ruled the cause of death. Her body was brought home and placed in the plot the friends had bought and manicured years before. Billy had practically never known life without Betty Lynn. He did not manage well alone. Tommy and Mary Sue even went to spend a couple of weeks with him, and when they left, they still worried about their friend. They tried to persuade Billy to move back home. After all, he was retired now. He considered it. He even made a trip back to Mississippi to look at purchasing a house. Of course, it was near Tommy’s. But when he returned to Louisiana, he realized he had lived in Louisiana longer than he had lived in Mississippi. It was now, somehow, home too. The loneliness was what bothered him the most. At night, he would awaken and almost think he could hear Betty Lynn breathing next to him. He would reach to that side of the bed. Nothing was there, just emptiness. Just for something to do, once a week, he would go to the bank to check his balances. He feared identity theft; but more than that, he wanted something to do. Even more than that, he enjoyed the attention given him by Maria, who handled his account. Maria was about ten years younger than Billy, attractive, and a widow herself. She also knew everything about Billy’s finances, or at least enough to know he would be a good catch. She did not have to do much planning. Billy was lonely, and they were married. A marriage between a Louisiana woman and a Mississippi man can have some cultural differences, but they embraced those, and were happy.
Offering
Temporary & Long Term Assistance Holiday & Respite Care
Schedule Your FREE In-Home Care Assessment Today!
New Orleans 504-831-6561 Northshore 985-542-1191 Accepting private pay, private insurance and veterans benefits.
gulfcoastinhomecare.org
At Home with Gulf Coast.© SlidellMagazine_JAN2018.indd 1
Tommy and Mary Sue would visit occasionally and became fond of Maria. Of course, the visits were not like they used to be. The relationship between the original four had evolved over fifty years. It would take time to totally accept Maria, and none of them had another 50 years left.
11/29/17 11:03 AM
www.dsglawoffice.com
********** The call came at daylight. The caller ID let Tommy know where it was from, and he knew a call at that time of the morning could not be good. It wasn’t. Billy had died unexpectedly. “Of course, Mary and I will come down for the funeral. I will also get his grave prepared here in our cemetery.” “Tommy, I am not going to bury him up there. He will be cremated.” Tommy felt rage swell within him. She was going to subject Billy's body to the fires of hell before God even had a chance to judge him. He wanted to scream, “No!” but refrained. There was silence. “Tommy, are you there?” “Yes, I am here.” “Will you be here for the memorial? You are family, you know.”
“Because We Care”
Areas of Practice • Divorce • Family Law • Successions
985.649.6390 Shandy Arguelles, Esq. Lindsey Olsen, Esq. 118 West Hall Avenue • Slidell, LA 17