My Biggest Secret

Son-Of-A-BIG Gun

I am sitting here wondering if I should even tell this story. It's magnitude equals that of Stephen King's son, Joe Hill, revealing himself. Well, HE didn't do it, some magazine did. And he had different reasons for keeping his identity a secret, which now seems a mute point.

My dad was a taxi driver, and my mom was a stay-at-home mother with two kids. Her husband stayed offshore for weeks at a time, and left her no car to get around town with. Her regular driver was, of course, my dad. One thing led to another, and here I am. My dad's side of the family was four brothers, one of which I never knew. He died at an undisclosed age, even though my dad, the youngest, remembered his next oldest brother very fondly. The oldest brother was a rental empire mogul. Condos everywhere. The next was quite the salesman for Amway, even bought his Ford Aerostar through their program.

My mom's side all but disowned her for the first couple of years of my life. But they all forgave her, thankfully, before I was old enough to know what went on. Her father shared the name of a king, and it was speculated our lineage ran parallel. Oh, and that king was related to all kinds of royalty. It was so dreamy to think who I might be related to by way of my grandpa.

I was born in September 1969. That's the only truth I know for sure out of all this. My mom could have hid this for the rest of my natural life if I hadn't been such a daddy's boy. So much like my dad, in fact, it made it easier to hide until now. My dad was also a painter, artist, whose work I hope will some day earn him some kind of notability. He's really awesome. My kids and I hang his work everywhere. I can say that with a little effort I can be just as accurate. But it never called to me.

Music has always been a more moving experience for me than anything else. I played saxophone in high school, and could easily pick up piano if I gave it whirl. My tastes in music range from blues to heavy metal, rap to opera, classical to the classics. And it was this interest, and the number one artist in my opinion that led to the discovery of this secret.