AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gave the tube to a woman with glasses, then waited while she examined his blood.
She returned a short time later and handed him a new slip of paper. On it was written:
812
O negative
Royal blood!
10
One in a Million
“You’ll have to take another blood test,” said the woman with glasses. “You’ll need to give a lot more blood this time.”
“Why didn’t they just take more blood the first time?” asked Marvin.
“It’s a lot easier this way,” the woman explained. “We see about a thousand kids a day. Fewer than fifty are O negative. So this way we only have to do about fifty HLA tests instead of a thousand.”
She told Marvin to go back to the front desk and get a new number. A yellow number, this time.
He walked back out to the main room. It was still full of red-haired boys. They’re all exactly like you, Marvin! Linzy had said.
Now, more than ever, he knew that wasn’t true. The proof was in his hand.
He got on line to get a new number from Jennifer. A yellow number.
“Eight thirty-nine,” called the man in the white coat.
The nasty woman was leaving with her son.
“Can’t you ever do anything right!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” said Arnold. “I told you I wasn’t a prince.”
“Shut up and get in the elevator,” said the nasty woman.
Marvin thought about Mrs. Redpost. He was glad she wasn’t like that woman.
He remembered the time she tried to teach him to ice-skate. She was worse than he was. They both kept falling down. It was funny. But they both learned to ice-skate—sort of.
Marvin smiled as he remembered. They had hot chocolate afterward.
He thought about Jacob and Linzy. He thought about the house, with the red post in front.
Mr. Redpost painted that post once a year.
He looked at the slip of paper in his hand.
812
O negative
Then he suddenly remembered something. The King of Shampoon spoke with a weird accent! Marvin didn’t talk like that. So that meant he couldn’t be Prince Robert!
“Marvin, you’re back!” said Jennifer. “So are you O negative?” she asked eagerly.
“Uh—” said Marvin. He stuffed the slip of paper into his pocket. “No,” he said. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”
