How I Learned To Draw a Star (Rough Draft)

My uncle was a very militant person; he joined the navy soon after his eighteenth birthday. He was between 5’10” and 6’ tall, medium build, hair was short and always combed, he wore thick coke-bottle glasses. His name Jack, Uncle Jack was my father’s brother. Uncle Jack was known to all of us little kids as mean uncle Jack, it felt like he never smiled or was happy for that matter, we were always in trouble it seemed.

Uncle Jack was a strict and reserved man, he never had any biological children, but he had 3 step children and fifteen nieces and nephews. I guess now that he adored children because he always had a house full of them. My Uncle Jack would come over every baseball and Football game and watch with my dad. He would be at every birthday party and holiday that was something he was very good about.  He would watch me and my brothers and our cousins, he would have 3 or more of us at a time. He lived in Indianola tribal housing and had lots of neighbors that all of us knew, when you are tribal you know everyone; mostly because they are all your relatives or close to your family. We usually had a good time at uncle Jacks, yes we all did get yelled at and even received a whooping for acting out, but mostly a nice time over there. Even though he was strict we really had a lot of childish freedom. We had set times to be back at his house for dinner or lights out; we could watch TV or movies. Some of my favorite memories are the movies that he had for us to watch, and why I have deep appreciation for very unusual or weird things. I and most of my cousins saw a lot of Jim Henson’s work outside of The Muppets; I loved The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the TV show Dinosaurs. It was at his house I was introduced to these movies and shows that are now my favorites. I also first saw Disney’s Nightmare before Christmas with him and my Aunt; this all explains my very different interests in dark movies.          

Now to the good stuff. I was about six years old, it was around November 1997. I was sick, and it was cold outside. I remember that the leaves were changing and falling, the air was brisk and I was HOT! I had about a 104.7 temp and (I have massive ear problems, what a thing to be stuck with) so naturally I had a double ear infection to top off the fever and chills, to put it out there I was miserable! Oddly I remember my dad was the one who was taking me to the doctor, he and my Uncle Jack had made plans to go either Lowes or Home Depot I cannot recall which, but I was coming too.

My dad had a black two door ford long bed truck, the seat was a bench seat and had to pull down seats in the back. In 1997 having a full back four point harness car seat was not required
(I don’t even think that was a thing back then) like it is today. So there I am in my small booster with a long fat arm trapping me in the seat wedged between my dad and my uncle Jack. We had to go to the doctor’s office which mine was located in Kingston, I remember the drive and the remorse that both my dad and uncle felt for me that day. I could barely hear them talking, my ears were so muffled and plugged that I really could not understand what they even said. It was like the teacher in Peanuts wah, wah, waahh, wahhhh. My dad dressed me that day so of Couse I was wearing my giant purple coat and head to toe thermals, with a pink and purple shirt and matching pants (at least I matched! Even then I was a diva) and my pink furry lined boots. Nothing was going to make me cold wearing all that. Oddly enough this was the only time in my life that I had short hair so he didn’t have to bother with that except I had to have a bow (of course, can you say diva!). It felt as if the drive took forever, but I know that it was twenty minutes or so. When we arrived I was seen very quickly and of course to pour salt on the already smarting wound my father is notorious for asking the doctor “is Brittany up to date on all her shots?” oh yay my dad should get the world’s best dad award. I know that he was always making sure I didn’t need extra doctor visits and un-needed illnesses beyond the common cold or the seasonal flu. After my worry about needles (since I can hear the word needle through doors down) was ceased due to I was all up to date (yay!) I had to endure something else I hated equally. Since the age of three months till now I have had more ear infections I lost count. One thing I cannot stand is ear drops, but having an ear infection as a child you have to endure them. I protested and tried to bite the doctor I was forcibly detained and given liquid hell. Now the tears have subsided and the popping in my ears as slowing stopped I could finally hear everything. Walking out of the doctor’s office after getting a dose of Tylenol and some antibiotics I was given the green light ride along to the store.

Know we are off to Silverdale to go to the boring store. After about two hours of being pushed around the hardware store looking at everything from twenty different sized screws to new lawn mowers we were finally leaving for home. Once we got to our house my dad was unloading the truck and my uncle had been watching me doodle on the paper my dad had given me at the store he noticed I couldn’t draw a star, even though I made my best efforts as shown on the sad piece of paper. My uncle grabbed the pen and said “would you like to learn how to draw a star?” me of course nodding my head in shame that my miss matched triangles could not cut the rug as a star. He started to draw; he started at one point then continued up to another point and back down, not lifting the pen from the paper. He finished moving the pen up down and side to side, he finished drawing the star.

I grabbed the pen and started tracing the drawing that he had finished and after about four or five tries I had done it, I had successfully drawn a star. From that day one, I have always associated drawing a star with that cold day that my uncle Jack taught me to draw a star.

What I learned from this experience now that I am old enough to understand who my uncle was, that he was a nice man. Yes he was gruff and rough around the edges, but he was also loving and gentle. Now I know that he did help shape the person I am today, from my passion for the unusual movies and darkness, to drawing stars. I wish he was still here to see how I turned out, and to see how well I can draw a star now.