Yes, Ja, Oui, Si - I have returned to the Islands after a prolonged absence. My Uncle Abie, short for Abacus, was taken ill and I hurried to his bedside. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there - he was in the hospital. So, after a quick stop over in Vegas to see a professional Slap Fight, I made my way to his sick room.
My Uncle was once 1/2 of a famous comedy team. They were big business in Chile and Luxembourg. And don’t get me started on the accolades that rained down on them in a couple of streets in Quebec City.
He and his partner worked in the great tradition of comedy duos, like Abbot & Costello, Laurel & Hardy and Barnes & Noble. They never reached the height of the industry, but they did make the width. And though they never made feature films they did have one rabid fan who made a flip-book of some of their routines using sketches he did of them.
My Uncle remained in a coma most of the time I was with him. He would occasionally blurt out old lines from his act. “Yes, but only if you get the Enchilada Plate!” he’d suddenly say. Or “If I could do that, I’d be running for City Alderman!” he’d yell. It made me wish his former partner could be there. His old comedy team-mate is, coincidentally, also in a coma. I could imagine the two of them reunited - lying side by side in hospital beds, unconsciously reliving the old days:
“I outside at the park yesterday. And boy, was it hot!”
“How hot was it?”
“It was so hot, I had to roll down the window on my motorcycle!”
And then we would all laugh while the two men laid there in a stupor, the hilarity broken only by the beeping of their life support machines. If only that dream could come true.
My Uncle is still in a coma as I write this, but he’s doing fine. I’ve hooked up his IV and feeding tube to one of those pet-feeding timers. He never misses a meal. I do hope to visit him again soon, but right now I feel the call of the Islands and must stay.
Besides, I used up all my Miles going out there, so it’ll probably be a while before I venture out again. It’s good to be home.
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