The Great Surprise (Short Story)
There once was a Father and Son who lived in a small, run down home together in the countryside. The Father, a poor servant, did most of his work in a small garage behind their humble home. When his Son was little, the Father began a long labor of love. With happy memories of his own father having done the same for him, he began designing and building a customized car with which he planned to surprise his son on his 16th birthday. Day after day and year after year, the Father poured love into every minute detail of the project. The thought of his Son’s delight made every sore muscle and every sacrifice a joy.
While the Son was growing up, he didn’t feel like his Father was loving him. Birthday after birthday, the Son would ask for expensive gifts seeing that all his friends were getting them from their own fathers, but he never received what he wanted. The Son became bitter and jealous and thought it wasn’t fair. The only words the Father could say to his Son were, “I’m sorry you feel this way. I love you. Please be patient with me.” The years of the boy’s youth went by and he was developing into a man. The Son knowing his 16th birthday was around the corner asked his Father for a car. The Father told the Son he didn’t have the money for it. One day the Son was so frustrated at his Father for not supplying a wealthy home and expensive gifts, that the Son yelled at his Father, “You aren’t a true Father! You promised me a good life and you lied!” The Son desired gifts, but didn’t see any. A couple months before his 16th birthday, the Son was so furious that he went out late at night and stole a luxurious car. He blasted the music and rolled the windows down and he felt alive and free. He wasn’t focused on the road and the car swerved off and ran into a tree. He was rushed to the hospital with two broken legs. When the Father arrived his heart broke, and He wept. The Father sat in silence at his bedside, and rested with his Son.
The next couple of months went by and it was the night before the Son’s 16th birthday. That night, the Father made some final touches on the car and finished his big project. The Father walked back into the house, and had a heart attack. The Son picked the Father up and laid him on his bed for him to rest. The Father was not in good condition and was out of breath. The Son was afraid his Father may die and he began to reflect on how he had been acting for the past couple years. The Son looked deep into his Father’s eyes and said, “Father, I don’t want anything for my birthday. I only want you to get well. I’m sorry for the mistakes I have made and for stealing that car. I don’t want a car for my birthday. You were the great gift that was always in front of me, but I was blind and could not see. I don’t want you to die. Father, I am afraid.” The Father replied, “You know I will always be with you. If I pass now I will be with you for your entire life until you see me again.” The Father then whispered gently into his Son’s ear, “Go to the garage out back and look what is inside. Happy 16th Birthday, my dear Son.”
The Son listened to him and when he opened the garage door, his eyes lit up. The Son was so happy at the sight of the glowing car. He saw on a table papers that showed the Father’s plan for years. There was a journal that the Son opened, and it detailed every task the Father worked on every morning. At the end of each journal entry, the Father wrote, “Thank you for my Son.” The Son rushed back to his Father in tears and knelt down embracing him at his bedside saying he was sorry for ever complaining and for his selfishness. The Father touched his face and said, “Son, don’t live a life for yourself, but give yourself as a gift to others and you will be satisfied. The greatest gifts are the people in front of you. Don’t wait until the end of your life to love, but begin now. Love others not for what they do, but for who they are, just as I have loved you. Son, thank you for being you.” The Son was overwhelmed. A few moments later, the Father passed away.
Three days after the Father’s passing, the Son got in his new car, and on the dashboard of the car there was a picture. The Son reached for it and saw that it was an image of him and his Father when he was a young boy. The Son looked at the face of his Father in the picture, and with a tear streaming down his cheek, he smiled. He stared at his Father’s face, paused and rested. He felt like he was in Heaven.