The Country’s Good Son

By Minn New Thein

Lin Aung’s mother had a shop in the Mingaladon market, where she sold
slippers. Lin Aung helped his mother in the shop during his school holidays. As the
Mingaladon market was an army market, soldiers could be seen shopping there daily.
It was more crowded on Sundays. Many soldiers could be seen moving about busily.
It was Sunday, and Lin Aung was sitting in front of the shop; “Younger
Brother, do you have real ‘Sin-ky’ No. 9?” A young man, wearing trousers, entered and
asked him. Quickly Lin Aung took a pair of ‘Sinkye’ No. 9 slippers and showed them.
“How much are these slippers, Young Brother?” Twenty-one Kyats, Elder Brother.” “Can
I take only the right side slipper and pay you ten Kyats and fifty pyas?”
The young man’s question made Lin Aung’s eyes become wide. If he sold
only the right side. How could he sell the left side? And why did he want only one
slipper? “You can’t do that. If I sell only the right side, the only left in the shop will
become useless. “Yes, but I want only the right side. But wait, I’ll go and look for a
partner” Lin Aung was left behind, looking at the back of the young man, who walked
away, limping.
Soon, the young man came back. He had another young man with him. The
first young man asked Ling Aung for the slipper and gave the left side slipper to the
young man who had come with him. He lifted the leg of his trouser and put on the
slipper. Then he nodded with satisfaction.
Only then did Lin Aung understand. They were buying and sharing one pair
of slippers. The first young man had a false left leg, and second young man had a
false right leg. So everything was all right because there was one who wanted only
the right side and another who wanted only the left side.
Lin Aung was sorry to see the condition of the two young men. They were
quite young, and they each had a leg missing. “Don’t you feel sad that you have only
one leg?” Lin Aung as inquisitive and asked them. “Why should we be sad?” the first
young man smiled. “We are soldiers who offered even our own lives for our country.
We are proud to lose a leg in protecting our country.
When Lin Aung heard the first young man’s answer, he respected them.
They were very different from the young drug addicts about whom he had often read
in the newspapers. They were wasting their lives and killing themselves.
These young men were the country’s good sons who were protecting the
country from its enemies. Their aims and intentions were as different from those of
the addicts as east from west, north from south. Although these young men had one
leg missing, they still wanted to serve their country. The two young soldiers told Lin
Aung that they planned to work in the disabled soldiers’ cooperative shop.
“I respect you and honor you. You good sons of the country are the jewels
of our country. When I grown up, I will try to be a good son of the country like you.”
The two young soldiers smiled to hear Lin Aung’s words. “We admire your
intention. Our country’s future will really be bright if there were more young people
in our country with the same aim and intention as yours. All right, we well go now.”
The two young soldiers said goodbye to Lin Aung and went away. Lin Aung
was filled with the desire to become a good son of the country.