6.
When I got home, I put Mom, Dad, and Ethan
in the middle of the living room.
We were down on our luck.
<
Many of our friends had cut ties with us.
But I was such a pitiful high school kid, and
they gave me a condolence gift.
“Ashley, we can’t do much to help.
Take this, kid, this is the last we can give.
If you can’t take it, buy a ticket to anywhere.
Somewhere safe.”
I took the money.
Tears streamed down my face.
After they left, I stuffed it into my pocket and
started a live stream.
Last time, I’d dropped out of school to pay off
the debt.
I had to be out of the house every day to save
the company.
That’s how they could pretend for so long.
They’d get out of bed and enjoy life when I
wasn’t around.
This time?
I smiled.
If they liked pretending so much, they could
just keep pretending.
People online always love to watch.
If they move, someone will see it.
The camera was pointed at Mom and Dad.
The screen said:
[Brother Jumped Off the Pier, Mom and Dad
are Vegetable, Company is Down and the
Family is Over.]
Г
People flooded the stream.
I told the story, crying my eyes out.
I was so emotional that people voted me the
most miserable person online.
“Mom and Dad were going to send Ethan to
the crematory today.
But I can’t do that.
He died too young.
I have to give him a good funeral.
I have to keep him at home for seven days!”
The comments were all about how sorry they
felt for me.
People even sent me money.
But I rejected all the gifts.
く
Among the messages, I was interested in the
ones from two people who claimed to be
doctors.
Someone said: [Being unconscious doesn’t
always mean it’s shock. They might have
some other disease they didn’t know about.]
I stared at Ethan that night, and a plan
popped into my head.
Instead of letting him lie here for seven days,
I could use his body for some good.
Then I didn’t think they could pretend they
were sick.