Love From The Father

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Posted by: " Lucille Baker " borgor

Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:56 pm (PDT)

 

~~Love from the Father~~

 

There once was an old man who lived in South Korea. After the war,

times were hard and life for him was not easy. His occupation was that

of a metal collector which was considered the lowest job possible at

the time). He would search garbage can after garbage can looking for

scraps of metal which he could sell to the government. He earned a

measly ten dollars and spent five to buy food. He lived in a hut which

he built on the mountain side and was a very lonely person and nobody

cared for him. He lived a sad life for his face was severely scarred

from a fire which killed his family. No one would look at him because

he was so grotesquely scarred and because of this he kept very quiet

and avoided people whenever he could. His main goal in life was to

save enough money to fix his face so he could live a normal life.

 

Meanwhile, there was an orphan who lived in the streets every day.

Both his parents left him when he was only nine. The boy was blind and

suffered from severe malnutrition. Every day the boy begged for food

but the people who passed by would either laugh at him or say evil

things to him. In fact, some even kicked him or threw dirt in his

face. Although he wished so much that he could run away, he could not

because he was blind. Like the old man, the boy lived a sad sad life

and nobody cared about him.

 

One day, as the old man was walking down the street and he was trying

his best to avoid people while looking for scraps of metal, he saw the

broken hearted boy and felt sympathy for him. Out of his kind heart,

he took the boy to his home. There he fed him, clothed him, and

treated him like his own beloved son. The boy was joyful and was so

eternally grateful to this person who treated him like a loving

father. For the first time in his life, the boy felt loved.

 

Years passed and the old man and the boy were very happy together. One

day the boy said to the old man, I am sorry for being so useless. I

wish my eyes would become better so I could help you work. You must be

such a beautiful and wonderful person because you took care of someone

as wretched as me. Maybe one day I could see your wonderful face.

 

The old man immediately became silent being too moved to say anything.

The next day he went to the hospital and asked the doctor privately

how much it would cost for the surgery to heal his face. The doctor

told him around a thousand dollars. He was Deeply saddened because he

had saved up for ten long years and only had a little more than

fifteen hundred. He then asked the doctor how much it would be to heal

the young boys sight. The doctor said fifteen hundred dollars will do.

Without thinking, he knew what he had to do. He would give up his

life-long dream for this boy whom he loved so dearly.

 

The next day, he took the boy to the doctor. He did not want the boy

to see him after the operation because of the scars on his face.

Hesitantly and sadly, he went up to the young boy and said, After you

receive your sight I cant be with you anymore, yet I shall always

think of you. I want you to be happy and live a good life.

 

After these words he paid the doctor and the tired man left knowing he

could never truly reveal himself to the one he loved so dearly. The

surgery was very successful and immediately thereafter the boy could

see again. He was filled with joy and wondered why he could not see

the one he who he owed his life to and sacrificed so much for him.

 

After the boy left the hospital, he started looking for a job and soon

he found one at a restaurant. He became a waiter there and worked full

time earning a good amount.

 

Chance would have it that the next day the old man came looking for

metals to collect. He started searching around the garbage can of the

restaurant. While he was searching, the manager of the restaurant came

out and started yelling at him and commanding him to leave because he

was scaring the customers.

 

The boy soon came to the managers side side and seeing the old man

creating such a commotion threatened him even more than the manager.

The boy called the old man some foul names, kicked him a few times,

and even threw dirt in his face. So quickly had he forgotten that he

was picked on by other people in the same way years ago. SlowlyÂ….very

slowly, the metal collector got up and began limping away aching from

the pain that the boy had inflicted on him. As he was leaving he

looked at the boy and he smiled a warm smile at the boy (although it

was not well received) and left not wanting the boy to see him cry his

happy tears.

 

Later on the day at the restaurant the manager said to the boy, what

an ugly man.

 

The boys reply was, I know, I hope I never see him again.