Aborted Aversion

There is a formal family photograph on my wall. It was taken in 1954. It shows two adults and three children perched around an overstuffed chair. There is a television to the left and a piano to the right.
As an adolescent and teenager Davy Crocket and Rawhide would be on the television before dinner. The theme’s melodies still hum in my head. Through my high school years extracurricular activities and science projects found me studying in a room away from the TV. During my college years there began to be less stereotypical images of African Americans on the television. One summer in Memphis Tennessee with Mom, we watched the Young and Restless afternoon soap opera. I have never owned a television.
During the 80’s of nighttime soap operas it was easy to hide an aversion. When talk would start at work about last nights episode of Dallas my comments would simply chime agreement. There was no need to explain my preference for the radio. My colleagues assumed that there was a television in my apartment. Eventually all lies, even lies of omission come to an end.
In August several years ago there were posters on buses and telephone booths advertising a new TV show. The two short haired gents in the poster were intriguing. What a surprise when Aunt Polly told me that one of the co-stars on the poster was her grandson. This photo was also on the cover of the current TV guide magazine. Zealously these magazines were purchased; this news told to all my friends and colleagues. Then I panicked! How was I going to watch my cousin on this new TV show? For the first time I thought to buy a TV.
Instead three of my neighbors found copies of this TV guide magazine on their doorstep. Maybe someone will invite me. This panic and my dilemma had my friends in a chuckle. Fortunately one of my neighbors did invite me for that first show and every Monday night for the next four years. We shared dinners and chats during commercials. We pondered the plot. We became closer friends.
Wondering why of this historic aversion that family photograph stared back at me. Two adults and three children perched around an overstuffed chair. The television was on the left and the piano on the right. But there was another photograph in the background. Above the television there hung a 16” X 16” framed color photograph of me.