A fine contemporary story - a glimpse of Americana with broad appeal.
Cultural diversity, ethno-centric overtones, sexual orientation quandary,
and poetry thrown in for good measure.  

 Boudreaux, Fontenot & Thibodeaux had all been life-long buddies. One day,
while fishing under the I-10 bridge in the Atchafalya Basin, Boudreaux made
his confession. "We all been friends  for tirty years and been thru a lot. I
never told ya'll before because I didn't want to ruin  our friendship but...
I'm gay."

  Fontenot looked over at Thibodeaux & said, "We kind of figured that out a
while back,  but wasn't gonna mention nuttin cause we didn't wanna embarrass
you."

  Boudreaux thanked 'em for understanding & continued: "The reason I bring
it up now is cause I got AIDS & I got six months to live.  Ya'll the only
family I got left & I want ya'll to promise me that you won't let them bury
me, I got a fear of caskets & I want to be cremated.

  Then I want ya'll to personally throw my ashes from dat bridge up dere
over dis water,  where  we  spent so much good times  together." Fontenot &
Thibodeaux wiped back a few tears, then agreed to do what der friend had
asked.

  Sure enough, six months later Boudreaux had died, & they were standing on
the bridge with the ashes.  Fontenot was about to throw them out, when
Thibodeaux  stopped him. "Aren't you going to say anything?", he asked.

 "I don't know what to say. I never was much about going to church,"
Fontenot admitted.

  Thibodeaux scratched his head. "Just say something ... anything.  Make it
rhyme."

 Fontenot thought about it a while & started throwing the ashes out over the
water. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if you'd only liked pussy, you'd still
be with us."