Mrs. Thompson tapped her chalk against the blackboard, waiting for her sixth-grade class to solve the inheritance problem. “A millionaire leaves $10 million,” she explained. “One-fifth to his wife, one-fifth to his son, one-sixth to his butler – the rest to charity. What does each receive?”
The classroom fell silent as calculators clicked and pencils scratched. After five minutes with no volunteers, Mrs. Thompson was about to reveal the answer when Tommy’s hand shot up.
“Yes, Tommy?” she prompted.
The freckle-faced boy stood up confidently. “They all get a lawyer, Miss.”
The class erupted in laughter as Mrs. Thompson tried to maintain her composure. “Well,” she admitted, wiping a tear from her eye, “that might be the most accurate answer I’ve ever heard to this problem.”
