Essay/Term paper: Problems with a happy ending

Essay, term paper, research paper:  World Literature

Problems With A Happy Ending


I looked at my father and he looked at me. "Why did you do it?" he asked. I
burst out in anger, "Why can't I do it?" Red with rage, he slapped me hard. I
touched my burning cheek, staring hard at him, whose face was turned away from
mine.

Then I noticed my mother sobbing beside him. I softened as my feelings
overpowered me. I had never been slapped before. My parents had never tried to
understand me and neglected me, like I was a child they had never wanted. They
paid attention to me only when I asked for something and I got almost everything,
except their love. They were always busy with work and I often reasoned with
myself that they were doing this for a good life for me. It was hard to believe
that.

I let out a sob of frustration, tears of sadness running down my cheeks.
Being the richest among my friends, I showered them with gifts, a small price to
pay for their constant companionship. However, they were troublemakers who tried
to involve me with their misdeeds. I always managed to escape, being the
innocent one, until now. They had convinced me to take my first cigarette and
policemen nearby caught us. I could not escape because of the cigarette's strong
smell. It was a small offence to my friends, a big one to my parents and an eye
opener for me.

My father was raged, my mother was crying, and I saw that they actually
cared about my doings. They were concerned for me after all. With a hint of
tears in his eyes, my father turned to my weeping figure and asked once again,
in a warm voice, "Why did you do it?" As I began to reveal my feelings, my
mother hugged me and healed where it hurt the most. I guess I did it to get
their assurance of love for me.