September 2nd, 1903, it’s the most important day of my life! My name is Lawrence Exeter. I can still remember myself panicking in the hallway of Hollywood Hospital. With a cry from the delivery room, I restrained the excitement in my head and sprinted towards the door. That was the day where I first met my son, Lawrence Exeter Junior.
But I was soon shocked by the deadly news: Lawrence Jr. had congenial heart disease! At that moment, my head started to get dizzy, and I fell to the floor. “What’s wrong sweetheart?” Jamie, my wife, didn’t know about it yet. “Nothing.” I tried to calm myself, even though I knew it was useless. I kept Lawrence’s disease as a secret, a secret that held for 28 years. I felt guilty for my son, I tried my best to provide him the best childhood a father could possibly provide for a son. I bought him everything he wanted, I bought him toys, I provided him with the best education opportunities, I even bought him a car when he first passed his driving test, even though he crashed it three days after the purchase.
Lawrence Jr. didn’t let me down on his academics, he had good grades in his school, and at the age of 17. He got accepted by Stanford University with a scholarship over 7000 dollars. Everybody in our family was proud, I could still remember the scene of our family party that night. People were congratulating him, Jamie cooked pumpkin chicken, a course usually cooked for great events. While everybody was celebrating and having fun, I had a dull pain deep inside my heart…
A few years after Junior went to university, life seemed to calm down for me. I’d usually go out and have a walk, and enjoy some personal time with my Misses. One day, Junior called back, “Father, I want to attend the school ball, I’ve promised everybody to go.” I allowed him to go, and that was the moment when I made the biggest mistake of my life. Junior fell in love with a girl named Marie. I knew about Junior’s disease, and I knew that he shouldn’t get married, because he can’t accompany the girl for the rest of her life. I should’ve stopped him and told others the truth, but I was afraid of it! My heart was stuck in flames while adhered to ice! Everything was a mess! I even started to wish I didn’t have a child named Lawrence Exeter, because he wouldn’t have to suffer the pain if he didn’t exist.
They soon got engaged and planned on their wedding, I knew I had no choice but to provide support to them. I gave Lawrence Jr. all of my savings, encouraged them to go on holidays, hoping that they could enjoy their last moments, hoping god would forgive me, but I knew all of this couldn’t suppress my guiltiness. With my support, thy soon got married. Time flew by, and suddenly, Lawrence Jr. got ill, in fact, he had to go to the intensive care unit of the hospital. I knew it was time for me to tell everybody the truth, Jamie and Marie were wailing, but unexpectedly, Junior was really calm when he heard the news. He gave all of his legacies to Marie, and they started to cherish their last moments.
July 15th, 1931, I was sleeping next to my son’s bed. He just had his operation taken. Suddenly, a huge thunder woke me up and I saw my son, lying peacefully, forever.