A PAPER PLATE

One day in a family, there's a living of a grandpa, a married couple, and a grandchild. Because grandpa has been suffering from a stroke for such a long time, it's difficult for him to move some parts of his body, especially to move his hand.


When dinner's served, as usual, grandpa, his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandchild eat together at the same dining table. Awkward moment of silence wraps their dining time. There's just the sound of spoon and fork rubbing against each other, until then.. PRANG!


One of family members drops his glass when struggling so hard to deal with his disability to hold spoon and feed himself. Yea, it's grandpa breaking another cultery. Noone really knows how many fragile thing he has broken since the first time he suffered from a stroke.


His daughter-in-law has run out of patience that night. "Hon! I'm really sick of your father! Every fragile thing he holds will be cracky into pieces! Look at this rack! Two more plates left! Just wait until our meals will be placed on leaves as dine base!!" She yells at his husband at the kitchen. She really feds up of his father-in-law.


On the following day when mealtime comes, how shocked grandpa to know that he is discriminated. All the family members, except grandpa, will eat on the same table. All the family members, except grandpa, may pick what they wanna eat because all meals are served in the middle of the table. And the most shocking one, all the family members, except grandpa, will eat on a ceramics plate as dining base, whereas grandpa will eat on a paper plate!


Grandpa feels so bad, but he tries to wholeheartedly accept the situation he's going through. On a paper plate, he tries to enjoy the meal. With a plastic glass, he tries to hold it tight. In a loneliness, he tries to enjoy himself. With tears flow on his cheek, he promises to forgive his son.


When the day changes into night and everybody's gonna sleep, the boy goes to living room and makes a lot of circle made of paper. He's so serious that he doesn't realize his father's coming. "Hey what are you doing, son? Why dont you sleep?" His father asks him what he's doing.
"I'm making plates, dad!" The boy answers charmingly.
"Plates?" Father asks for more.
"Ya, dad! I'm making a loooot of plates. I'm scared if someday when you get older and you suffer from a stroke, i dont have enough paper plates for you! I just do like what you do to grandpa. My teacher said that children have to always learn from his parents. I do it, dad! I'm learning from you. I'm right, aren't I?" A boy explains innocently and with no gulity feeling.


How surprised Father to hear what his child just said. He's done a huge mistake! He feels like being punched by his own child. He goes straight to grandpa's room with guilty feeling after having conversation with his son. How shocked father to see grandpa's lying on his sajadah. Grandpa's gone when he's praying. Father cries out loud and tries to call grandpa back. But, of course, no answer from grandpa. Even in day when grandpa' gone, father hurts grandpa deep inside. Ironically, grandpa has forgiven his son even when his father hasn't aplogized yet.


"I'm so sorry, daddy"

Why has to be so conceited if someday we'll also be old?

Why has to be conceited while we wont be like what we be now without our parents grow us?

Why has to be so conceited to take care of your parents as well as they took care of you in your childhood?

YOU MUST BE SO LUCKY TO HAVE THEM

-Adapted  from the famous story with the same title