‘While you’ve been away…’
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Coming back from a month-long business trip to Asia, a wealthy businessman arrived at the airport where he was fetched by his chauffeur named Jim. On the long drive home, the businessman inquired, “So, Jim, has anything happened while I was away?”
Jim replied, “No, sir. I can’t think of anything at all worth mentioning.”
The businessman said, “Come now, Jim. I have been away for almost a month. Surely something must have happened in all that time.”
Thinking for a moment, Jim said, “Well, sir, come to think of it, your dog died a week ago.”
“What? Spot is dead? How awful! Well, he is getting on in years anyway and I suppose it had to happen sometime. How did Spot die?”
“The vet said the dog might have died from eating rotten meat.”
“Rotten meat? Since when did we leave rotten meat around for the dog to eat?”
“Well, sir, the rotten meat came from the dead horses. They have been rotting for sometime after the barn burned down.”
“Good heavens! How in the world did the barn burn down?”
“Probably from the burning embers that blew over from the mansion, sir.”
“The mansion? Even my house burned down too? How did it burn down?”
“Well, sir. I think somebody might have knocked over a lighted candle.”
“Oh. Wait a moment! We don’t need candles to light the mansion! What were the candles doing there?”
“They were there for the wake, sir.”
“Wake? What wake?”
“Your mother’s, sir. She passed away quite suddenly.”
“Oh my Lord! Mother’s dead! The mansion is gone along with the barn. Even Spot is dead. What did Mother die of, Jim?”
“It must have been the shock, sir.”
“The shock?”
“Yes, sir, the shock. When your wife ran off with the gardener the day after you left. But aside from that, it’s been fairly quiet while you’ve been away, sir.”
