Posted by Hope on February 22, 2009, 1:53 pm
70.145.50.201
I'm not sho how ta even start this, especially with Madders' goin through her own grief over someone so worthy.....some of y'all know this story so I'll try ta make this brief:
My uncle Bud was married to my mom's sister, Hope, who is my namesake and my favorite aunt fo her soft southern accent, rock-steady resilience and her wonderful lovin nature.
About 15 years ago or so, I guess, they were both livin in an assisted living facility. My aunt had diabetes pretty bad and lymphoma too which they weren't optin' ta treat and were fixin' ta tell her that. Her diabetes was beyond their control and she woulda been a po candidate for chemo fo the lymphoma when the following occurred:
Uncle Bud was legally blind and pretty much an arrogant guy. Bad mixture. He had ordered some things from tv ads and a big ol box came, which an aide brought him. One of them was a protein drink, there were some liquid-type industrial cleaners and some other things. My aunt was havin some dressin's changed by a nurse when Bud brought her a protein drink in a small glass. Bein a good southern lady like she was (and she musta known, po baby), she drank it down befo the nurse could stop her. The color of the drink shoulda warned everyone but Bud who couldn't really see. Anyway, Hope had drunk 6 ounces of industrial cleaner, which commenced to burning her inside out. They put her in the hospital but it was of no use; it had done its job well. She died four days lata with her internal organs burned beyond repair. My mom was at her side. They were sistas and the only two left in her family.
Hope was precious ta me and someone I could've spent mo time with the last few years since they moved to Atlanta from California. I tried to forgive Bud but I couldn't somehow do it and of course, like things unfo'given, it has eaten away at me as surely as that cleaner did her.
Bud died last night.
I swear, I didn't know how I felt about it. After a lotta years and thinkin', I decided that it was the circumstances and that I should move on. It was jes that he refused ta take responsibility fo it, eva. He was willin ta acknowledge that it was an industrial cleaner but neva would he say his condition was so advanced that someone needed ta help him decide what was safe to give his wife or not. Afta all, he'd had a bit of a sip of it himself and put it down hastily, it tasted that bad. Yet he gave it to her and let her drink it all down.
Well, he's gone now. So it's all been settled. I jes miss her so still, and somehow, I don't miss him at all. It's disconcerting. I feel I ought ta miss him too but somehow, I jes can't. This is the part of bein human I find the most strange; that sometimes we ain't human at all.
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