Chock Full O Nuts and Aunt Christine

When I was growing up, I used to have sleepovers with all of my cousins. When I stayed at TJ & Michele's, it was usually a Friday or Saturday night. If it was a Saturday night, my Aunt Christine would wake me up early and get me dressed up for church. Aunt Christine is also my Godmother, so it always seemed appropriate to attend church with her and my Godfather, Uncle Terry. I remember she used to ask how to comb my hair in the morning and I would ask her to comb it just like she did my older cousin, TJ's. And she did,so I always felt like I was just as cool as he was.

I didn't stay there too often when I was young, but not too long ago, my Aunt Christine heard I was planning to visit and she called me. She asked if I would stay with her and my Uncle Terry. They had redecorated a room of theirs, specifically for me. I was flattered and I agreed to stay. I was surprised and delighted to see the room and was happy that I could stay with them again.

Over the years, my Aunt and I have created a long list of things that we have in common. I used to keep the list on my computer, but after my computer died, we have resorted to just remembering all of the wonderful things we have in common. Some of them are silly and some of them are truly amazing. There are so many things on our list, I hope I never forget them.

One of the things we have in common is that we both smoke. I don't think either of us is particularly proud to be addicted to nicotine, but we find solace when we are together and we are the two smokers, and when my Uncle Terry is around, it is three. One time while on my Grandma's porch, we were smoking, and she pointed out the sombrero ashtray that my grandmother has had for years. She said that she always wanted that ashtray and I told her that I always thought that too! Later on, my Grandma decided to give the ashtray to Aunt Christine and then Aunt Christine gave it to me. I still have that ashtray and it has traveled all over the United States. In fact, I never pack the beautiful sombrero in my belongings when I move. I always wrap it carefully and take it with me in the car. It is the first thing I unpack whenever I move into a new apartment. It is a comfort for me and it reminds me of home.

When I stayed with Aunt Christine and Uncle Terry this last time, she took me to a wonderful Chinese take-out restaurant and we talked about morning coffee. On the way home, she asked me what kind of coffee I drink. I told her that I liked most coffee and usually just buy whatever is on sale. She told me she only drinks Chock Full O Nuts coffee. I remembered that from when I was a kid. She used to sing the song to me on Sunday mornings while combing my hair. And so we sang the song together on the way home that night.

The next morning, when I woke up, she had the coffee ready and she and my uncle were sipping their coffee at the kitchen table. They saved a seat for me, in between them and passed me the ashtray. Each morning I was there, we sang the Chock Full O Nuts song together as we drank our coffee, smoked our cigarettes, and read the morning paper. If you have not heard the song before, the lyrics sound like this:

Chock Full O Nuts is that heavenly coffee. Heavenly coffee... Heavenly coffee... Chock Full O Nuts is that heavenly coffee. Better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy!

I will always sing the song whenever I see the coffee in the grocery and I always hope it is on sale so I can buy some. Each time I have the coffee, I think to myself how heavenly it truly is... I think of my Aunt Christine almost every day. First thing, every morning, I bring my coffee to my patio and use our ashtray that we used to use together. I hope we get to use the ashtray together again, soon.