Ruby (Landry 1)

"What happened to him?" I finally asked,

dreading the answer.

"A boating accident on Lake Pontchartrain. I

rarely went out on the boat with him, but this time I

let him talk me into going. He had a habit of trying to

get me to be more like him. He was always after me to

enjoy life more. To him I was too serious, too

responsible. Usually, I didn't pay much attention to his

complaints, but this time, he argued that we should be

more like brothers. I relented. We both drank too

much. A storm came up. I wanted to turn around

immediately, but he decided it would be more fun to

challenge it and the boat turned over. Jean would have been all right, I'm sure. He was a far better swimmer

than I was, but the mast struck him in the temple." "Oh no," I moaned.

"He was in a coma for a long time. My father

spared no expense, hired the best doctors, but none of

them could do anything. He was like a vegetable." "How terrible."

"I thought my parents would never get over it,

especially my father. But my mother became even

more depressed. Her health declined first. Less than a

year after the tragic accident, she suffered her first

heart attack. She survived, but she became an

invalid."

We continued onward, deeper into the business

area. My father made one turn and then another and

then slowed down to pull the vehicle into a parking

spot, but he didn't shut off the engine. He faced

forward and continued his remembrances.

"One day, my father came to me in our offices

and closed the door. He had aged so since my