Uncle Paul, Aunt Pauline, Kurt Vonnegut, And The Non-Begonias

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This photograph appears

on the back cover

of Mr. Vonnegut's

first post-humous

book

 

 

The title story of 

Armegeddon In Retrospect

inspired the poem

on the previous page

 

In this picture,

the sockless author

is flanked by 

a bed of hydrangeas

 

But this KV-lover

[and Idiot Panelist]

must be forgiven

for referring to

hydrangeas as  "begonias" 

because of

the smartest members

of my Grandparents' generation:

 

Paul and Pauline NUNZIO

sold their Italian 

culinary concoctions

at their very successful restaurant

somewhere in Manhattan

 •  

Pauline

was the sister of

my maternal Grandmother

 

Sam and Grace Oliverio

visited the retaurant

on a few occasions

but

—wisely—

never brought their children

 

However,

 as a full family,

we visited

Uncle Paul and Aunt Pauline

 at their Rocky Point 

summer home

 frequently

 

Their driveway

was flanked by a beautiful bed

of hydrangeas 

But

they lived on 

Begonia Road

 

Between the ages 

of five and fifteen,

I feasted often on 

Aunt Pauline and Uncle Paul's

heavenly home-made 

anti-pasta and pasta

 

For each feast,

somewhere between

ten and fifteen relatives

gathered on Begonia Road

for that Sunday summer

celebration

•

I also remember

the week in Whitestone when

Sam and Grace Oliverio

went to a ski lodge

and 

Paul and Pauline Nunzio

"baby-sat" for

my two sisters and me

 

It was the first time

any of the three children

tasted "home-made pizza"

and we universally agreed

—to this day—

it was the best home-made pizza

any of the three Oliverio children

had ever eaten

As a qualified Idiot Panelist,

it was a rarity that

my sisters and me

agreed on anything

• • 

  

Thank you, Mr. Vonnegut

for inspiring both

the eight-line poem

and this wonderful memory

of  Uncle Paul and Aunt Pauline

and Begonia Road

 

  

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