"Dear Friend Inez!"

I will always remember Dear Friend Inez. No she wasn't MY friend. In fact she wasn't a friend at all.

My grandmother's friend's husband had died. The family went through their normal grieving and in planning the funeral, they put in an obituary in the local papers. From wife, daughter, son, brothers, sisters, grandchildren, and friends.

On the same page further down there was a similar obituary for the same man. Only thing is that this time it came from "Dear Friend Inez". Dear Friend being the euphemism for Mistress. I remember the rage my grandmother felt over the disrespect that Inez had shown by making her position public, especially during this time of great mourning. It was suspected that Inez and the man were a little more than friendly, but this confirmed suspicions. Since then, it had become interesting to note the various "dear friends" in the obituaries.

Today now, I'm getting the daily update from my mother over my Uncle Pat who died this weekend. The obituary was printed in the local papers today. So I ask her jokingly if there are any "Dear Friend Inezes"... after I explain to her how come I call it Dear Friend Inez. Imagine my utter shock when she says that when my father died there was a "Dear Friend Antonette" printed in the papers alongside her obituary. Amazing!