Most people, when they are provided with the privilege of life, waste it or take it for granted. That could be said about me. As a child I was spoiled. I did not care about the impending responsibilities that would soon come my way. My dad tried his best to help me with that problem, but because of my mom's flawed teachings, the lessons wouldn't stick. Whenever my dad tried disciplining me, my mom would intervene. Whenever my dad tried to give advice, she would laugh at it. I used to think that my dad was against me and only my mother cared for me. I couldn't be more wrong.

I would only start seeing the value of my father's parenting after my mom died when I was fifteen. She always had heart problems and her relentless drinking and smoking habits didn't help. At her funeral, I couldn't stop crying, but my dad didn't at all. It seemed light something heavy was lifted off of his shoulders. "Keith. I know losing your mom hurts you but she sped up her death. Her reckless living and unhealthy habits didn't do her any good. I tried to warn her but she wouldn't listen. Listen to me. Don't make the same mistakes as her."

It took some time for me to move on, but with my dad there for me, I never lacked anything. It was hard learning how to be responsible, but I tried my best, and I did a decent job. Now, I'm about to finish secondary school and am going to apply for a college or university. I worked part-time at a restaurant to help my dad around the house, and I was happy. Life was good. I had no complaints. "Your results will be coming in soon. I hope you passed all of your exams because I won't be paying for you to reset them." "Don't worry dad. On the off chance that I fail, I'll just save and take them over."

I was leaving to head to work on my bicycle and that's when everything went up in smoke for me. As I was riding to work, I could see a kid fetching his ball on the road. Approaching him at high speeds was a large truck that seemed like it wasn't going to stop. I peddled as fast as I could towards the kid. I quickly came off of the bike and pushed him out of harm's way but the same couldn't be said for me. I was hit by the truck. I was barely hanging on to my consciousness when I heard people screaming. I couldn't move a single muscle and my eyesight was stained red.

Soon I could hear loud sirens coming my way. I was put on a stretcher and that's when I couldn't hold on any longer. I found myself completely surrounded by darkness. I could hear voices but I couldn't understand what they were saying. It was then that I grasped the situation I was in. "So this is what death is like, huh?" I started recollecting everything that happened to this point. "I couldn't make anyone proud. My dad already was suffering from losing his wife and now he has lost his only son. I was so excited to get my results back but now it doesn't matter because it's all over."

I began crying my heart out. Everything I did to try and help out my dad was now in vain. I felt so disappointed in myself. My sadness soon turned into frustration. "Why couldn't you be a better son? Why did you ignore your dad when he was trying to put you on the right path? Why did you have to listen to your good-for-nothing, Mom, huh? I hate you so much. You deserve to die!" Thoughts like that flooded my mind. "Is that so?" I was startled by that voice. I swore I was the only one here. "You're supposed to have no more regrets after living out your life so why do you have so many?" the voice asked.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked reluctantly. "Who am I? What do I want from you? Those aren't important. What's important is that you are knocking on death's door and yet you still have regrets." I could hear the voice getting closer and closer. "What is so wrong about that? So many people wish they could have done more so why is that the important thing here?" "You could think like that or you could think like this. I may have listened to an awful person, I may have ignored the wrong person, and I may have been spoiled, but I saved someone's life at the cost of my own. Don't you think that is commendable, Keith?"

Soon, light dispersed the darkness, and a bright aura was right in front of me. "You deserve a second chance. This time both of your parents will treat you the way they should treat you. Also, the new world that you will abide in will be dependent on your capabilities. You will have the power to save many people. After this life, I will meet you once more, and we will see if you have any regrets." "Wait Who are you?" "I said before that that's not important. You better learn from your mistakes, Keith, or should I call you Kaiser, Kaiser Strauss. A new world and life await you. Don't mess it up."

The aura faded away. I looked at myself once more. I was no longer eighteen. I had turned into a baby once again. Then my hand began disappearing. I examined my body once more. Every area of my body was vanishing into thin air. I screamed out and even my voice had changed. I closed my eyes for a second, and when I had opened them, I was in an unfamiliar house in a cradle. Suddenly, I could hear the pattering on wood gradually increase until it suddenly stopped.