Steve

Dear Sister,

I don't know what to tell you about Momma. She's datin some guy that couldn't be more than forty years old. We saw them at the grocery store buyin scented candles, a bottle of Cold duck, the fancy pink kind, and oysters.

I know he just wants her trailer, and her Government check. What else would he possibly want with her. Especially since she has no teeth, has to wear that wig that you gave her, thank you by the way, that other one was terrible, She needs a hip replacement on the other side now and she can't control her bladder if she coughs or laughs. I know why they call those damn things "Depends". If you want to buy them or not depends on how many times a day you want to change them or not.

Rava Lee and Twyla Spivey saw them at the Cemetery Association Bar-B-Que last week ago Sunday . You remember we used to call it the Graveyard Reunion, because they actually serve B-B-Q at the cemetery and Granny Hrncir used to serve pies in the pie house every year. Well anyway Twyla said seein them gave her the creeps. She said it reminded her of all those pictures that was in the Globe and the Enquirer of Martha Ray and that funny little guy that married her after she didn't even know her own ass from her elbow.

She said most people would have just thought he was her grandson or a male nurse and thought nothin of it. But he kept kissin on her and carryin on, and her with a walker and all , well it just didn't look right and Twyla and Rava Lee said they thought we ought to know. The sad, part is that that I was probably the last person in the entire county they told and it concerns our Momma!

I don't know who all they told at Church .Nobody acted any different or said anything. But you know those damn people at the Church can be so sweet to you face, when they were laughin about your Daddy's' Funeral or you cross-eyed Grand baby behind your back ,just 3 seconds before you walked in.

To make matters worse, and I can't believe that I almost forgot to tell you this part. When Momma and this Armando Guy, Did I tell you his name was Armando. My friend Lynette Moss , She's the one that's been to New York, well she says nobody is named Armando except for waiters, Hairdressers and miniature Chijuajuas.

Well anyway when Armando was backing Momma's Chrysler up to leave the cemetery he backed into Mrs. Otto Ledbetter's Daddy's headstone and chipped a big ol hunk out of it. We thought it was kinda funny though ,because on the marker where it said son of Alice and Frederick. Now it just says Son of A ... and then the blank space. And that's pretty well what everybody thought of him anyway.

But of course Mrs. Ledbetter was fit to be tied and was yellin and cryin and shaking her new Summer Straw purse at Armando, tellin him she was gonna sue.

And Armando kept saying that he noticed her daddy's marker was already like that when they Parked there that morning. Several witnesses saw him hit it Was obvious he was just lying like a rug. Oh yeah, did I tell you he wears a rug.

So he's All but moved in with Momma. You can kiss any of her silver and jewelry you thought you were gonna get good-bye. His voice is on her answering machine. His name is on her insurance policy. It's like

us kids don't even exist.

Last time I was over there, our pictures were all taken down and put away, or thrown away, and great big ol framed pictures of him in costumes when he was a dance instructor and when he was in the Ballet Folklorico at Hemis-fair '68 in San Antonio were up on the walls just everywhere. It makes Momma's Trailer look like a Mexican Travel Agency.

Lester says he'll take everything she's got some night and clean out her bank account and she'll have to move in with us so you may as well go on and be gettin her room ready.

We'll just have to see what happens. Now I didn't tell you all this so you would worry. But I didn't think it would hurt you to know what all of us up here who love and care about Momma more than just a Christmas Card or birthday card and sometimes you even forget that, are goin through.