The Story Teller

Archive for January, 2012

My cousin is getting married next month. Though I’m not sure I will be on the wedding because it is somewhere in the south and far from where I live, I feel just as excited as they are because my mother is coming for the wedding. Yes, it sounds like a grand wedding and why not, the couple are both nurses in Canada and are coming home just for this, so, I can’t expect something less. Hopefully, after several months, they will have their first baby. Well, we’ll be passing dutchmaster around if it’s a boy. I can imagine how happy my uncle would be to have his own grandson. Wow! There is so much to look forward to..

A poor gardener was employed by a nice rich man to tend to his garden. Theirs was a professional relationship based on respect and trust, the gardener’s respect to the rich man who employed him and the rich man’s trust to the gardener who tends to his garden as if it is his own.

One day while the gardener was pulling weeds in the garden, a group of children passed by and watched him while he worked. The gardener, flattered with the attention he was getting, started to show them not only how to pull the weeds but also how to trim the grass. When he was done, he thought of something more to demonstrate. He then remembered the rake the rich man kept in the barn. He took it and showed the children how to gather dried leaves and other dirt. The children enjoyed his demonstration, thanked him and told him they would be back again to watch him work.The gardener was glad.

After a week, the rich man learned about what the gardener did. He got extremely mad. He accused the gardener of trespassing because of using his tool without asking permission. He accused him of calling attention to himself at the rich man’s expense and vowed to make the gardener pay for disrespecting him. The gardener was sincerely confused. For one, he couldn’t think of any thing he did to disrespect his employer. He just used the rake to show the children how to use it properly. But this enraged the rich man even more.

The following week, when the same children got back to watch the gardener work, the rich man went out and spoke about the gardener’s misdeeds. He ranted on how his property was violated. He talked about all of his accomplishments that made him worthy of respect, that a certain gardener, no matter how good his intentions are, has NO RIGHT to use his property without asking his permission first. He went on and on about the good things he did to other people and how he lived in luxury and that he deserves treatment that befits a person of his station. He enumerated the number of properties he acquired and the places he had gone to. He may not have directly said it, but he was probably mapping out the difference between a distinguished person like himself and a poor obscure gardener.

He was too intent in what he was saying that he failed to notice that the children, who only wanted to watch the gardener work, were not paying attention and neither was the incriminated gardener who felt remorseful when he finally realized his mistake. After the rich man’s speech, the gardener gloomily walked forward and in a soft but clear voice said:

“I apologize to the rich man for using his rake without asking his permission. I should not have done it to him or to anyone. It was wrong of me to assume that just because I am allowed to use the tool to do my work, I can also use it to flaunt my skill. I am really sorry, Sir. I promise that I would not do it ever again..”

The children, who felt insignificant and belittled after the rich man’s litany about his accolades felt sympathy to the gardener that one called out on him..

“We do believe you didn’t mean any harm at all, Mr. Gardener…”

Then, one by one, they patted  the gardener at the back and without even looking at the rich man, turned around and went away.

If the rich man looked down on his gardener and thought he was a better person because he was distinguished and accomplished, then, he probably looked down on each and every one of them as well..

Moreover, regardless of his station in life, a person, as well as his properties, must be respected ALWAYS.

Breath vs Breathe

Breath is noun

Ex. He was out of breath after his work out.

Breathe is verb

He could not breathe because of too much smoke.

A while vs Awhile

A while is always preceded by for

Ex. Please, wait for a while.

Awhile is preceded by verb 

Ex. They waited awhile for his arrival.

There are two brothers who live in the same house. The younger brother is an honest worker who goes to work for a living everyday . He treats everyone nicely and fairly. He pays his bills regularly. He eats the food he likes and if he has extra money, he would treat himself to a few luxuries like a nice book, a new movie, a nice pair of suit or anything that might suit his fancy.

The older brother, on the other hand, does not like to do anything. He feels too tired to work. The weather is always too hot or too cold for him. The food is too sweet or too salty. He thinks everyone is treating him unfairly and suspiciously just because he doesn’t have any regular job. The job is either too easy or too difficult. So, he always ends up penniless and cranky.

His younger brother is always ready to share whatever he has with his older brother. So, the older brother, though jobless never starved. But, despite the younger brother’s kindness and consideration, the older brother feels that his brother thinks ill of him and considers him worthless. So, when the younger brother started to have the house renovated before the year ends, the older brother felt that he would be sent away in a matter of time.

“He is fixing the house and when it’s done, he would send me away so that he could have it all for himself..” he mumbled.. “That ungrateful boy, after all I’ve done for him. He thinks he is a better man just because he is paid for cleaning tables? He is just a WAITER, nothing more, nothing less. He thinks he can send me away just because he is wearing a bowtie and smells of cheap perfume he buys from imitation stores? Hah! He is nothing, yet he thinks so highly of himself that he can afford to fix the house. Doesn’t he think I notice his ‘looks’ every time we eat the lousy food he buys for us? I know what he thinks, I know that he thinks he feeds me and that I am indebted to him. Well, I wouldn’t wait for him to kick me out of the house. I will leave as soon as I find my own place..”

But finding a house proved to be not as easy as the older brother thinks. For one, he doesn’t have any money to rent an apartment. Second, he doesn’t have anything in his possession that he can use to start a life of his own, an electric fan for instance. Third, he just simply doesn’t know how to start.

The night before the end of the year, the older brother was again talking to himself..

“If I leave, what will happen to my poor younger brother? Who is going to look after him? Who would watch over the house when he is at work? Who is going to guide his important decisions? Who would talk to him when he needs someone to talk with? Ahhh.. my poor brother. How can I leave when I am perfectly aware that he needs me. Well, I guess that’s what an older brother is supposed to do.. to sacrifice his own happiness for the people he loves.”

So, on New Year’s Eve, the two brothers stay awake to welcome the new year. The younger brother told his brother how happy he is that they are together. The older brother smiled and felt proud of the ‘sacrifice’ he made. Then, the younger brother spoke..

“Brother, I want you to know I am so grateful to the Lord for having you and I wouldn’t want any other brother aside from you. I had the house renovated to give you a bigger room. It has a wide window so you can look outside when you feel bored. It also has a bigger bed so you can sleep more comfortably. You can move in the new room as soon as you like..”

The older brother was genuinely surprised. So, the new room was for him after all.

(Original story by the blog author. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise are purely incidental)

Immigrate Vs Emigrate

Immigrate means to come to another country usually for permanent residence. This is followed by the preposition to.

Example: My cousins immigrated to Canada in 1986.

Emigrate means to leave one’s country or region to settle in another. This is followed by the preposition from.

Example: Almost everybody wants to emigrate from the Philippines during the summer season.

Fewer vs Less

Fewer is used for count nouns.

Example: I received fewer books last year.

Less is used for mass nouns.

Example: The put less sugar to the second custard cake

Right now, I’m still blessed with ideas that I turn into stories. Other people find them interesting, other people find them not that much and still other people simply don’t care about what I wrote and would settle for a ‘great blog’ on the comment section.

I heard from the movie Music and Lyrics what Hugh Grant said that ‘Inspiration is for AMATEURS!’ and I guess it’s true. I, for one, still need inspiration for my stories. It doesn’t have to be great. I don’t need to go far nor do I need to meet someone new. I just need an idea, no matter how absurd it is, to keep my mind working. But sometimes  when it works, I have a hard time coping with it. It actually floods that I have to keep a notebook nearby to write them down.

Honestly, I don’t really know if people read my work all the way through. I sincerely wish they do, because, I may not be a Bob Ong or a Paulo Coelho, but just like them, I write from my heart.

I don’t know what’s in store for me this year, but one thing is for sure, I would keep on writing stories. Who knows, maybe I could have them published before this new year ends. I know I can’t force anyone to read my stories but I will keep on writing simply for the love of doing it.

So, what’s more from The Story Teller this year? Hmmm.. I don’t know yet. It will be as much as a  surprise for you as it will be for me..

Happy New Year, everyone!

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