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It had been about five years since I saw my older Cousin Shirley and probably eight or nine years since I last spent time with my younger Cousin Barbara.
About three months ago the E-mails started to come from Barbara. She thought, that since we were all getting older, it might be a good idea to get together. My Cousin Shirley was in phone contact with Barbara and the cycle of emails and phone calls began. Since both cousins live south of Boston and I live in Melrose, we needed to find a central place to meet. This went back and forth for a few emails and since I did not mind driving, we selected a restaurant in Brockton, about 45 minutes from my home. The date was changed a few times for various reasons but we finally decided upon August 13th. I received an email from an unknown Cousin Phil who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. We had hoped that he might come to our reunion. Phil also mentioned a second cousin that lived in Chevy Chase that he had been in contact with. Stanley, Shirley’s brother was also a possible participant in our meeting. With new commitments and other family and friends to deal with, only three of us showed up. But what fun we had. We spoke of happy and silly times, places we lived and schools we attended. Shirley’s first date in a rumble seat, and Barbara’s walking to elementary school about two miles from her home. We talked about visiting our grandparents who lived near the bakery that made devil dogs. I was always happy to go so we could get a bag full of devil dogs for around 25 cents. Cousins, aunts and uncles that have already passed away became part of our conversation. We chatted and laughed and exchanged old pictures that I brought with me. We had a wonderful time and we plan to do it again on October 22nd. Since we spent only two hours together, and our memories can remember only so much, we are looking for more stories to reach the surface of our brains by then. Here's to cousins!
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