What was Mrs. Dubose's secret?

I didn't want to know.

I was already getting enough information without knowing anything else.

The next morning, I called Mike. "What's the deal with Mrs. Dubose?"

"You have a case for me?" he said, and his voice was slightly amused. "Yes. I mean, no." I looked at my watch. "I have a conference call in five minutes."

"I'll come over," he said. "You're the best," I said. "You don't dress like that on weekends," I said.

"That's how I roll on weekends." He smiled. "What's this all about?"

"Mrs." "She's a piece of work. She's one of the few people I've ever met who could have slept with her husband, and she's been married for twenty-four years. She's in her mid-sixties, and she's not even close to being rich. But she's got a lot of money, and she's got a beautiful home, and she's got a lot of friends. And she's a smart woman. She's smarter than you and me combined, and she knows it. She's a force to be reckoned with."

"She's blackmailing you? And she wants me to investigate it." "Why?". "She doesn't want to admit that she's the victim. She's got a lot of explaining to do."

"What does she say about her husband? About what happened to her?". "That she didn't really know him, and that she never thought she'd marry a man who had a mistress. And then she had a change of heart and decided to marry him. That she was lonely when she married him, and she wanted to have a child, and she decided to give up the affair with another man. And that was that."

"And that's what she wants you to believe?". "It's the truth," he said. "She's not interested in taking responsibility for anything. And she's been living in her own world for a long time.

What causes Mrs. Dubose fits?

"Mrs.

Dubose has very poor eyesight. There is no known hereditary cause for this, although it is possible that she is diabetic, which can cause eyesight loss."

"Is she blind?". "No, she just can't read the printed page or have close-up vision. She's in the early stages of senile dementia."

"I've never heard of that." "It's fairly common in seniors," says the doctor. "A lot of the elderly need help with personal care and such things. When I was about your age my grandmother had to be spoonfed three times a day. Seniors often get confused and fall down, and we call it frailty."

So Mrs. Dubose, at eighty, is just like some of the kids I know who are in their seventies. They have trouble remembering the names of their relatives. They can't remember how to use the microwave oven and they fall all the time.

"Frailty" was invented by the government so that Medicare could bill more than you have money to pay. Doctors are supposed to tell seniors that their days are numbered so that the doctors and the hospital can keep charging Medicare. It's called the "end-of-life ethic. Dubose is like me when I was in my seventies. I'm not as young as I used to be, and the last thing I remember is the Kennedy assassination. "She'll come in here at any time. She has a very hard time with sleep," he says.

I don't know about that. The night before, I dreamed I was at the bottom of a deep pit. That was probably from the coke and the beer.

The doctor pokes at the woman's eyelids to test her eyes. She has poor vision. She has poor balance. She gets around on crutches. Dubose's son has been dead for some time now," says the doctor. "He lived in the Pacific Northwest. He'd been divorced for years."

I don't know how to put it, but he doesn't look happy. "Can she see who I am?". "You're fine. She might mistake you for someone she knows."

And here comes Dad. He looks pretty good considering he had been dead for about twenty-five years.

Did Mrs. Dubose beat her addiction?

In the fall of 2025, the wife of a high school teacher, who had long suffered from a debilitating condition that left her bedridden and unable to attend school meetings, suddenly returned to action.

She did so without any formal drug treatment, but rather through homeopathic medicines. When a nurse who visits her house noticed Mrs. Dubose's dramatic change in appearance (which includes new hair color and fullness), the nurse called Dr. James Braly, M., the clinical professor of medicine at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center's College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Braly, who describes his patient as his family, noted that many of Mrs. Dubose's symptoms fit a medical diagnosis that has not yet been approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS is an inherited disorder that causes extreme joint laxity and poor wound healing. Braly said there is a lot of research that links diet to the disease and that is how she healed herself. Dubose says, My son is a chiropractor; he took me on as a client after I recovered from two surgeries. We both saw that what I ate and lack of sleep was causing the problem. Braly says, There is no cure for EDS and it is not a disease we should see patients for since patients cannot survive their illnesses. But there are dietary tips for people living with this disease. Braly has recommended these guidelines:

Ease up on the caffeine. Caffeine keeps muscle tight and prevents flexibility. Some forms of coffee and tea are high in oxalic acid which constricts blood vessels and is found in abundance in spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, celery, lima beans and most nuts. Many EDS sufferers end up being night drinkers and coffee addicts. Tea, coffee and cappuccino drinks do not cause my patient's EDS.

Dairy. Milk contains calcium, which strengthens bones and ligaments. It is a dairy product and is high in phosphate (found in milk products) and in lactic acid. Lactic acid is what causes the sour flavor of sour cream, yogurt and all acidic foods and beverages.

What made Mrs. Dubose brave in Atticus eyes?

She had courage; that's for sure.

Yet, I imagine Atticus wanted more of a reason. He wanted to know why she'd be so bold in front of him.

I thought you said you didn't tell lies! Mrs. Dubose says.

I don't, he says. I don't think I can be held responsible for the choices of others, he says.

She is so stunned, and speechless. She doesn't even try to come up with a response.

At the funeral, a minister said, Our Father, who art in heaven (I'm not sure if it was that specific.) Anyway, Atticus walked over to her and whispered, I'm proud of you! I feel like Mrs. Dubose's life was changed that day. She may have been made braver, but I doubt it's the same way Mrs. Dubose felt when she was a child. I'm sure she felt brave, but I doubt if it was enough to allow her to see a future for herself. We cannot see what others may have, because they are not as we are. How could Mrs. Dubose possibly have seen herself as a writer?

What can we say about Mrs. That she was one of those rare people who had the courage to do what she wanted to do with her life. That she was probably the bravest person Atticus ever met. That she taught him more than he would ever realize. That she taught him one of the best lessons he'd learn: Sometimes you just have to follow your heart. And most importantly, she was his friend. Now, I wonder where Maudie is? Atticus said. Because she's probably the one with something more important to say. We're on page 72 in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is the end of the chapter, and Atticus has returned from talking to his dad at the jail.