A Slice of Life - The Four Wives

STORIES - The Four Wives Once upon a time, there was a king who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and treated her to the finest things in life. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighbouring kingdoms. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidante and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the 1st wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the King fell ill and he knew his remaining time was short. He asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most and endowed you with the best. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" He then asked the 2nd wife, "You've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." Then a voice called out: "I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, she was suffering from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!" We all have four wives in our lives - our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish on it, it'll leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul, often neglected in our pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the flesh. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. So cultivate, strengthen and cherish your soul. It's our only eternal companion. STORY BY UNKNOWN AUTHOR A Slice of Life is written, produced and presented by Eugene Loh unless otherwise stated. If you wish to share the scripts with others, please credit it to 'Eugene Loh, A Slice of Life, 938LIVE, a station of MediaCorp Radio'.