Subject:  SJ: Your Father's Olds-Church? |
Author:
Eugene
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Date Posted: 18:46:23 02/06/03 Thu
Sometimes, even in a place like the church, the older generation are just so puzzled, "We have given everything the young people would possibly want, but why do they never show any responsibility towards all that we have given them -- as if they don't have any ownership at all." Well, here's a very Asian story, sort of....
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Timmy (yes, that is his legal given name -- not Timothy, just Timmy) had just passed his driving test, and he was so looking forward to having his own car. He's a very reasonable young man and he didn't expect fancy sportscar from his father -- after all, it wouldn't be his own money used to purchase the car. Timmy just wanted something cool and compact -- a CRX would be great, even a little used. It would have been a perfect car when he went off to college -- cool, cheap and practical.
But when Timmy sat down to talk with his father about the purchase of a car, things did not go as he expected. Dad carried with him all the information about a Volvo, and a SUV at that! "This will be a perfect car for you!" Dad can hardly hide his excitement.
"But Dad...," Timmy protested, "It's a family car."
"Yes, perfect for a family of five, and really safe, too."
"It's huge!"
"I know...," Dad's eyes lit up, as if he could already see the Volvo in front of him, "Lots of room for fishing gears and golf bags."
"Um...," Timmy is a little confused, "But I don't fish or golf. Besides, I'll be lucky if I can get 18 miles out of a gallon."
"Yeah, horsepower for off-road fun."
"Dad, I am going to college in Berkeley."
"Okay, we have decided. This is going to be your car."
"Dad!" Timmy couldn't help raising his voice.
"Timmy-a!" came the voice of grandpa, "Don't talk you father loud! What you two talk about anyway?"
Dad was still on an emotional high, "We have decided on which car Timmy is going to drive to college!"
"But Dad!"
"Car?" grandpa said with disapproval, "Why buy car? You spoil him. When I his age, I take bus to school everyday. I take bus every place. I still take bus Chinatown!"
"Dad," Timmy's dad seemed to have picked up grandpa's style of English, "Time not same now. Everybody need driving!"
"You spoil him," grandpa went away shaking his head.
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The time between the day the Volvo got home and the day Timmy went off to college was the most miserable time in Timmy's life. Everyday he was to go through countless drills required by his dad: How to wash the Volvo in the most correct way; how to drive it properly; how to take care of it perfectly.... And everyday when dad got off work, the first thing he said had always been, "Want to take a drive?" And it did not really matter if Timmy really wanted to go out or not. "You should drive it and take care of it. It's your car. How come I am spending more time taking care of it?"
Timmy thought to himself, "Yeah, how come?" But he could not object. Dad was just so happy when he was in the Volvo, especially when he took over the steering wheel to "demonstrate the proper driving of the car."
Finally, the torture was over -- college days.
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"What the...?" Dad was shocked as he looked at the Volvo. On the whole the car still looked fine, but dad found all kinds of little scratches and dents both in and outside of the car. It had obviously not been wiped down everyday, either.
"Well," Timmy said nonchalantly, "I have the biggest car in the apartment buiiding, so I've been helping my friends moving stuff."
"You.... I bought you a perfect car and now look at it. How come you don't appreciate anything? How come you don't take care of your car? You have no responsible heart! I am taking your car back!"
"It's never my car anyway." Timmy said while walking away and thinking about that used little Honda he bought with money he made moving and delivering for friends and a few stores.
"Why would things turn out like this!" dad said painfully as he caress the Volvo, "Poor car!"
Grandpa walked by and glared at Timmy's dad, "I told you ago. No car for Timmy!"
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