One evening, a man walked into his favorite bar, hoping to relax with a cold beer after a long day.
As he glanced around the room, he spotted an old friend sitting alone at a table in the corner.
But something was clearly wrong.
His friend was slumped over his drink, staring miserably into his glass, looking as though the entire world had turned against him.
Concerned, the man walked over and pulled up a chair.
“Hey, buddy! What’s going on? You look absolutely terrible!”
His friend let out a long, miserable sigh.
“You wouldn’t believe the terrible few months I’ve had.”
The man leaned forward sympathetically.
“Oh no. What happened?”
His friend shook his head sadly.
“Well, back in June, my mother passed away.”
“Oh, man. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“She left me $10,000,” the friend added quietly.
The man nodded.
“That’s very sad. Losing your mother must have been incredibly difficult.”
His friend took another sip of his drink.
“And then, in July, my father died too.”
The man stared at him in disbelief.
“Your father as well?! That’s awful! Both parents in just two months?”
His friend nodded slowly.
“Yeah. He left me $50,000.”
The man shook his head.
“Good grief. No wonder you’re feeling so miserable. That’s a lot of heartbreak in such a short time.”
But his friend wasn’t finished.
“And then, last month, my aunt passed away.”
The man nearly dropped his beer.
“Your AUNT too?! You’ve lost three family members in three months? That’s absolutely heartbreaking!”
His friend sighed again.
“Yeah… she left me $15,000.”
For a moment, neither man said anything.
The man placed a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Buddy, I don’t know how you’ve managed to cope with all this. First your mother, then your father, and then your aunt. That’s an unbelievable amount of loss.”
His friend stared into his glass, looking more depressed than ever.
The man gently asked,
“So… what happened after that?”
His friend shook his head, took one final sip of his drink, and said miserably,
“Then this month,” continued the friend, “nothing!”
