From Riches to Rags

Herbie Cohen was a tough act to follow, and Mary's life since her late husband's death had taken a sharp turn from edgy affluence (The Cohen's never had much in savings and investments, but plenty of cash from their jewelry business) to a quiet plunge to near poverty.  Mrs. Cohen had invested much of the remaining money and merchandise from the jewelery store to set up shop with Penelope in a beautifully designed store located in a lifeless strip mall on Biscayne Boulevard, just south of what would become the City of Aventura, a concrete canyon flanked by the gaudy Aventura shopping mall and sky-scraping condominium buildings.  Days would go by without a visit from a single customer.

 Soon the proud 60-year history of Stanley Jewelers (opened in 1920 by S.A. Stanly) ended.  The Enron scandal and a handful of poor investments left the old woman nearly penniless, while Penelope had to settle for a life in a comfy little condo on the poor side of Aventura.

A couple of years later the theft of Mary Frances' ancient, rusted Monte Carlo, bare tires and all, removed one more vestige of mobility and pride from the hardy by disheartened woman.  Ironically, Mary's kids were grateful for the crime, as her driving had become dangerously erratic.

And so, depression intermittently found itself creeping into Mary Frances' Lion-sized heart.  Nevertheless, Mary remained stoic, never showing outward signs of distress about her plight. However, her son knew she could be despondent from time to time, as he lived with her to help his mom manage the rapid-fire transitions in her life along with the inevitable trappings of advanced age.