The Favorite Nephew
Waits for his uncle to die
I have to admit. I don’t wish anyone harm, but when I learned my uncle suffered a massive stroke, a small part of me rejoiced.
Why? Two words. Nine million. That’s the amount my uncle left me in his will. He was a brilliant stock trader, who never married, and I was his favorite nephew. Lucky me.
But I had to wait a long time for something like this to happen. Eleven agonizing years. All those years and the anticipation of gaining millions would corrupt even a saint. And I was not a saint.
I rushed to the hospital where my uncle was admitted after the stroke. He was weak and couldn’t speak. So I grilled the doctor. I needed to know if my uncle would survive.
All the doctor could say was, “Right now, his survival chances are fifty-fifty. The next seventy-two hours are critical. Only after that, I’ll be able to say anything concrete.”
Fifty-fifty? That’s not helpful. I called my friend, Josh, and told him everything. He listened patiently and then asked, “So, what are you going to do?”
“What can I do other than spend the next three days in unbearable suspense?”
“Go and meet Anna. She is an expert palm reader who specializes in foretelling the death of a family member.”
“Are you crazy? My uncle is lying in a hospital. I can’t take him to a palm reader now!”
“She doesn’t need your uncle’s palm. She can look at your palm and tell if any of your family members are in danger. Don’t ask me how she does that.”
I thought for a second. I had nothing to lose by meeting with Anna. So I set up an appointment with her on the same day. She was busy but could accommodate me due to a last-minute cancellation.
When I met Anna later that day, she started by collecting general information about all my close family members. I was careful not to mention that my uncle was fighting for his life. Then she took several close-up high-resolution photographs of my right palm. With that, she vanished behind a closed door and didn’t appear for another fifty minutes. When she emerged, she said the sweetest thing I had heard in a long time.
“Someone in your family will die soon,” Anna said with a cold face.
I asked with a fake concern, “How soon?”
“Very soon,” was all she would say.
I thanked her and left. As soon as I drove out of the parking lot, I called Josh.
It kept ringing for several seconds. I was about to hang up when Josh answered. Just then my phone slipped and fell, so I had to bend down to pick it up.
By then, my car ran a red light and entered a busy intersection, shocking everyone, including an 18-wheeler trailer that couldn’t stop.
My uncle was discharged four days later. He was glad he survived the stroke but was heartbroken he lost his favorite nephew.
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