01
When I found out Helen and her ‘special friend” Garry had been in a car accident and were in critical condition at the hospital, I was thrilled. I chugged down the three beers we had at home before finally heading over,
They’d been saved in time, so for the moment, their lives weren’t at risk. Helen’s arm was severely injured, though. Without three hundred thousand dollars in surgery, she’d have to lose it,
1 immediately put on my act of concern,
“Doctor, you have to save my wife’s arm. I’d do anything, even if it bankrupts me
Right after saying that, I pulled out my phone and dialed Helen’s mom. Karen Patel,
“Karen, I have fifty thousand dollars saved up. I need you to cover the other two hundred and fifty thousand dollars so that Helen can.. “What? Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars? I don’t have that kind of money! All you ever do is talk about money. I’m off to the gym now…. I’d put the call on speaker on purpose, hoping the doctor would get a clear sense of the “support” on the other end.
When I saw the doctor frown, I quickly turned away, trying to hide the smirk on my face.
“Doctor, you can see the situation at home… It’s just that I really………”
I rubbed my eyes hard.
“Don’t be too upset. You’ve tried your best.” The doctor patted my shoulder
“Well then, let’s go for amputation. We poor folks just have to accept things. Poor girl, so young… I dropped to the floor, covering my face with my hands as I shook
That was the day I learned that laughing could actually make your whole body tremble.
At that moment, a nurse pointed to Helen’s male friend, Garry. This patient needs a signature from you too.
I wiped away the tears of laughter and said, “Oh, he’s just my neighbor. I don’t have the right to sign. But make sure you save him. Otherwise, my wife would be heartbroken.”
The nurse looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
Helen was now in a stable condition and transferred to a regular room.
That’s when Karen rushed in, making a beeline straight for me.
“You despicable little man! Was this all your doing? I’ll kill you!”
Karen had poor mobility. I sidestepped her and, in the process, knocked over Helen’s IV drip. The needle ripped out, splattering blood all over the
“What are you two doing? This is a hospital room! Take it outside if you want to fight”
The nurse yelled at Karen and quickly began rebandaging Helen’s wound.
“Nurse, tell me, was it this good–for–nothing who did this to my daughter?” Karen leaned in, whispering in the nurse’s ear
