The lawyer announced that the uncle’s children would receive forty thousand dollars, divided equally. Then he revealed that the narrator would receive only an old coat. The family laughed, treating it as one final joke from the difficult man they had known all their lives. Embarrassed, the narrator accepted the coat and took it home.
For two days, the coat remained untouched. The narrator even considered throwing it away, but curiosity eventually made him search the pockets. Inside, he discovered a sealed envelope bearing his name in his uncle’s handwriting. His hands shook as he opened it and found a letter along with a small key.
