Blackie & Rosebud

What would happen to my friend's cats now that she was gone?

- CHRIS PADON

I settled into my seat at the Saenger Theatre and flipped through the Playbill for the musical I was hoping to enjoy. I'd made the trip from my home in Cleburne, Texas, to New Orleans to spend some time with my brother, but the truth lay deeper: I needed something to help ease my grief over my friend Andi's sudden passing. Only in her early sixties, Andi had seemed the picture of health. She'd managed a full-time job, acreage in central Texas and a barn full of horses all on her own. She had a soft spot for animals and adopted every stray who wandered onto her property.