Ask Me

A Young Child ran across the street to ask a grizzled old man a question. 

"Sir, why do you look like that? " 

The old man responded, "I made mistakes during my life and the consequences of my mistakes make me look this way. " 

A Young Child stood in front of busy food vendor on the street to ask her a question. 

"Sir, you are feeding people all day. Is it a good thing to feed people? " 

The vendor replied, "People need to eat. I guess that is why people pay me. We help each other." 

A Young Child sat in his classroom as the teacher asked everyone a question. 

"Class, who knows why it is important to Listen to your parents? " 

The Young Child raised his hand and then answered, 

"Because they tell me to never trust anyone except them. I get hurt when I make mistakes and sometimes it means I cannot eat. " 

As the child grew older he asked more and more questions. Every Street corner and every storekeeper knew his face even on days when his face would be swollen to the point one could not clearly see his eyes. One those days one could still see his mouth-- a curious smile as always. 

One day he saw family walking together on the sidewalk. He perceived that his own family was different and that maybe he should ask his parents more questions. 

When he asked his Father if he loved him the reply was "yes." 

When he asked his mother if she carried him as a baby the reply was "yes." 

When the child finally went to college he didn't get along well with others and preferred to be alone. He got excellent grades in his courses and earned the admiration of his fellow peers. They appreciated his intelligence but were disturbed by his blank expressions. He never really seemed to look at a person, but rather he would look passed them. It was as if he was doomed to stare into space when confronted by a warm gesture or acknowledgment. 

When the day came to walk down the college  aisle he received his diploma and walked back down rather than join the other graduates of his class on stage. 

As the audience roard and cheered for the Young Adults entering the world, the boy, now a young man stood outside under the moonlight. 

Nearby was an ice cream peddler who bent down to hand a small child an ice cream cone. 

The young man removed his graduation cap and approached the child and the peddler, kneeling down to ask the child a question. 

"Little boy. Do your parents treat you well? " 

The child replied with a nod, "They tell me what to do and what not to do. " 

The young man asked him another question. 

"Do your parents love you? What happens when you make mistakes and what happens if you tell them you are hungry? " 

The child tilted his head and answered, "When I make mistakes I get punished. If I am hungry I wait until it is time to eat. I love them. " 

The young man was distraught as he asked the child one last question. 

"If your parents loved you wouldn't they be walking with you on the sidewalk? At the park? Wouldn't they?? " 

The child pointed over his own shoulder at the peddler and smiled, "Dad's my Dad and my Mom.. but he always got to go work so I sometimes get to walk with him at parks and sidewalks!  I help him and if I'm good I get ice cream too~"