CLAY AND WATTLES

MY COUSIN DANNY

Danny died Tuesday.

Danny lived in West Memphis, his mother, Aunt Margaret, in Panama City. His sister JoAnn had not been able to tell her the day he died, Aunt M being in a nursing home and in bad health. But there is no obituary, no funeral, which is what he wanted, but still sad. There will be a memorial service later, which I hope to attend. JoAnn drove up to see her brother in late spring, just after I was at Sher's. I'm glad they got to spend some time together.

He was such a cute boy. I haven't seen him in years, though he lived this near. When I would visit Aunt M's when I was a teenager, I thought he was just the cutest thing! Olive complexion, dark hair, dark eyes. I remember walking to a convenience store with him one evening and suddenly he stopped and I stopped, and we stood there, and then I realized he wanted me to go first, being the gentleman he was, even then. And I did go on ahead of him, but he never teased me about it, though I felt so silly. A lesson in ladies first...

Not long ago, I sent him a card and a few weeks later he wrote a note back to me, thanking me for it, saying how much it meant to him, and that when he got stronger we should get together. I'm so sorry that never happened. But I will keep his card - that's precious. JoAnn said she'd like to have a copy of it, and I mailed her one yesterday.

To my knowledge this is the first of our cousins, our generation, to die, children of Mama's siblings... No, little Larry, my sweet, cute little cousin, died when he was four. But as adults...

Tell your loved ones you love them. I'm very glad I got to.