I had severe lung disease, and the doctors told my family they needed to find two living donors for me. I had to laugh darkly. The doctors had no idea what kind of monsters my family really were. My husband wanted a divorce, my mom didn't want to pay the medical bills, my step-uncle wanted my dead body for some creepy arrangement, my own uncle wanted to sell my corneas… Later, one of them gave me their lungs. 1 When I opened my eyes, I found myself floating mid-air, light as a feather, unable to touch the ground. I thought I was dead, but when I looked down, my body was still lying right there on the hospital bed. The monitor next to me showed my stats were low, but stable. The divorce papers Mark gave me were still sitting on the bedside table. So what was going on? Was I dying but not quite dead yet? "Mrs. Miller, your daughter's medical bills are seriously overdue." I heard the doctor's voice from outside the door. I drifted through the wall towards the sound and saw my mom talking with him. "Well, Doctor, you see, my son is getting married soon, and we really need the money…" Mom looked incredibly stressed. "Is your daughter's life less important than your son's wedding?" The doctor sounded angry, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Don't you understand? Your daughter is in the final stages." I let out a cold laugh. I told him last night. This family of mine, not a decent one among them. Just a pack of wolves waiting to devour you. When I was little, my stepbrother could eat all the cookies he wanted. If I even touched one, Mom would scold me for being selfish. "Also, your daughter's condition is critical. The waitlist for a deceased donor lung is very long. You should see if family members can get tested for compatibility." "Tested? You mean, for us to donate a lung?" "Yes, it's the fastest option. A living donation is complex, and it can impact the donor's future health significantly, which is why we need two donors…" The doctor was still patiently explaining, but Mom cut him off impatiently. "Doctor, I just remembered I have something urgent at home. I have to go." Before the words were even out, Mom was already rushing towards the elevator. My body floated after her, uncontrollably following her inside. Behind us, I heard the doctor talking to a nurse. "Just mentioning compatibility testing and she runs off like that. It’s unbelievable." The elevator doors slid shut, cutting off their conversation. It was just Mom and me in the elevator. She was staring down at her phone. I drifted closer, waving my hand in front of her face. She just kept staring intently at the screen, totally unaware of me. On the screen was a text she was typing out. [The doctor says Ellie needs surgery now. Can't wait for a deceased donor. Need family members to get tested for compatibility, need two people.] She typed it, deleted it, typed it again, and in the end, never sent it. 2 I followed her home. The house was dimly lit, the only light coming from the harsh glow of her phone screen. A piercing ringtone shattered the silence. Mom snatched up the phone, her face lighting up with undisguised joy. "Hello, honey? What's up?" "Oh, right, you need to book the venue tomorrow? Okay, okay." "Money? Yeah, we have the money… Son, let me tell you something, your sister… she needs someone to donate a lung…" Leo’s grating voice boomed through the phone. "Donate what lung? Like hell I'm gonna be that idiot." "Don't even think about asking me. I'm only in my twenties, my whole life ahead of me. What happens to me if I donate a lung?" "That's not what Mom meant…" Mom's voice grew weaker. A woman's voice cut in sharply, "Mom, Leo and I are getting married soon! On our happy occasion, why are you bringing up such depressing stuff?" From the sound of it, it must be Leo's fiancée. "Good that you didn't mean it! Don't you dare think about using my wedding money to treat that stepsister of his. I promised my wife-to-be a huge, grand wedding, you hear me?" "I hear you." I snorted. What wedding money? It was just Mom's retirement savings. Looking back at Mom, bowing her head subserviently, a strange sense of satisfaction washed over me. So, she could be pushed around too. I thought she was always the domineering and forceful type, at least when she dealt with me. I really was Leo's "cheap" stepsister. When I was ten, my biological father passed away from illness. Mom remarried, bringing me along. Leo was my stepfather's son. My stepfather ignored me, but Leo was always hostile, even though I couldn't take anything that was rightfully his. He still saw me as an enemy. As if my very existence was some shameful secret. He hung up abruptly. Mom stared at the black screen, lost in thought, silent for a long time. 3 The doorbell rang. Mom hurried eagerly to open it. It was my step-uncle. Oh, right. My stepfather's older brother, Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill barged in, kicked off his leather shoes right inside the door, slipped on some house slippers, and shuffled swaggeringly into the living room. He plopped down right next to where I was floating. As soon as he sat, he muttered something about feeling a weird chill. I reached out a finger and lightly brushed the back of his neck. He shuddered involuntarily. He got a little scared and switched places with Mom. I giggled silently. Even my typically rude and boorish uncle could be so easily spooked. Mom went to the kitchen to cut fruit. Uncle Bill stuffed his face, only speaking after he finished a large chunk. "Alright, I won't beat around the bush. I hear Ellie's about to kick the bucket, right?" Mom's face changed, turning stony. "Thanks for your concern." Uncle Bill didn't catch the sarcasm and continued, "Listen, there’s this family back in my hometown, they’re looking for a match… thought I’d mention it for Ellie." "That's very kind of you, but Ellie isn't even divorced yet," Mom said, her expression softening slightly. "No, you misunderstand. It’s a posthumous marriage." Having said that, Uncle Bill swallowed a huge piece of cantaloupe. Mom's hand paused mid-cut. She stammered, "A… posthumous… marriage?" (Translator's note: Rewriting the culturally specific 'ghost marriage' slightly to 'posthumous marriage' for clarity, while keeping the morbid intent.) "Yeah! Ay, you women wouldn't understand." Uncle Bill waved his hand dismissively and took another big bite of melon. "These arrangements are quite common now, don't be so old-fashioned." "Isn't Ellie's husband talking about divorce? Once Ellie's gone, she'll be all alone, so lonely. Wouldn't it be great to find her a ghost husband? Maybe they'll hit it off in the afterlife, hahaha." "I'm basically Ellie's uncle, right? I'm just thinking of her best interests, hahaha." Uncle Bill laughed heartily while Mom's face grew paler and paler. After a moment, Mom forced out one word through gritted teeth, "No." Uncle Bill's expression shifted instantly, his tone becoming aggressive. "I'm being nice to you because you're my brother's wife. Don't push it." "Fine, fine, it's about the money, isn't it? The money from the arrangement, we split it fifty-fifty. That work?" Mom still only had one word. "No." Uncle Bill lost his patience. He started ranting about how Mom brought me, a "burden," into their family, how I wasn't just bad luck for my own dad but cursed his brother too. And now, all he was asking was for the "burden" daughter to help the family earn a little cash, because his own son needed money to grease some wheels for a spot at a big company. "You just want to use Ellie to get bribe money for your son's job?" Mom looked genuinely shocked. I kicked my spectral feet up, lounging mid-air. Seen it all before. Ever since I was little, Mom constantly told me to give way to Uncle Bill's son so she could maintain her standing in my stepfather's family. It didn't matter if he pulled my hair during fights or threw my only doll into the dumpster. Mom always told me to forgive him, otherwise, it would damage her position with her in-laws. To secure her footing, she just needed to sacrifice me. What a bargain. She was smart enough to figure that out. So I didn't understand why she was saying no now. After chewing Mom out, Uncle Bill grabbed a bag of fruit on his way out. I floated after him and smacked the back of his head. He flinched, startled, and cursed loudly. I almost wished I'd touched his neck a few more times. At least give him nightmares for a while. 4 Uncle Bill left, and then my maternal uncle arrived. Uncle Joe. Uncle Joe walked right in wearing his street shoes and sat on the sofa. I floated over and touched the back of his neck. He shivered violently and demanded Mom open all the curtains, windows, and turn on all the lights. Even after the room was brightly lit, he still looked around suspiciously. Mom always trusted her side of the family. She took the best grapes out of the fridge – those fancy green ones – washed them, and served them to Uncle Joe. He didn't hold back, stuffing his mouth full, mumbling something unintelligibly. Mom smiled gently, telling him to finish eating before talking. "Hey, Sis, is Ellie… pretty much done for?" Uncle Joe asked after swallowing a huge mouthful of grapes. Mom froze, then nodded slowly, a strange, unreadable emotion in her eyes. "Ellie, she…" Mom's lips moved, finally forming two words, but Uncle Joe cut her off. "Sis, people die, you can't bring them back. But hey, even after someone's dead, they can still be useful, right?" "My daughter isn't dead yet," Mom whispered, her face instantly turning ghostly pale. Uncle Joe paused, then quickly agreed, "Oh, right, not dead yet. But it's close, isn't it? What I mean is, besides her lungs being shot, other parts of Ellie are still good, right?" His shifty eyes stared at Mom, full of calculation. Mom pressed her lips together tightly, saying nothing. Uncle Joe dropped the pretense, leaning back into the sofa like he owned the place. "Sis, you know my daughter found a good job, right? But now, she needs a good husband." "And what do you need to find a good husband? A polished appearance! Designer bags, fancy clothes… my precious girl just needs a little cash to spruce herself up." "Look at Ellie, always looking drab. That's why she ended up with a broke husband, just gets laughed at." He leaned closer to Mom. "My daughter is your niece. You don't want her to be laughed at like Ellie, do you?" "We don't have much money, so we were thinking… after Ellie passes, maybe donate her corneas. We'd, you know, receive a little something for our trouble." Uncle Joe slapped his thigh, as if making a great sacrifice. "After all, I found the buyer. Ellie just provides the corneas. I'll make the call – how about we split it seventy-thirty? I get seventy, you get thirty." He looked at Mom expectantly. I remembered when I was little, whenever Mom bought something nice, she'd take it to Uncle Joe's house first. My cousin Jessica had a nasty mouth and loved joining others in insulting me. "You're such an embarrassment, following your aunt like a piece of baggage! Why don't you just die?" One time I couldn't take it anymore. I gathered all my strength and spat right in Jessica's face. She burst into tears. Mom saw it, rushed over, and slapped me hard. "Why are you so naughty? Always bullying your cousin!" "She started it, she called me names!" "Shut up." Mom always tried to make me understand her. "You need to get along with Jessica. Mom needs help from her family relatives later on. Uncle Joe will help you too." "If you make Uncle Joe angry, Mom will only have you left. What will we do then? No one will help us." I really wanted to tell her, even if she got down on her knees and acted like Uncle Joe's dog, if our family ever faced real trouble, Uncle Joe's family wouldn't lift a finger. Mom stared at Uncle Joe, her face white as a sheet. She only managed to say, "How could you do something like this?" Uncle Joe waved his hand dismissively. "Sis, you're old enough to know better. When you're dead, you're dead. It all turns to ash anyway, who cares about a few organs?" Before leaving, Uncle Joe added a pointed reminder, "Ellie probably doesn't have many days left. You need to decide quickly. Corneas need to be… fresh." I plucked a stray hair and tucked it inside Uncle Joe's shirt collar. He started itching all over but couldn't find the source, scratching himself like a monkey as he walked away.
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