Sad News

Remember I spoke about mama Mary one of John's renters a few days ago? Today we went to collect rent. We thought it odd there were several women sitting under the bit oak tree in front with mama Mary. We could see several men sitting at the picnic table in the back yard. Odd time to have visitors out side in the hot of the day. I waited in the truck and I could see mama Mary put her hands over her face when John walked up to her. I thought she was teasing him and saying she didn't have the money. She likes to do that often. Once she patted her face and said she spent the money on make-up. After I realized this was no joke and she was crying I got out and went over to find out her husband ( she calls him her honey) had died last night. He had a stroke a few weeks ago but seemed to be doing fairly good walking with a cane. He was quiet but that was pretty standard for him. We visited a while and let her talk but John didn't mention rent of course. She said she wants to stay there. There is a sad part to that because that large duplex could be her's by now paid off free and clear if they had thought clearly years ago. She and her husband and one son and his family bought that duplex from John with John holding the note. Parents living on one side and son and family living on the other. They all had a falling out (the way we say argument down here) and the son and family moved out leaving the parents to make the full payment. John tried to get them rent out son's side to make the payment but no they would not. They wanted John to take the duplex back and they rent from him and he rent the other side out. That is the way it has been for years. We plan to go to the rosary and take some flowers. We'll need to visit her from time to time and sit under the big oak tree with her.