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BJ AND ME IN THE 70S
In
the 80s I went through a period of seeing many friends and
acquaintances die from AIDS and now in the 2000s I am seeing many
friends and acquaintances die from old age.
I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring to tell me that my friend BJ has died. BJ and I were friends back in the 70s when I was with Weight Watchers and
then Our Weigh. When I opened the latter, without hesitation, she
volunteered, living in Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia a few miles from Chattanooga,
to help me get started there. I had first met her with Nina, her then
girlfriend, and both became good friends, along with Nina's sister,
Layde, with/to me. The 3 made me an 'honorary gangster, the name of
their business.
BJ
and Nina broke up and Nina and her new girlfriend Jean--they have now
been together 30+years--along with Layde, moved to Texas.
Over
the years we have kept in contact--Layde died a couple of years ago--a
very funny person who proof read my last 2 books before I had them
published--BJ and I had lost contact for a few years until we connected
again on facebook--she had been battling cancer and seemed to be doing
well but now is near the end, in pain, comatose and her sister is
driving up from Atlanta and I wait for that call from Nina--the one I
don't want to get!
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I received the following:
I did not want to wake anyone in the wee hours, but our BJ at last is in peace.
BJ
died at 0223 this morning in Terran's arms after requesting being held
and then simply said, "enough" and breathed her last breath. She lived
life on her own terms and left it on her own terms. I so regret she
endured so much pain the last days, but she just wouldn't give up until
she was ready.
As some of you know, BJ requested to be cremated and
had donated her body to the University of Tennessee. Unfortunately, the
University turned her down, so she will be cremated and I will receive
her ashes to go along side with Mom's. She requested no services. At
some point, I would like us to get together, have dinner and a salute so
I can once again thank all of you for the remarkable gift of friendship
you bestowed upon her.
Thank you all. She loved you very much!
Marta
