I just had a visit from Luis, my neighbor across the street. We've known each other since shortly after we moved into the neighborhood about ten years ago. We've never been real buddy-buddy, but I've tried to be a good listener when needed.
Anyway, when Luis came over he was crying hysterically. I knew right away this was going to be more than commiserating; this was serious stuff. It took a while for Luis to calm down, but finally he was able to blurt out what was wrong. He stared at me blankly, and told me that he had just got off a call from his doctor, relaying some recent lab test results.
The doctor had asked if he was sitting down, and then she told him, “Well, I have bad news, and then I have worse news.” Luis had replied, “Oh my God! What's the bad news?” She then responded, “Your test results came back, and it's clear you only have 24 hours to live.”
Now Luis was getting hysterical again, and again broke down crying. Finally he continued. “I couldn't say anything at first, and just sat there, stunned and pondering what I tell my wife and my kids and my siblings. Then, after collecting myself, I screamed at her, 'That’s horrible news!! What could possibly be worse news than that!?'
And she responded, 'The test results came in yesterday.'”