I have a similar story that happened to someone I considered a friend.
I worked in the grocery business for years. It was a family store - not a chain - and was in a small economically depressed town. Well, you can understand that the store had a whacky cast of characters come in and out whom the employees had a fondness for (probably like any small town market)...
One of ours was Crazy Katey. This was a 90 lb women that, as far as anyone could tell was in her 60's. She has mental issues - but managed to get by on her checks and could take care of her son who had downs syndrome. Katey was crazy as a loon, a cheerfully nutty lady that everyone enjoyed seeing. She referred to her son as "the retarded" and you came to understand that she wasn't being mean or abusive, she simply couldn't make associations that the term wasn't one you'd use. Honestly, I don't know how high her IQ was, but we did know she was abused when she was married and that she was not only scarred - she drank.
Regardless - I thought she was a hoot. She invited me to her birthday party at the local tavern and when I got off work and went down - I found out no one showed up (I was late) and she left. I went to her house, got her, and went back up top the tavern and had a drink with her. To me she was one of those priceless, colorful characters that led a life none of us could probably imagine.
Well, the store closed - and became a chain, and a year or so passed. It was late winter and on the news was a story about the mummified remains of two adults were found in a house in the town where the store was. My heart sank as they described the story. I knew who it was before they said names. It turns out from what anybody could peice together Katey got sick and froze or just died. Her son - unable to take care of himself - either starved or froze sometime later.
I haven't thought about her in 10 years until I read the story from Johnnythunder. It was nice to remember her tonight. Thanks.
I worked in the grocery business for years. It was a family store - not a chain - and was in a small economically depressed town. Well, you can understand that the store had a whacky cast of characters come in and out whom the employees had a fondness for (probably like any small town market)...
One of ours was Crazy Katey. This was a 90 lb women that, as far as anyone could tell was in her 60's. She has mental issues - but managed to get by on her checks and could take care of her son who had downs syndrome. Katey was crazy as a loon, a cheerfully nutty lady that everyone enjoyed seeing. She referred to her son as "the retarded" and you came to understand that she wasn't being mean or abusive, she simply couldn't make associations that the term wasn't one you'd use. Honestly, I don't know how high her IQ was, but we did know she was abused when she was married and that she was not only scarred - she drank.
Regardless - I thought she was a hoot. She invited me to her birthday party at the local tavern and when I got off work and went down - I found out no one showed up (I was late) and she left. I went to her house, got her, and went back up top the tavern and had a drink with her. To me she was one of those priceless, colorful characters that led a life none of us could probably imagine.
Well, the store closed - and became a chain, and a year or so passed. It was late winter and on the news was a story about the mummified remains of two adults were found in a house in the town where the store was. My heart sank as they described the story. I knew who it was before they said names. It turns out from what anybody could peice together Katey got sick and froze or just died. Her son - unable to take care of himself - either starved or froze sometime later.
I haven't thought about her in 10 years until I read the story from Johnnythunder. It was nice to remember her tonight. Thanks.
