too intelligent not to acknowledge that fact. ‘Get a move on, Norman. Find your peace and you’ll be able to leave. Tomorrow you’ll be a free man.’
So, he steeled himself. He was fond of telling anecdotes that masked the real reason behind his choices. But deep down, he knew that what he was looking for went beyond freedom. No man can survive without curiosity and the urge to satisfy it. No one can give that up. It is like a drug, and without it, life is just a blank page that fate can write nothing on. He sucked in the day’s fresh air and tried to relax, but circumstances stymied him. He noticed a figure standing beside a tree at the end of the park, watching him. As he approached, his uncertainty melted away and his mind filled with other, more compelling questions. A few short steps away, Norman recognized the elderly person smiling at him, and he rushed to embrace him.
“Dad? What on earth are you doing here?”
“Hello son, how are you doing?”
“How did you know I’d be coming here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“How come? Do you know the man who brought me here? Do you work for him?”
“I wouldn’t call it a job as such. I spend my time trying to make the world I live in a better place.”
“It’s a hobby with no future, you know that?”
“The future depends on the choices we make now, so it’s up to us. Your comment is only half right.”
“Dad? Will you tell me what I’m doing here?”
“I want you to meet someone. Come with me, he’s expecting you. I’ve told him a lot about you and I think the time has come for him to meet you.”
They had not strolled very far when the old man pointed to a small boy about a hundred yards away, who was playing with a few dry twigs and chasing the sound of the birds that seemed to be speaking to him.
“Norman, that’s your son... his name’s Will.”
Norman started. Disbelief overwhelmed his racing heart, sending waves of adrenalin to his brain to deny the truth of the statement. A shiver ran down his back; the echo of those words thundered in his head and he could hear nothing else. A moment later, he made his way back from the abstract trip he had just made. His father’s voice showed him the way.
“Son! Norman! Are you all right?”
Norman focused on the man he knew so well, who seemed a perfect stranger in that instant. His eyes were filled with anguish and joy. The news was too outlandish to penetrate his son’s eyes and heart.
“Norman, look at me. Norman!”
“Can you say that again, please?”
“Your son, Norman. My grandson. And he’s dying to meet you. I think the time’s right.”
“But how can he be my son? Julia didn’t say anything to me. I’ve lived with her for years, but I never noticed anything strange. Dad, what’s going on? Please, help me to understand!”
Jonathan hugged him tightly, recalling the times it had cheered him as a child, consoling him when he was distraught.
“It’s all right, son. Julia was always afraid. She came to me for protection and comfort. You haven’t been there for her lately. You were so self-absorbed that you wouldn’t have noticed if another person had taken her place.”
“What are you talking about? Julia’s a prostitute!”
“She felt lost. You can’t blame her for the choices she was forced to make and live with. Whatever she did and is still doing is for the good of a child who needs all the love he can get.”
“But why didn’t she tell me? What have I done to deserve all this indifference?”
“If you could only look inside yourself for once in your life, you’d see what you’ve become. You’ve spent your whole life chasing dreams that have deprived you of everything you loved.”
“What do you mean? Which dreams?”
“Not even a blind man could answer that question, because his senses would stop him from making the choices you’ve made. But I’m not here to criticize you. Everyone must answer for his or her actions one day. I can’t
So, he steeled himself. He was fond of telling anecdotes that masked the real reason behind his choices. But deep down, he knew that what he was looking for went beyond freedom. No man can survive without curiosity and the urge to satisfy it. No one can give that up. It is like a drug, and without it, life is just a blank page that fate can write nothing on. He sucked in the day’s fresh air and tried to relax, but circumstances stymied him. He noticed a figure standing beside a tree at the end of the park, watching him. As he approached, his uncertainty melted away and his mind filled with other, more compelling questions. A few short steps away, Norman recognized the elderly person smiling at him, and he rushed to embrace him.
“Dad? What on earth are you doing here?”
“Hello son, how are you doing?”
“How did you know I’d be coming here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“How come? Do you know the man who brought me here? Do you work for him?”
“I wouldn’t call it a job as such. I spend my time trying to make the world I live in a better place.”
“It’s a hobby with no future, you know that?”
“The future depends on the choices we make now, so it’s up to us. Your comment is only half right.”
“Dad? Will you tell me what I’m doing here?”
“I want you to meet someone. Come with me, he’s expecting you. I’ve told him a lot about you and I think the time has come for him to meet you.”
They had not strolled very far when the old man pointed to a small boy about a hundred yards away, who was playing with a few dry twigs and chasing the sound of the birds that seemed to be speaking to him.
“Norman, that’s your son... his name’s Will.”
Norman started. Disbelief overwhelmed his racing heart, sending waves of adrenalin to his brain to deny the truth of the statement. A shiver ran down his back; the echo of those words thundered in his head and he could hear nothing else. A moment later, he made his way back from the abstract trip he had just made. His father’s voice showed him the way.
“Son! Norman! Are you all right?”
Norman focused on the man he knew so well, who seemed a perfect stranger in that instant. His eyes were filled with anguish and joy. The news was too outlandish to penetrate his son’s eyes and heart.
“Norman, look at me. Norman!”
“Can you say that again, please?”
“Your son, Norman. My grandson. And he’s dying to meet you. I think the time’s right.”
“But how can he be my son? Julia didn’t say anything to me. I’ve lived with her for years, but I never noticed anything strange. Dad, what’s going on? Please, help me to understand!”
Jonathan hugged him tightly, recalling the times it had cheered him as a child, consoling him when he was distraught.
“It’s all right, son. Julia was always afraid. She came to me for protection and comfort. You haven’t been there for her lately. You were so self-absorbed that you wouldn’t have noticed if another person had taken her place.”
“What are you talking about? Julia’s a prostitute!”
“She felt lost. You can’t blame her for the choices she was forced to make and live with. Whatever she did and is still doing is for the good of a child who needs all the love he can get.”
“But why didn’t she tell me? What have I done to deserve all this indifference?”
“If you could only look inside yourself for once in your life, you’d see what you’ve become. You’ve spent your whole life chasing dreams that have deprived you of everything you loved.”
“What do you mean? Which dreams?”
“Not even a blind man could answer that question, because his senses would stop him from making the choices you’ve made. But I’m not here to criticize you. Everyone must answer for his or her actions one day. I can’t
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