Installment #40 A Plan

    Tucker glared at Marge.  She looked him straight in the eye.  “Tell me what I said, Tucker.”  He looked across the room at the silent television.  He glared at Marge again.  “Tucker!  We can set here all day with you ignoring me, but I am not going away.  Tell me what I said.”

     Tucker sighed heavily then closed his eyes.  “You said my cancer has metastasized on my spine and pubis.  You said the radiation was to get the pain under control.  You said there is no hope and that I am going to die.  Right?”

     “Yes, honey, that is right.  That is exactly what I said and that is exactly what is going to happen.  I would give everything I have to be wrong, but I’m not and we need to deal with it honestly.  There are things that need to be done before you can die.  There are things that need to be done so you can live comfortably for the time you have left.”  She stood up and walked over and laid her cheek on top of his head.   She was going to miss this man.  He had been an integral part of her life for many years.  He had been best man at the wedding when she married his best friend.  She had been his office manager.  Now she was his medical liaison and held his medical power of attorney.  When he was gone she would be his executor and settle his estate.  She would have liked to hide and not know, but she did and she could think of no one she could trust like herself.

     She patted his shoulder and reached for the phone.  “I am going to make an appointment with Russell Mark to do your will.  Cynthia recommended him.  Guess he taught law classes where she got her Bachelor’s.  At least he is someone we know as opposed to a name in a phone book.  The sooner we get your affairs in order, the sooner your mind can work on the rest of your life.”  What became of his immortal soul was not a question she even wanted to tackle.  That was beyond personal and definitely not in her realm of expertise.  She dealt with hard facts, not the great beyond.

     Tucker did not want to hear that conversation.  He did not need to hear it.  Marge knew his schedule better than he did, so he stepped out the front door and settled himself in his white deck chair.  It was a beautiful day.  He waved at a kid going by on a bike with a fishing pole, headed for the levee.  Damn!  He was going to miss this.