This story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favour to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "We'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know" the son continued, " he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
" I'm sorry to hear that, son. May be we can help him find somewhere to live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "You don't know what you're asking. Some one with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror , they also discovered something they didn't know..... their son had only one arm and one leg !
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favour to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me."
"Sure," they replied, "We'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know" the son continued, " he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
" I'm sorry to hear that, son. May be we can help him find somewhere to live."
"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "You don't know what you're asking. Some one with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror , they also discovered something they didn't know..... their son had only one arm and one leg !
So sad...I could cry reading this story.
ReplyDeletestories which touches our heart sometimes makes us cry...I'll take it as complement :)
ReplyDeleteHello there jyotsna! I've passed on an award to you. Do visit my blog to receive it! :)
ReplyDeleteHello LiLing, thank you so much for the award !
ReplyDeleteWill visit your blog soon ! :)
Hey just landed on urs blog through bloggers.
ReplyDeletestories are really well told here.
Visit me here
You know, something, my dear sis.. For the first time, I did not cry, not because I felt nothing but because my tears had dried from breaking down ever since my fall..
ReplyDeleteI was feeling exactly as to how this soldier was feeling and yes, when the doc said I could and might never be able to walk for long just as before, I thought I was nothing but a burden.. Tried hard, I did, to stay positive, I could not deny I was feeling the same way as this soldier did.. I tried so hard to be 'normal', to be as though I had recovered but I am really breaking down inside me... Anyway, I am still hanging on.. Yeah, who knows, I might be able to be as how I was before.. Oh yes, I wrote a little update about my fall and injury on Tingtasy.. It is in a diary form.. Do drop by if you are free and my dear, thanks for being here and everything else.. *HUG*
I'm really feeling bad for your injury..and I know, you are feeling low b'coz of the pain n helplessness...but I know you'll rise up and will be back with a bang ! You're a Super girl, you know? :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Vijay, thanks for dropping by :)
ReplyDeletenice to know that you liked stories..
keep visiting ! :)
surely will check your blog soon ! :)
This story is so heartbreaking. The son only wanted to see where his parent's minds were at and then felt like he would be a burden on them. I will surely think twice when my kids come to me and make sure it's not really themselves they are talking about. So sad but such a deep meaning. Great story Jyotsna.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me very happy when I try to convey something out of such stories and people take that exactly what I've conveyed, the I feel like I've won the battle..or an award ! This is what I want to feel..
ReplyDeletethank you karen ! you're always very special to me ! :)
Interesting Story
ReplyDelete