Two of my nephews call me “Uncle.” Not “Uncle Loren,” mind you, just “Uncle.”
I like this. It’s almost a nickname, but not quite. It assigns a role within the family, but it's not a very difficult role to portray. What do uncles have to do, after all? Heckle from the sidelines and tell embarrassing stories about what your parents did when they were young.
My family was always full of odd nicknames. My sister Darlene was always just “Sister.” My mother, whose given name was Tosca, went by “Shim” within the family (she was quite a dancer in her youth). As a young man my father was “Doc,” because he was the family veterinarian. My late uncle Primo was “Bud” (no idea where that came from). My aunt Loretta was (and still is) “Toots.” My late uncle Louis was “Sonny” (his father was named Louis too).
I have no idea what my family calls me behind my back, of course. I can only guess.
Lately my friend Apollonia has been coming up with comical / clever nicknames for me in the office. She is very creative. My favorite so far is “Freakshow,” although I’m also fond of “Sweet Potato.”
So long as my nephews don't find out.
“Uncle Freakshow” doesn’t sound very complimentary.
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