An unbelievable story

As many listers may know, someone named Eric deLaubenfels surfaced on
this list recently. Naturally, the similarity in our names led to a
question of whether we were related. So, we exchanged e-mail off-list,
and I have reduced it to the following dialog:

E: Who are you? How did you get my last name?

J: I dunno. Guess we must be related.

E: I don't think so! I _know_ who my relatives are, and you're not
one of 'em.

J: Well... my father didn't have much contact with his family after
the war. He had been wounded in New Guinea, actually was missing
and presumed dead for some time, and, to be perfectly frank, was
apparently never quite the same after that, from what I can gather
(though I hope his genetics are still all right! ;-> ). His
parents had moved during the war, and he never followed. As far
as I know, he never visited or wrote to his family again. I think
my grandfather was some kind of college professor.

E: No kidding? What is your father's name? My dad had an older
brother named Harry, or something like that, who was lost in WWII.
That's not him, is it??

J: Woah, this is too weird; my father's name is Larry. He was born
in 1924, does that fit?

E: Yes! My dad is David, born in 1925. You didn't know that their
father, Max deLaubenfels, was a famous zoologist, with a long
string of college girls following him around Pasadena? We're
first cousins!

Yes, Eric and I have shed real e-tears over this amazing, unbelievable
reunion.

All of the above is true, except the part about Larry being wounded in
the war, and the part about him not visiting his family after that, and
the part about Eric and I not realizing we are first cousins.

JdL

P.S. Eric put me up to this; it's _his_ fault! ;->

That's just beautiful. I love stories like this!

Johnny Reinhard

This is SO unbelievable as to make an ideal theme for Indian movies!

Haresh.

--- In tuning@y..., "John A. deLaubenfels" <jdl@a...> wrote:
> As many listers may know, someone named Eric deLaubenfels surfaced
on
> this list recently. Naturally, the similarity in our names led to a
> question of whether we were related. So, we exchanged e-mail off-
list,
> and I have reduced it to the following dialog:
>
> E: Who are you? How did you get my last name?
>
> J: I dunno. Guess we must be related.
>
> E: I don't think so! I _know_ who my relatives are, and you're
not
> one of 'em.
>
> J: Well... my father didn't have much contact with his family
after
> the war. He had been wounded in New Guinea, actually was
missing
> and presumed dead for some time, and, to be perfectly frank,
was
> apparently never quite the same after that, from what I can
gather
> (though I hope his genetics are still all right! ;-> ). His
> parents had moved during the war, and he never followed. As
far
> as I know, he never visited or wrote to his family again. I
think
> my grandfather was some kind of college professor.
>
> E: No kidding? What is your father's name? My dad had an older
> brother named Harry, or something like that, who was lost in
WWII.
> That's not him, is it??
>
> J: Woah, this is too weird; my father's name is Larry. He was
born
> in 1924, does that fit?
>
> E: Yes! My dad is David, born in 1925. You didn't know that
their
> father, Max deLaubenfels, was a famous zoologist, with a long
> string of college girls following him around Pasadena? We're
> first cousins!
>
> Yes, Eric and I have shed real e-tears over this amazing,
unbelievable
> reunion.
>
> All of the above is true, except the part about Larry being wounded
in
> the war, and the part about him not visiting his family after that,
and
> the part about Eric and I not realizing we are first cousins.
>
> JdL
>
> P.S. Eric put me up to this; it's _his_ fault! ;->