Hospitality

I hadn’t seen Stepuncle Reece in quite a few years, not since he and Aunt Glynda divorced. I really missed him. I was thrilled when he called to tell me that he and my cousin Hunter were moving to my town. Later, when he said he needed a place to hang for the afternoon while he was apartment hunting, I wouldn’t hear of him going anywhere but my place. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

My stepfather is a good man but he’s never been very affectionate, or even approachable. His idea of affection is a firm pat on the shoulder. Stepuncle Reece, meanwhile, gives hugs. He was somebody I felt like I could talk to. It wasn’t so much that he was a regular confidant, but I knew he was there if I needed him. I never had to think, “I don’t even have anybody to talk to,” because I had Stepuncle Reece.