "Who's this cutie?" I said handing her her cousin reluctantly. "Chase. He might be my brother or my cousin, all my uncles and my dad .... well you know what I mean. She left him with us so we can't ask her. He looks like my granddad except for the skin color so no one can say 'hey he looks like me the most  so call me daddy!' and none of these rednecks will cough up the cash to run a DNA test." She sighed and kissed him, he giggled and snuggled up to her chest. "You know what? You go change. i don;t want to go out. I think i want to meet your delightful family." I said smiling. "Really? Wow. Sure. Can you just hold Chase?" She was blushing again as she ran off.

         "I wish you could meet everyone. That's my uncle Austin. He's in the Air Force. He's just moody he's suspended because he broke formation. That's my uncle William, I think. Just crack a joke and you'll be able to tell the difference. The one who says 'know it already.' Is my uncle Daniel. They're in the band Birth Right which is off tour for the moment. My dad's out at the arcade so don't expect to see him until next Wednesday, if you're lucky. My aunt Sydney's in the kitchen. Unless you wish to live stay out. She's pregnant and it's one of those days. Were lucky it's her first or I'd claim Allison was hers. All the males had kids and lots of 'em. Chase is up in the air and it switches every time you turn around. He was Dan's last time I know of because he laughed like crazy at some violent scene on my TV (I had no idea he was in there until I heard him laughing). Allison is Austin's from some Scottish chick he met on a Europe tour with Birth Right. I could go on for days with all my family. I have a few siblings myself and I'm the oldest." She smiled at me looking worried. Maybe she thought I'd go out the window screaming. I laughed instead. "I love your family already. So can I at least meet your siblings?"