Aunt Lottie dropped by again the other day. For those who aren't familiar with Aunt Lottie, I recently wrote a previous article about her taking me on a hair-raising trip to Wal-Mart. This time Aunt Lottie brought a friend by with her. Not just any friend, but a man friend.

"Hey, girlie, you're not too busy for a little company, are you?" she said as she came barreling through the door. "I brought a friend I want you to meet. Come on, Fred. It's all right. Why you walking so slow?"

I got to the door just as Fred was making his way into the house, a little unsure of his footing on the porch steps. Maybe doddering would be a better word. "This here's Fred. Fred and I've been dating."

"Hello, Fred. Come on in and sit down." A part of me wanted to reach out and take Fred's arm because he looked exhausted after his walk from the car to the house. "Can I get you something to drink, Fred?" I asked.

"No, honey, he don't drink. You know, I wouldn't have no part of no man that drinks. I put up with enough of that with my third husband, that sorry old so-in-so."

"Oh, Aunt Lottie, I just meant some water or tea or something."

"Oh, well, that might be okay. What you think, Fred? Want some water?" she shouted down toward Fred's head. Fred only nodded, and I was trying to remember where I had put the phone just in case I might need to call 911.

"Fred and I are thinking about taking a little trip down to New Orleans for the weekend. Been a while since I been there. Used to love New Orleans. You know, I bartended down there in the French Quarter back in my younger days. Still got a few friends down there." I sat there and looked at Aunt Lottie, who I was sure could still party with the best of them, but I wasn't quite as sure about Fred.

"That's quite a trip, Aunt Lottie. Are you sure you need to be driving all that way by yourself?" I asked.

"Ain't going by myself. Fred's going with me. Ain't nothing going to happen to me there that isn't going to happen to me here anyway. You know my philosophy, if your number's up, your number's up." Yeah, okay, but I was remembering my riding experience with Aunt Lottie and thinking Fred's number might not quite be up yet.

"Well, Fred, how did y'all meet?" I asked trying to draw some sign of life out of Fred.

"She picked me up," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"I was playing checkers in the senior citizen center and fell out of my chair, and Lottie picked me up off the floor." He smiled at Aunt Lottie, and she just let out of those famous belly laughs that I loved so much.

"Yeah, he was dusting the floor with his pants all right." I couldn't help but laugh at the picture of these two oldsters, one tugging on the other trying to get him back into his chair. "I guess it was love at first sight, huh, Fred? We've been seeing each other ever since."

"Well, that was a fortunate meeting," I replied.

"Yeah, but you know those nosey old people down at the center can't stand to see us having a good time, so we're going to get away for the weekend and let our hair down, aren't we, Fred?" I looked at what little hair Fred still had and thought Aunt Lottie may help him lose the rest of it in a couple of days in New Orleans.

"When are you going, Aunt Lottie?"

"Oh, we're on our way now, Pat. I just wanted to stop by and let you meet Fred and I thought somebody needed to know where we'd be. I know how your mama is, and I figure if she can't get me on the phone, she'd be worrying. You can call her later and let her know. I don't know what happened to her, but since she's got a little older, she can be a regular ole stick in the mud about these things. You all rested now, Fred? We better be going." I watched as Fred scooted to the front of the cushion and on his third attempt, finally managed to get himself up off the couch. "See you later, girlie." Fred just nodded.

With that, I watched the ever determined Aunt Lottie walk to the car while Fred hobbled along behind. She barely gave Fred time to get situated in the seat before the old Cadillac was speeding down the drive. I said a little prayer for Fred because I felt like he was going to need it. Between Aunt Lottie and Sin City, Fred had his work cut out for him.