Uncle Paul

I went to lunch with a gal in my office. We walked down to Noodles. As we were sitting there enjoying our rich and cheesey lunches... I looked up at a commotion in the middle of the dining room. There are 4 rather large people shuffling around trying to get settled in a busy restaurant. They are not being loud or inconsiderate, but nearly everyone is staring at them. You see, they are all mentally challenged and look different than some people. Each of them had at least one, dirty, stuffed animal that is being gingerly sat in a chair of their own. I smile. The leader of the group is my Uncle Paul... my dad's younger brother. He is assigning seats to everyone including their stuffed pals. Once they all sit down I walk over to hug my Uncle. He is very happy and introduces me to all of his friends, "yup, she's my niece, my brother George's daughter." He is beaming....and so am I. Ahhhh. It makes me happy to see that he has friends like anyone else...and they like to go grab a bite too. I normally only see him in family situations. As I leave the restaurant I think to myself.... man... my dad would be pissed that he's carrying around a stuffed Pooh bear in public. I don't think I will tell him that part of the story.