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 !
