Aunty Nub

Dear Roan,


The McClures are really big on nicknames. At one point, Erica had a rap name: E-money. Which then got shortened to Money, and then to Money Grub, because she had this habit of grubbing up any spare change left lying around. And then, of course, it was shortened to Grub.

Grub really stuck. In many ways, it is perfect for my sister. She is infamous for grubbing all the shrimp out of jambalaya, or grubbing all the M&Ms out of the trail mix - a classic Grub Move. I encouraged you to call her Aunty Grub.

Except you kept saying it wrong. You kept saying something that sounded more like Aunty Nub.

The Grub did not like this. She is a dancer, choreographer, and pilates instructor. She runs at least 4 miles a day pushing a jogging stroller. She is in excellent shape, with long slender limbs and a flat stomach. She does not take kindly to being addressed as anything resembling a Nub.

The combination of your sweet voice saying Aunty Nub and my sister's outrage was just too funny. I couldn't stop laughing. There was one evening, driving home from the beach, a 20 minute drive, where you said it over and over again and I couldn't stop cracking up. You were delighted. You had found the one thing to say that made everybody laugh! Well, everyone except Aunty Nub.

"What?" she'd say, when she could get a word in, "would you want to be called Aunty Nub?"

The Aunty Nub outbursts went on for the entire two weeks we were in California. You'd forget about it for a day, but then would say, "can I please have a banana, Aunty Nub?" and we would all fall over laughing, or Uncle Clint would remind you and it'd be half an hour of you screaming, "Aunty Nub!" while the rest of us giggled uncontrollably.

The Grub got so mad at Uncle Clint for egging you on that she got you to call him Aunty Clint. This was funny, but nowhere near as hilarious as Aunty Nub.

Even now, weeks later, just thinking "Aunty Nub" makes me laugh out loud.

Here's your Aunty Nub, Aunty Clint, and Baby Zach.

Thanks to Maria Torres for the photos, August 2011, California