Monique Andre

My favorite memory is sad to write about because my uncle isn't here anymore. I spent an incredible summer with him and then he passed away, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We went fishing and I caught more fish than anyone else! I felt so honored and celebrated by him for my skills, and, primarily, for my outdoorsyness. I have never felt that way except with him. I've always felt dismissed by other men in one way or another, especially when I mention how much I love camping or admire the trees. They've always wanted to help me and be my protector, but I never felt that way for those three months with Monique Andre.

My cousins and I went tubing and he drove the skido we were tied to. We spent the summer in a cabin by the lake and, then, soon after, he died very young, and I never got to see him again. For years, subconsciously, I've tried to relive the memory in one way or another, seeking out men to date who remind me of him, but that's never worked, because none of them have truly loved me the way he used to, and the way I used to love him.

Recently, I've come to grips with the sad reality that I can't relive that memory with anyone else, no matter how hard I try to, because no one will ever be my uncle. He is irreplacable. That makes me tear up, but it also makes the memories that much more special. I miss him every day.