No one wanted to be ignored, rejected or belittled by anyone. There are times where we tend to make white lies to cover up those unfavorable part of our lives instead of being criticised.
This is an inspiring story of a son who lied to his whole class that his father is a CEO of a company and drove Mercedes Benz. Later, he learned a life-changing lesson from his father.
In an elementary school, there was an 11-year-old student named Dan whose father worked as a gas cylinder delivery man. In his class, there was a boy who liked to brag about having the latest gadget and toys named Ben. Ben liked to show off his toys and gadgets by taking them to class. It was a no surprise that Ben could afford to buy all those expensive games and gadgets given that his father was a wealthy businessman.
One day, their class teacher gave them an assignment of which they had to write about their father’s job. Ben who was apparently very proud of his father told the whole class that his father was a CEO in his company and drove a Mercedes Benz.
While everyone in the class seemed to be in awe with Ben’s story, Dan just sat silently on his chair, wondering what to write about his father who worked as a deliveryman delivering gas cylinders to homes
Ben who saw Dan being the only one who was not interested in his story suddenly walked towards him and asked, “Dan, what does your father do for a living?”
Dan who did not notice Ben coming to his table was surprised by Ben’s question. He was anxious on how to reply to his question. Unlike Ben’s father who dressed in a smart suit and had his own chauffeur to drive him to work every morning, his father only had an old motorcycle which he used to deliver gas cylinders from home to home. He had never seen his father wore a suit but t-shirts and his favourite dark blue bermuda pants that was so worn out the pants looked more grey than blue.
Suddenly, Dan became ashamed of his father.
He was the only in the class whose father did not work in an office and wear suit to work
He was just a son of a deliveryman.
To avoid becoming a joke among his classmates, Dan then told Ben, “My father is a CEO as well. He drives the same car exactly like the one your father owns.”
Upon listening to Dan’s reply that his father was a CEO and rich as Ben’s father, some of his classmates doubted Dan so they asked him to ask his father to come to the school on Parents’ Day. Dan who was surprised by his classmates’ request started to worry that they would find out that he lied about being rich if his father came to the school.
He had already asked his father to come to the school on Parents’ Day the day before and his father was very excited about it
That day after school, Dan went straight home and told his father to not come to the school anymore. His father who was confused by Dan’s sudden request asked him why he no longer wanted him to come to the school on that day. Upon hearing Dan’s explanation, his father could not help but laugh at his reason. He just told Dan not to worry and he would still come to the school.
On Parents’ Day, Dan was very nervous that his friends would find out that his father was just a deliveryman and was not a CEO as he told everyone. His heart was beating so fast that he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He could only stare out of the class’s window, hoping that his father would not come.
All of sudden, he saw a man wearing a black suit walking towards his classroom. Even though Dan could not see the man’s face clearly, he noticed on how similar the man’s walk to his father’s. Suddenly, it dawned on him that the man in the smart, expensive suit was his father!
Dan could not believe his eyes when his father walked into his classroom. His father was wearing a formal suit with a shiny watch on his left wrist. His hair was neatly styled in a combed back hairstyle, his face was clean-shaven and he was also wearing a pair of leather brogues.
Even though Dan was shocked by his father’s new appearance, he felt a bit relieved. At least for now, his lie was safe. However, by the end of that day, he soon realized that there was no way his father would come to his school driving a Mercedes Benz just like he told his friends. All his father had was an old Kawasaki motorcycle. What would they say if they saw him and his father riding on an old motorcycle to go back home?
At that moment, he knew that his friends would know that he lied to them.
Later when Dan and his father walked to the car park, Dan was ready to become a laughing stock by his classmates.
He walked slowly behind his father who walked confidently towards a Mercedes Benz
Surprisingly, his father did drive a Mercedes Benz to his school! Dan was speechless when his father casually told him to get in the car as if the car was his but he was too surprised to say anything as his father drove out of the school’s area to a place he was not familiar with. There, his father’s boss had already waited for them.
“How was it, Marc? Everything was great?” the boss asked Dan’s father as soon as they got out of the car. “Yes, everything was great! I could not thank you enough for lending me your car, ” his father replied.
The boss just smiled at his father’s reply. He then approached Dan and said, “So, this is your son, Dan? I have heard a lot about you. Why don’t you take one of those small gas cylinders and bring it to me?”
So, Dan did what he was told and tried to lift the gas cylinder but to no avail. The cylinder was too heavy for him! How did his father lift each of this gas cylinder every day?
Looking at Dan struggling to lift the gas cylinder, the boss then said, “Now do you realise how hard you father has been working every day? He could easily lift the gas cylinder in your hands with just one hand!”
At that moment, Dan realised how ungrateful he was. His father has been working very hard so that he could go to school. Sometimes, his father would bought him his favourite food and the toy that he had been eyeing for a while, all thanks to his hard work. There was even one time his father searched for a limited edition toy for weeks just to please him when he was in kindergarten.
He knew that his father was not very strong. There were days when his father complained about his backache but he put that all behind just to make sure that his family was well-fed and his son could go to school with a new uniform. Dan had never felt more proud of his father ever since and he never lies about his family status anymore.
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