With the help of my Geek network and some extra cash i had laying around (HA!). I built her a pretty rock solid computer. I went out and bought her a cheap printer that wasn't dot-matrix and gave her an older monitor i had laying around that was still better than the monitor she had. A friend sent me a bigger hard-drive that wasn't corrupt, i had some memory laying around, along with an older video card that fit her needs.

I took it over to house set it up. Got her e-mail set up and some other small things and she was good to go. Evidently i will be sitting at the right hand of God when my time comes, according to her. I just kind of blushed and decided that this wasn't the best time to discuss my lack of religious beliefs and just said thank you. I told her she isn't allowed to make any electronic purchases without me being present, and that i will help her when the time comes for the switch over to digital television, i left a business card and told her to call anytime, for anything, even beyond computers.

About a week later i kept getting phone calls from a Washington (west coast) area code, thinking it was a bill collector i ignored it. Finally one day i answered it and it was her son. He called to tell me that he couldn't thank me enough for what i had done. Evidently when they left the state, she had no desire to go, she had been married and lived most of her adult life in that house. He told me that people like me restore his faith in humanity and kept hammering me with compliments, which i hate, but accepted. He wanted to send me money for what i had done, and i basically told him that i wouldn't accept it, i had spent less than $75, and it was well worth it to see the joy in his mother's face.

I've been back to her house several times to "check" on the computer, i make habit of going once or twice a month. I usually do it when i have a free period because her and i sit there and gossip like old hens. She makes a pot of coffee and we talk about the old times in her life, which historically is immensely interesting, she's been through a lot. She listens to my life story, which varies greatly from hers and refers to my ex-fiance as "the dumb one that let a good man get away". So it's all kind of cool.

All in all it's pretty fun, i am glad i ran across her.