I had to bury my Mother-in-Law the other day…

I wrote this in 2007 after my wife's Mother was killed in an accident...



The call came in suddenly on a Wednesday. Ten minutes before my wife and I were to head out to work, the phone rang. It was Lionel, my Mother-in-Law’s husband. He needed to speak to my wife urgently. As I went upstairs to tell her the phone call was for her, I had one of those sinking feelings. After I went back downstairs, I heard a cry from upstairs that told me that all was not well. As I reached my wife, I saw the tears that were already falling. I grabbed the phone and got the news from Lionel; they were traveling on the A34 road near Oxford when they stopped over on a lay-by (kind of like a rest area). She had departed the car and was crossing the road. An Alfa-Romero came out of the blackness and struck her, killing her instantly.

Bibi Richardson, my wife’s Mother, my Mother-in-Law, someone I had known for 21 years, was suddenly and tragically gone.

I went into emergency mode and soon had us ready to fly to England the next day.We spent two weeks there, one handling the funeral and the other starting the legal processes concerning her estate.The funeral was beautiful, held in an old English church. The grave side ceremony was also beautiful.

I remember when I first met Bibi. She was wondering just what to make of me, a young Airman First Class that her daughter was interested in. I also was still immature in some things, but for the most part, she was patient with me. We all attended the same church, near the base I was stationed at and she frequently hosted the young single servicemembers for an evening of tea and cakes.

Dinners were also interesting, she was from Guyana and the cuisine was interesting to say the least. Curry, dall, roti, and other legacies of Indians who were transported to Guyana were the regular bill of fare in her house.
She was also a prayer warrior; she would pray for me, even after I got her mad as me for one reason or another.
She had a sweet spirit, even if a little squirrelly at times.
Still, somehow, she saw something in me that allowed her to say yes after I asked for her daughters hand in marriage.
After two and a half years of courtship, Kamela and I were married with Bibi’s blessing.Through the years, we were blessed by Bibi’s prayers, packages, and visits.
Sometimes we would visit her, other times she would visit us, even to Texas.
I remember once, on her first visit to Texas, she saw all these signs that said, “Don’t Mess With Texas” on signs, shirts, and billboards. One day she went off on me about it, claiming that Texans were “too big about themselves.” I laughed my head off, before I explained to her that is was the state's anti-littering slogan.
On her second visit she brought her new husband, Lionel. They enjoyed the sights of San Antonio immensely.
The last time I saw her, she had come over after my wife’s surgery. She was a great help and I believed actually speeded Kamela’s recovery. She left that January of 2007 with us promising her we would visit her in 2008.
That was not to be, God willed otherwise.
The one thing we can take comfort in was that Bibi was Saved. She is in Heaven right now and we have the hope of a reunion someday.The past two weeks was spent with plenty of family and food. The wake after the funeral was about one of the best gatherings I ever witnessed.

Everything went well and we are back home with some good memories.
We look forward to a Heavenly Reunion with Bibi someday.
Rest in Peace
Bibi Zohora Richardson
1941-2007