My confession today is that I spoke to my Uncle Chief for the first time in many years.
My Uncle Chief (in the picture to the right with my Grandfather) was one of the biggest trouble makers of my family yet he was the one that I looked up to the most.When I was younger, I would be given the nickname Co-Chief because of our resemblence. Chief is not his real name of course but given to him by everybody because of his long hair and his reddish skin. I would come to see him all the time over my Grandmothers house until 1993. That is when he was arrested and sentenced to 2nd degree murder. He was around 25 years old and I was only 13 years old.
When I visit home next month it will be the first time in 16 years since we have seen each other. I don't know what to expect and to be honest, I don't know what to feel. When I spoke to him tonight on the phone, I expected to hear the same voice I heard as a 13 year old. But...he sounded a lot different. He also mentioned that I didn't sound the same (I'm 30 now and not the 13 year old I used to be).
He spoke to me of how the world (the South Side.....South Phoenix....) has changed since he last seen it. I felt a little guilty talking to him because of the fact that I hadn't seen him in so long. At least I'm happy that next month I will be able to tell him why I couldn't visit him in jail. It wasn't the fact that I didn't want to see him. Or the fact I couldn't stand to see him. I honestly didn't feel worthy enough to see him. With all of his kids (5), wife, mother, etc., I honestly didn't feel that the value of seeing me was worth as much as seeing his true family.
Sly
:/
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