All of them were there, his drunkard father, who would beat the crap out of him whenever angry or out of pleasure, his mother, who would always call him a loser, and other relatives who would love him only after he'd run away and made a fortune that now had to be divided. Theoretically, he wasn't dead. He just had to be disconnected, for, in reality, he wouldn't stand a chance. They pushed the button and cut off the life-support. When the long beep was heard, he opened his eyes, jolted up, and said, looking around: God, can't I get rid of you even here?
(Translated by Alexandr Cotar / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year II / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficţiuni Reale.