Saturday, February 24, 2024
Billy was my uncle because he married my mother's sister. As my uncle, he treated me like a son having unchallenged authority to act and punish if need be that a father has with his son. But he was just, Billy. He was my godfather, and as such, he treated me differently than he did my siblings, but his treatment of us was always fair and equal to what the situation called for at the time. But to me, he was just Billy. He did not demand that as a child, I refer to him as Mr., Uncle, or Sir, so I called him Billy because to me, he was just Billy. Although he played multiple roles in my life, always what was needed at the time, the most important role he played that I loved the most was Billy, my friend. A father has a child, and he has a responsibility to take care of that child. He was not my mother or my father's brother, so his role as Uncle was given to him as part of being married to the family. As Godfather, while you choose to accept that responsibility, it comes with some limitations. His role in my life was born out of unwavering, unconditional love. A devotion by choice, so although at times he was a father, always was he an uncle, and godfather, to me, he was just Billy. The best friend a young man could ever ask for.
