Old Yakov was dying, and he lay on his death bed, breathing what everyone expected to be the last few breaths of his long life.
His family had gathered around him, waiting patiently for the end.
Through half-closed eyes and a barely audible voice he asked, “Mama… you here?”
“Yes, Papa”, his wife replied.
“Sammy… you here?”
“Yes, Papa”.
“Isadore… you here?”
“Yes, Papa”.
“Rosalie… you here?”
“Yes, Papa”.
“Rachel… you here?”
“Yes, Papa”.
With his face purple with rage, Yakov struggled to raise himself up on his elbows and shouted at them, “So who’s watching the store?”
Image used under a Collective Commons License from: https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Att%C4%93ls:Nicholas_I_on_his_deathbed.jpg
