The Incomplete Will.
( Venturing into the domain of short stories)
The situation was really getting very acrimonious and bitter. The siblings ( two brothers and one sister) were literally up in arms. The frail 90 year old mother was literally trembling. She was yet recovering from the emotional concussion. She never could imagine her own flesh had become so rancid and had decomposed and degenerated to this extent. The fight was over distribution of her assets and properties bequeathed to her by her deceased husband.
The eldest son, aged 62, a confirmed alcoholic had wasted his life. He was never gainfully employed and had a rapidly deteriorating liver, thanks to the gallons of alcohol he had consumed. The daughter 59 had a large family. 4 children, and all were struggling with life. She had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and failing kidneys. The youngest son, 49 was doing well for himself, in the corporate world. The bickering, the allegations, the expletives, filled the nonagenarian's mind with disgust. She cursed herself and uttered a silent prayer to her departed husband. He had really toiled hard, and created all the wealth with his sweat and blood. She wondered, about the plight of his soul on witnessing this vulgar, obscene greed, and lust for his wealth. She quietly wiped a tear, which was unnoticed by her warring offsprings. They were oblivious to her feelings, emotions, and concerns. They were all obsessed with grabbing whatever was at stake.
Eventually, the solicitor intervened and he gave them an ultimatum. They had to come to some conclusion, or else, all the wealth and assets would be donated to charity, as suggested by the anguished mother. He took charge of the situation, and hammered out a reasonable distribution of the properties, both movable and immovable.
There were some contentious matters, but they too were finally resolved. The matriarch was still recovering from the shock of it all. There was an uneasy silence as each of the siblings were licking the emotional wounds they had inflicted on one another. Each one doggedly determined to get his/her slice of the pie.
They were getting ready for signing the document, that had accounted every movable possession of the mother. Jewellery, utensils, linen, wardrobes in addition to the immovable buildings, farms, stocks, deposits. The mother felt almost naked after this insensitive stripping off of all her material belongings. She was silent and overcome with helplessness and desolation. As the meeting was about to disperse, the mother shocked everyone with an unexpected remark.
She said, "Mr Solicitor, this will is still incomplete"
The siblings' eyes inevitably lit up with expectations. Perhaps, there was still some more wealth, that they were unaware of, and hungrily strained their ears for news about further gains that were yet to be bequeathed.
The Solicitor requested the frail old lady to reveal what she had in mind.
The mother said, " I have heard about the advances made in the domain of healthcare. I have read about live transplants, wherein organs are retrieved from a person, when his heart is still beating. I have lived my life fully and cherish the fondest memories of my erstwhile husband, and times when these children were full of innocence and cheer. Now, i realise that my eldest has a failing liver, my daughter has failing kidneys. All my belongings are distributed, but my body has yet to be partitioned.
To complete my will, please add, that I wish to be put to sleep, and donate my liver to my eldest son, my kidneys to my daughter. My youngest son is hale and hearty. But he might quarrel and dispute this unequal distribution. To put his mind to rest, please auction both my corneas in the eye bank and give him the proceeds of that deal. I do believe, that only after this wish of mine is fulfilled, can my Will be complete."
Dr. Deepak Ranade
( Venturing into the domain of short stories)
The situation was really getting very acrimonious and bitter. The siblings ( two brothers and one sister) were literally up in arms. The frail 90 year old mother was literally trembling. She was yet recovering from the emotional concussion. She never could imagine her own flesh had become so rancid and had decomposed and degenerated to this extent. The fight was over distribution of her assets and properties bequeathed to her by her deceased husband.
The eldest son, aged 62, a confirmed alcoholic had wasted his life. He was never gainfully employed and had a rapidly deteriorating liver, thanks to the gallons of alcohol he had consumed. The daughter 59 had a large family. 4 children, and all were struggling with life. She had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and failing kidneys. The youngest son, 49 was doing well for himself, in the corporate world. The bickering, the allegations, the expletives, filled the nonagenarian's mind with disgust. She cursed herself and uttered a silent prayer to her departed husband. He had really toiled hard, and created all the wealth with his sweat and blood. She wondered, about the plight of his soul on witnessing this vulgar, obscene greed, and lust for his wealth. She quietly wiped a tear, which was unnoticed by her warring offsprings. They were oblivious to her feelings, emotions, and concerns. They were all obsessed with grabbing whatever was at stake.
Eventually, the solicitor intervened and he gave them an ultimatum. They had to come to some conclusion, or else, all the wealth and assets would be donated to charity, as suggested by the anguished mother. He took charge of the situation, and hammered out a reasonable distribution of the properties, both movable and immovable.
There were some contentious matters, but they too were finally resolved. The matriarch was still recovering from the shock of it all. There was an uneasy silence as each of the siblings were licking the emotional wounds they had inflicted on one another. Each one doggedly determined to get his/her slice of the pie.
They were getting ready for signing the document, that had accounted every movable possession of the mother. Jewellery, utensils, linen, wardrobes in addition to the immovable buildings, farms, stocks, deposits. The mother felt almost naked after this insensitive stripping off of all her material belongings. She was silent and overcome with helplessness and desolation. As the meeting was about to disperse, the mother shocked everyone with an unexpected remark.
She said, "Mr Solicitor, this will is still incomplete"
The siblings' eyes inevitably lit up with expectations. Perhaps, there was still some more wealth, that they were unaware of, and hungrily strained their ears for news about further gains that were yet to be bequeathed.
The Solicitor requested the frail old lady to reveal what she had in mind.
The mother said, " I have heard about the advances made in the domain of healthcare. I have read about live transplants, wherein organs are retrieved from a person, when his heart is still beating. I have lived my life fully and cherish the fondest memories of my erstwhile husband, and times when these children were full of innocence and cheer. Now, i realise that my eldest has a failing liver, my daughter has failing kidneys. All my belongings are distributed, but my body has yet to be partitioned.
To complete my will, please add, that I wish to be put to sleep, and donate my liver to my eldest son, my kidneys to my daughter. My youngest son is hale and hearty. But he might quarrel and dispute this unequal distribution. To put his mind to rest, please auction both my corneas in the eye bank and give him the proceeds of that deal. I do believe, that only after this wish of mine is fulfilled, can my Will be complete."
Dr. Deepak Ranade
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