(Entry#2, Narrative easay) Big Trouble

My family lived at Ho Chi Minh City, but my dad worked at Hai Phong, so it was quite often for me to see my dad. Because my dad didn’t stay at home much, so every time he came home, I and my sister had to be ready for everything he would ask us about. Dad was quiet strict, so everybody in my family were really afraid of talking with him. When I was little till I grew, dad had never hit me before, not for once. But when I was 9, it happened…

“Hurray!”

That was what I yelled when I saw my dad came home. Dad often came home once a month, but this time, I thought because he was too busy for work, so it took him 2 months on a row to come home. We missed our dad, a lot. Actually, when ever our dad came home, he brought a gift or something delicious for us to eat. But he didn’t this time. I drove people on the wall when I didn’t see my dad give me anything. “Maybe he did, but he hid me” I suggested myself. By the way, this time, my “Godmother” and my “Godfather” came along with my dad, so I received presents from them already.

As what I said above, my dad was very strict, so we (Jenny and me) had to prepare for dad questions. Usually, dad would ask us about how we study, what we did when dad wasn’t here, did we make good attitudes toward family…plenty of them! But this time, he even didn’t ask us once. He looked tired than ever he was. He was dizzy and my mom said he got an airplane sick. That was weird, ‘cause once a month; he took a fly from Hai Phong to Ho chi Minh, and vice versa. How and why did he get sick?

My dad went to his room to take a short nap before lunch (he came back in early morning). I played my toys in his room. He took out his shirt and put on his pajamas. Then he took out his watch and left on the shelf, near to my toy box. I looked at him, and then looked his watch. Suddenly, a bad idea came out of my head: “What if I hide his watch, he would be crazy to find it and that gonna be fun.” Well since I was five years old till this time, my habit was to hide people stuff. I like to hide their property, and then they had to be crazy to find it. Because I was just a little girl, acted innocent a little bit, and they won’t recognized me- who was the kid hide their stuff. But I didn’t hide those stuffs forever, of course! So a couple weeks later, I put it back to where it was, and their owner would be very surprise. It was very fun for me to do that. Back to our main idea. When I saw my dad’s watch, an idea flashed in my mind. I waited until dad fall as sleep, then I went stealthy to the shelf, and I took the watch away from it. But unfortunately for me that, mom suddenly entered the room and I just noticed it when she touched the door handle. I was so frightened, so I put my dad watch in to the CD cabinet, right underneath the shelf. Then I sat down immediately, before the door opened. My mom came in and said it was lunch time. I went down to the kitchen to set the table for our guests. I heard some noise on the second floor (my dad room). I knew that dad and mom looked for the watch. I smiled and thought what if they couldn’t find it.

But I was wrong of hiding the watch in the CD cabinet. My mom accidently opened it and found it. Because our house had guests, so we didn’t look for the hider. Well lucky me, but I still felt something wrong about it. At lunch times, dad talked with our guest so happily, but seemed he was angry about the watch. I felt scared and a bit guilty. After lunch, my mom asked me and Jenny to come over her room. Dad wasn’t there. He took our guests out to visit the city. Mom sat down very quietly, and we stood in front of her. No one said anything. Mom stared at us a while and asked: “Who hid dad’s watch?” We looked each other and no one said anything. The atmosphere became quiet. Our sweat dropped down to the floor, drop by drop. My legs trembled, but I had to restraint it. Both of us didn’t say anything. Mom lost her patience, started to yell at us. After a while, still, we didn’t say anything. Mom was too angry; she grabbed the broom, and then hit us. I felt so guilty when I did it but both of us had to receive the punishment. I wanted to tell mom, but I didn’t have enough courage to tell her. A short moment after that, she stopped. Jenny cried a lot, but I didn’t. Mom kicked us painfully, but I was the last child, plus I was very stubborn, so no matter what, I didn’t tell mom or cry because of that. When dad came home, mom told dad that none of us admit their mistake. That afternoon, my dad called me to come over. I wondered why, but a scary felling popped up in my mind. He seriously asked me to sit down, and with a heavy but kind voice, he said:

- Susan, (according to what I remembered) why didn’t you admit you mistake? I knew you were the person who hid my watch.

I was so suspired and anxiety when dad said that. But because I was stubborn, so I lied:

- No I didn’t. I didn’t take your watch and hid it. How can you be sure it was me?

Dad sighed, and he was quite for a while. I thought dad was trying to find the evidence to catch me, but he couldn’t. After a while of thinking, he said:

- I gave you a chance to telling the true, but you didn’t tell me the truth. When you hid my watch, I saw it. I closed my eyes, but I didn’t sleep, I peeked when I heard noise. Susan, you are in big trouble. I hate my children lie to me. I have never punished you before, and seemed because of my gentle so you think you can go further from what I expected you to be, in a negative way…

My face turned red, I felt like hot tempered. I didn’t know if because the room was too cold so I chilled or because I was too afraid so my body started to shake.

Dad stared at me, said:

- Cat got your tongue?

Then he took out a heavy, huge stick behind his back and hit on my hand. He didn’t hit me too hurt, but my tears kept running out of my eyes. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t. I felt so humiliated in front of my dad. I shouldn’t do that. I peeked at dad face. The angriness, blended with the sullen, kept appeared on his wrinkle- disappointed face. After five times of hitting me, he gentle said:

- That’s enough for you. Now back to your room and don’t forget the lesson I taught you.

I encouraged myself:

- I am sorry Dad!

Then I walked out of the room, closed the door slightly, and gave him some quiet time to calm down.

After this experience, I got a determination, to get rid of my habit of hiding people personal stuff and also with my stubborn characteristic. I promised with myself that I would never make this mistake, again. I learnt a precious lesson that lying to people is bad, and we just use it whenever it’s necessary. Thank you, dad, I had a chance to able to study these things that I said from above. “Dad, you are the kindness to me”.