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By the time I met him, he was a cooled off old goat with a knack for storytelling. I so miss the warm summer afternoons Cecilia and I would spend with him on his front porch on Military Street in South West Detroit where he would treat me to stories with a heavy dose of wry humor in his raspy voice. One of my first dates with Cecilia was going to his house to help her film this short documentary on him for her class project. He lived a wild life and was honest with us that he was not always a good man. He sold drugs, cheated people, and was prone to violence... Ultimately he was incarcerated for 7 years, for plotting to kill his brother and blow up the church of scientology (honestly, most of the family believes he was entrapped, but that is another story).
The man redeemed himself, in my eyes, by being the perfect grandfather to Cecilia (not to mention many of her cousins). He would pick her up from Friends Middle School, which is near eastern market and drive her back to his place in South West. He drove so slow it would take them nearly an hour. She has fond memories of him fixing her a bowl of “Chili-Mac,” which she thought he made from scratch. Later she found out it was a box of Velveeta with a can of chili. In the end, he made his peace with his family
and all the Gorgons loved him deeply.
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