Summary

The unnamed first-person narrator recounts memories of her uncle, a “former athlete of Olympic stature” who was black but light-skinned and handsome, and who dwindled into sadness and tears (15). His wife was even paler, and together they lived in a house inherited from his mother, but frequently did not have money to pay the utility bills. The narrator and her sister adored the couple and even donated all of their change to pay the bills once. They consider their aunt and uncle glamorous because of their looks and because they are both “lazy and generous” (16). The uncle developed asthma, ending his athletic career, and began to spend all of his time on a couch or the bed. The narrator and her sister would visit and sit on the bed with their aunt and uncle all day, hearing racy stories and ordering vast...