Cookies
An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed.
While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly
smelled the aroma of his favorite Italian anisette sprinkle
cookies wafting up the stairs.
He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from
the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out
of the bedroom, and with even greater effort, gripping the railing
with both hands, he crawled downstairs. With labored breath,
he leaned against the doorframe, gazing into the kitchen.
Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself
already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on
the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite anisette
sprinkle cookies.
Was it heaven?
Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted Italian
wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a
happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards
the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched
lips parted, the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in
his mouth, seemingly bringing him back to life.
The aged and withered hand trembled on its way to a cookie
at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with
a spatula by his wife......
"BACK OFF!" she said, "They're for the funeral."
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