how much do you make an hour?

"What happens to the wide-eyed observer when the window between reality and unreality breaks and the glass begins to fly?"
--Author Unknown

a very short story from the mail bin...

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.

Son: Daddy, may I ask a question?
Daddy: Yeah sure, what is it?
Son: Dad, how much do you make an hour?
Daddy: That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?
Son: I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do make an hour?
Daddy: I make P1000 an hour.

“Oh”, the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, “Dad, may I please borrow P500?”. The father was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or other nonsense, then march yourself to your room and go to bed. Think why you are so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior.”

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After an hour or so, the man calmed down, and started to think: “Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that P500 and he really doesn’t ask for money very often.” The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

“Are you asleep, son?” He asked. “No Daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy. “I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the P500 you asked for.”

The little boy sat up straight, smiling. “Oh thank you Dad!” He yelled. Then, reaching under the pillow, he pulled some crippled up notes. The man, seeing the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father. “Why do you want money if you already had some!” the father grumbled. “Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied. “Daddy I have P1000 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”

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all together now: *awwwww...*

even a too-close-to-being-a-loser of a man deserves to have someone who's still willing to buy an hour of his time.