Disappointment

In the beginning of chapter nine, Sensei O’Keefe told the class one night that they were all moving to a different location. While Sensei O’Keefe was taking trophies down and moving everything out of his office, he had thrown a few trophies away with his name engraved into them. Mark thought this was strange, why would he throw away something that seemed so special to him? Did he just not care anymore? Regardless of what Mark was thinking, he thought it would be neat to take one of the trophies Sensei had thrown away out of the garbage and put it into his bag so he could put it up somewhere in his basement. Little did Mark know, Sensei O’Keefe was watching his every move, so when Mark thought he had gotten away with it, O’Keefe had called the class together to call out Mark for what he did. Barabbas the Christian Thief Sensei called him, instead of being flattered like Mark thought he would be, Sensei was infuriated and had given Mark a new name to embarrass him yet again in front of the class. On the way home that night, Mark went with Michael in his car because he had just turned sixteen and could drive. Mark was so upset he started to cry, Michael was less than pleased. Michael had called out Mark for what he did just as Sensei did; even worse, he had no sympathy for Mark.

This is similar to an experience of my own. One night when I was twelve years old, I had stolen one of my father’s cigarettes from his pack on the dresser in his room while he was asleep. My reason for taking it was because at the time I started to admire my father and wanted to be just like him. I did not smoke, but I thought that maybe if I had, I would be a step closer to being like him, and making my own experiences similar to his growing up. As I was sliding it out of the carton, my father had awoken from his slumber only to find himself flabbergasted at what he was looking at. After that I had gotten in a lot of trouble with him, and I did not tell him why I did it, I just stood there and got yelled at. I understand why he was mad, smoking is bad for your health, and he didn’t want me smoking just like the next father who did not want their kids smoking. “Do as I say, not as I do” he would always say to me, I had thought about that quote while he was yelling and I felt terrible. I knew that he would be mad, I never stopped to think that he would be flattered, because who would be? My father wants the best life for me and does not want smoking to corrupt my health, especially at twelve years of age.