2016/09/30 - Horace, Alex, and Lucille continued.

Alex's life was about to change, realizing that taking care of mom would be a full time job.

At first she was extremely paranoid. She knew that Horace was trying to take her money, and she was afraid that he would come after her in NY. In her confused state, she feared that he would come to Alex's house and kill his dog.

She was especially afraid to be alone, and this proved to be a challenge for Alex.
.....

Alex never thought of himself as a caretaker, but it should have been obvious, for he had been taking care of animals all his life. Now his biggest challenge was an 86 year old woman, totally dependent on him.

Whereas this may have been a huge burden to most families, Alex was lucky that his wife and stepdaughter welcomed Lucille into their house with open arms. It was difficult at first, but once they settled into a routine, it got easier.

And Alex found himself falling into a even deeper love for his mother. In a strange way he felt honored to have the opportunity to be there for her in the end. What greater gift can a son give to his mom?
.....

The fact that Horace emptied the house, saved Alex the dirty job, but left him wondering what happened to all her stuff.

There was jewelry, furniture, pictures, nicknacks, password lists, blank checks, a computer, flat screen TV, diaries, etc. Whose hands did these things fall into?

Can you imagine coming home to find your house completely empty?

Horace had even cancelled all the utilities. When Alex arrived there, the house was 110 degrees, damp and smelly, and the outdoor trees and shrubs had not received water in weeks.  Luckily Alex got there in time and had the utilities turned back on, and had the locks changed.

Without any communication with Alex, Horace handled the situation as if Lucille was dead. He took possession of all her stuff, gave to charity everything except the valuables, of which he kept what he wanted and gave the rest to his daughter.

Alex wondered: "What kind of man had his mother married?"
.....

Over a month went by without a word from Horace, and never a mention of him from Lucille. 

Alex had been part of many breakups in his lifetime, and this seemed very odd, and too good to be true.

To be continued...