"Shut your mouth, you worthless tramp." She grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced my eyes back to the screen.
"Here's something you didn't know. Just yesterday, I used the money you earned to buy that nursing home."
"Your grandmother's life is in my hands now. The second I say pull the plug, they pull it."
On the screen, the hand actually switched off the ventilator.
My grandmother's body seized violently, convulsing on the bed. The heart monitor shrieked with alarms.
"No! Please, no!" Tears poured down my face. Every wall inside me shattered at once.
"I'm begging you, leave her alone! I'll sign! Whatever you want me to sign, I'll sign it!"
Tamara smiled, satisfied, and spoke into the phone. "Stand down for now."
She casually picked up a cup of dirty water that had been used to wipe down tables and poured it onto the carpet in front of me.
"You want your grandmother to live? Sure."
"In a civilized society, it's survival of the fittest. The world doesn't need superstitious old deadweight like her."
Tamara pointed at the puddle of filthy water on the floor. "But lucky for you, I'm a generous person."