Episode #149: From My Life

My mom called me today. We hadn't talked in about a week or more, so I wasn't entirely surprised that she was calling.

When I picked up the phone, the first thing she said was, "Have you heard the latest about Craig*?"

I probably pass through my hometown equally or even more times than I actually stop and stay and shoot the breeze with people. I can barely keep up with what is going on in my own family, so suffice it to say, I don't keep up with anything that is going on in the 'Black Community' at home.

Of course this fact is lost on my mom.

"No," I said. I couldn't imagine what could be going on.

Craig is a long time friend of my family. When he was a teenager, about 15 or so years ago, he used to come to my grandma's house just about every evening and spend time with her. He was also the head of the Usher's Ministry at the church I spent many of my formative years in.

He had convinced my Grandma, who was in her 70s, to become an usher at the church. Grandma served faithfully as an usher until she died of lung cancer in 1997. Craig asked if she could be buried with her usher's pin. My family did him one better and buried her in her best white and purple usher's uniform.

Craig has pretty much been family since that time. He had always been as straight as an arrow, so I couldn't imagine what was going on with him.

"What's going on?," I asked.

"Craig cheated on his wife...with another man," my mom said.

"What?," I said. Maybe Craig wasn't as straight as an arrow.

Craig isthe kind of guy that had a lot of 'stereotypical' traits. He dresses well. Likes shoes. Plays the piano. Fairly effeminate. But then again, there are plenty of straight guys who have these qualities. I know a few. I know several gay guys who do not have those traits.

I think that pretty much everyone gave him the benefit of the doubt, especially after he got married and had a kid.

"Are you sitting down?," Mom asked.

I couldn't imagine what more she could add that would be any more of a shock.

"He also messed around with Robbie," she said.

"WHAT!!!WHAT????????YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!," came my flabbergasted reply.

Robbie is about 4 years older than me. He lived down the street from my grandma. During the summer, he would come to my grandma's house and hang out with my cousin and I. Robbie was very popular with the girls. He was a basketball star when he was in high school. He is one of the last people I would think would be gay. He seemed to like girls too much.

So yeah, that in and of itself was quite shocking. But here's the kicker. Craig and Robbie are FIRST COUSINS! That's right, blood relatives.

"I refuse this," I said.

"It's true."

After I got off the phone with my mom, I immediately called my older sister who lives in another state. She almost died when I told her everything. We didn't have all of the wherefore and why, so we got on a conference call with my cousin.

My cousin told us that apparently Craig had made a list of every man he had cheated on his wife with. Apparently he had cheated on her with her brother.

And him and Robbie weren't just a one time thing. They had been together several times; as recently as the 4th of July.

Another facet to this sad tale is that Robbie also molested Craigs sister when she was a kid. Robbie and that little sister have 'hooked up' (meaning sex was involved) several times since. I believe that she graduated high school in 2008, so their hooking up had to have taken place while she was a teenager.

This mess is beyond Jerry Springer. If Satan had his own talk show, that family would be his first guests.

This is beyond crazy. I'm shakin' my head.

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* The names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.