Rant & Raves

Many years ago, there was this man who had to raise the only son alone because his wife was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Raising a child is not an easy task, and he tried his best to provide the best he could because he felt that failing to provide a mother to the son, he has to work hard to provide him attention and also material.

The son was only 12 years old, and he was a very smart kid. He did well in school and prior to the death of his mother, he was a sweet and tender kid. Unfortunately, the accident took part of his life away from him at such a tender age and he was feeling that the world is unfair, at least to him.

At school, he started comparing himself to other kids. He looked at his friends that they got their mothers to pick them up in a luxury car after school time, and he had to take a school bus to get home since daddy was still working. Yet, he failed to see other kids in the school bus with him. He was eyeing a small number of friends for comparison.

One day, when the father went home, the son asked, “Daddy, can you please pick me up in a car tomorrow after school?” “Dear, I got to work extra shift so I can’t, and I don’t have a car. I ride a motorbike, remember?” the daddy replied.

Knowing the frustration of his son, the father went to a stationary shop to look for a pen the very next day. He finally found one that he could afford, and by that it means he has to skip lunch for few days because his pay was advanced earlier on when he was buying a badminton racket for the son since he wanted to play the game with his friends. He went home that night and left the pen, wrapped in a nice red ribbon, on the pillow next to the sleeping child. The father was clearly hoping that the son would be delighted when he saw the gift.

The son woke up in the morning to get ready for school, and he saw the lovely gift. Jumping up and down, he ran to his father’s room and kissed the sleeping daddy. He was delighted, and he put the pen into his shirt pocket carefully, and taking the pen out every few minutes to make sure that the pen was still in his shirt pocket. It was his precious little gift from daddy.

When he reached the school, a few friends joined up for small talk before class begun. The one of the kids saw the new pen and took it out. Everyone was looking at the pen, and one of the bigger kid whose mom was driving a luxury sports car, exclaimed, “Hey! Look! A new pen! But this kind of pen is cheap. Look at mine!” and by that, the big kid threw the pen back to the our yound kid and took out his Mont Blanc to show off to his friends.

The kid went home, and he was really sad and he felt ashame of the event. He then put the pen into the drawer and vowed not to use it again in his life time since his friends would laugh at him. The father, not knowing what went wrong, asked the son how was the pen, and the kid said, “Its ok daddy, but I saw something better that Jamie (the rich big kid) was using.” The daddy, consumed in his own thoughts about work, said, “Ah great! I am glad you like it!” and by that, he went off to do some work in the store room.

A few months down the road, and it was the kid’s birthday. Being a good daddy, he asked the son what he wanted for birthday, and the son said, “I want a leather shoe! I saw Jamie wearing a leather shoe the other day and it was really smart and handsome!”

“Okay, son, no problem,” smiled the father.

The next day, the father bought a pair of leather shoes. He made sure the shoe was in excellent condition and the size is right. Of course, the shoe had to be within the price range because the father was working as a low-paid gardener for a rich family. He again wrapped the shoebox in fancy ribbons and put the shoes on his motorbike carefully because it was THE present for his son.

On the way home, a broad smile on his face and taking half day off from work to celebrate his son’s birthday, he was simply blimming with delight and he was glad that he remembered the birthday cake. He did not see the incoming truck at the corner and he was full in thoughts on how to give a surprise to the beloved son.

The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital, taking shallow breathe and still being drowsy from the operation. He looked around and saw the son, with swollen eyes and runny nose, reading a comic. He called out softly, “Son… hey… how .. are you?”

“Daddy! Are you ok? I was so scared daddy,” the son said in between heavy sob.

“I am ok. Do you see a box around? That’s your birthday present,” the father said, with much effort.

The son’s eyes glistered with joy, and looked around. Finally, he saw the box under the bed and he opened it. In it, he saw the leather shoes, soaked in mud and some blood, and not as fancy as Jamie’s shoes. He was disappointed that daddy didn’t buy him the fancy leather shoes, and instead, he bought the economic leather shoes.

“But daddy, I wanted a real leather shoes with fancy work on it,” the boy said, clearly disappointed.

The father felt a pinch on his chest. It wasn’t the accident, but it was the pain he felt in his heart upon hearing the words from his son. He looked around, and a drop of tear sprung out from the corner of his eye, and he lifted his injured hand.

He pointed to the bed on the other end of the room. The kid turned, and saw another kid, about 10 years old, looking outside the window, deeply in thoughts. The son looked carefully and saw that the kid has no leg. He later found out from doctor that the kid has lost his legs in an accident.

Posted as story.