That night Granny Bea looked at the newspaper and Congress was getting set to meet to discuss reinstating the estate tax for 2010. She knew that she would have to act quickly or possibly lose the tax benefits. The next day she went out scouting for bridge abutments or overpass columns that did not have guardrails or jersey barriers. Finally, she found one on the Interstate. She went home and thought. She stared for hours at the newspaper article about the estate tax. She stared at the pictures of her children and grandchildren. She cried some. Finally after about four hours of intense thought, she steeled herself and set out to the garage. She started the car and headed out onto the Interstate. She recalled an article that said that the crash would likely be fatal at 90 mph. But she had to be in the right lane in order to get to the barrier, so in order to get to that speed and not hit anyone or get stopped would be a real challenge. She left a 2 a.m. figuring the roads would be clear at that hour.

Little Jaimie her granddaughter came in and interrupted her thoughts. “Grams can I have a cookie?”. “Of course, sweetie, here you go”. Jaimie was 6, if Beatrice died she’d miss her school plays, athletics, dances, proms, graduations, wedding, and many other occasions. She tried to picture that child at each stage of her life. How hard this was going to be.

Ben came in, the baby, he was four, he hugged her leg and said, “I love you gwammy”. Her heart really broke and she started crying. Ben not knowing why she was crying asked, “Did you get a boo boo gwammy?” “No, child, I just am sad today that’s all.” Ben smiled, “Don’t be sad, cause I love you!” Tears welled up in her eyes again. “Here you go Ben here’s a cookie, now run outside and play.”

Going back to the carnage of 2010 since now it is apparent that there will be no tax bill.

Beatrice Gooding was a wonderful granny. She cooked lots of great cookies for her children and grandchildren. She sewed things for her career minded daughter=s kids and watched them when they needed watching. Beatrice was also worth $300 Million. She had inherited that sum from her second husband Frederick Johnston an inventor. He had invested pens that wrote upside down and then parlayed his patent money in real estate. Beatrice was worried. She could think of the wonderful things that her children and grandchildren could do with her money, if only she would die in the year 2010. But her doctor told her that she was in perfect health and could look forward to many long years. She didn=t want to see the government take her money to use on those awful inplements of war. She remembered reading that single car accidents could not be ruled a suicide. But did she have the courage to do it.