The Nieces I Knew

July 21, 2008

Enjoying Fish and Chips and Fosters with Family in an old British Pub in Chiswick (L to R: me, Kae, Rio and Chris)

I had not seen her for ages, since she was just a little girl jumping hopscotch in a backyard playground.  Today, she had turned into a stunningly beautiful woman maturing in her early 20's and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Hey, Uncle Chito, so lovely to see you again,"  as she came running over.  I reached over to catch her in my arms, squeezing her tight to make up for all those years.  I was so glad to finally see her, to be here in England, and to be an uncle again.

Rio, too was a cuttie, adorable, precocious and a hand-full of fun.  But thankfully, it was just last year when I ran with Rio in New York City.  The mile-and-a-half run around Central Park Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir was thrilling, serene and a pragmatic time for catching up.  

In Central Park, running is unfettered, the views are simply majestic and raw and nature is remarkably revealing.

But we would be doing no running here.  Our only agenda was to spend precious moments together, to talk, to share and to relish every minute of the next 30 hours in London -- a trip that was totally spontaneous, a trip that seemed all too surreal

1800 minutes was all I could muster because in five short days, I would be heading to the brutal Afghan war zone.  The memorable time with family is what I want to embrace.

Moi and the Girls

Kae who is studying drama at Guildhall performed as Trixie in the popular British play "Lazy Town".