A Late Encounter

Every family has in its kinship history an elderly hanger-on. He was the one who came for Thanksgiving dinner, built the fire at Hallowe'en, shared stories of derring-do with the children and who helped with the wood-pile, roto-tilling and snow removal. As the years go by, the tasks become harder to manage, stories are repeated, there are some little accidents, lapses are more frequent. "Mom, Dad, something's wrong with 'Uncle' John," say the children, now in young adult life. The relationship shifts from one of neighbourly engagement to one of deeper caring. The interruptions of the past, once so welcome, are now the central work of the family. This story is about that transition.