Hey, guys, my name`s Chris. Recently I had to choose between who goes
to prison: my dad or my brother. But I`m 13 years old, how can I even make
that choice? We lived a normal life, but when I was 10
years old, my mother died, and our family changed a lot. We mourned her for a very long time... Dad was falling apart and couldn't deal with
her death, so he started drinking. And then everything went wrong. He was fired from his job and was barely making
any money. And almost all the money he did make, he spent
on alcohol. It was terrible when he got drunk. His mood was like a roller coaster. At first he would cry, then scream and get
angry. Then my brother Bruce took on the role of
father in our family. He always protected and cared for me. For three years we struggled with misfortune,
but things got better. We talked a lot with my dad, and he started
drinking less. Bruce turned 18 and found a good paying job. We had hope for a normal future. But in one night, everything got turned upside
down. One day on a weekend, dad got us a surprise. He had bought tickets to a baseball game! Hurray! We were going to spend the day like a normal
family. Dad took us to the stadium and we watched
the game. Bruce and I were so happy! But it couldn't have been that good. Dad ended up meeting his friends and left
us to watch the game with them. We agreed to meet near the car in two hours. But when the game ended, our dad never came. We tried to call him, but he just wouldn't
answer. We stood by the car for over an hour and he
finally showed up. He could barely stand on his own two feet! Apparently, he had gotten drunk with his friends. It really pissed Bruce off, and ruined his
evening. He took dad's keys and said he'd drive us
himself. We got in the car and drove off. But dad was aggressive, he kept telling Bruce
how to drive, and it was really annoying him. They were fighting and yelling at each other. I didn't want to hear it, so I just closed
my eyes and put my hands over my ears. But then it felt like the car jumped, and
when I opened my eyes, the last thing I saw was the windshield breaking. When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. I raised my head and saw my brother. He was sitting next to me, covered in scratches
and bruises. I was immediately frightened, but he calmed
me down. He said everything was fine. We had been in an accident, but we`re lucky
because we were almost unharmed. I exhaled. Then I asked where our dad was. Bruce said he was fine, he's just in the other
room. But then I remembered their fight and I said,
"We crashed because he distracted you, right?." This question made my brother think for a
moment. Then he said, "Listen, Chris. The police came... They asked about the accident, and I told
them that our father was driving, not me." Then my brother said he might have a problem
with it, but that it would be better for all of us if the police thought that my father
was driving. Maybe he will be forced to go into rehab or
something. There was something strange about this proposal,
but I believed my brother and decided to support him. After this conversation, Bruce was relieved. He said we could go home in the morning, and
that I needed to sleep. But I couldn't sleep. I was worried I'd have to lie and I tried
to calm myself down. I wanted a water, and I couldn't find it in
my room, so I went out into the hallway. I have to say, hospital corridors at night
look just like they do in horror movies, and you don't expect anything good from them. I kept looking for someone to ask for water,
but there was no one around. I walked down the hall to the end, and when
I turned the corner, I saw a little girl crying at the entrance to someone's room. I went to her and I wanted to calm her down,
but she wouldn't stop crying. I asked her what happened and she said her
dad was biking home from work, and he got hit by a car, and now he's in a coma. I figured out that it was us right away. We were the ones who hit him! What's more, my brother was driving, and he's
trying to hide it! This changed everything. It was not just an accident, this was a crime,
and Bruce was trying to set our father up! Yeah, he's a drunk, and my brother was only
driving because of him, but he's not guilty! I ran back to the room and I woke Bruce up. I started yelling, "Bruce, we didn't just
have an accident, you hit a man! Dad is going to jail, do you understand? You have to confess everything!" I started arguing with my brother. He said, "You want me to go to jail? I know it's bad, but think about it, who's
gonna take care of you? Dad?" Then I said that it didn't matter. A little girl was sitting in the hallway and
has no idea whether her father will survive or not. And it was because of Bruce. It was a very difficult choice. One of my loved ones would be in prison, and
I had to choose who it would be. And it's not a choice between right and wrong. But I already made up my mind when I saw that
girl. The truth can be unpleasant and painful, but
I didn't want to make a deal with my conscience. So I had to find dad and the cops and tell
them everything. When I went down to the entrance, I saw dad
being led out by two policemen. I ran up to him and wanted to tell him everything,
but my father stopped me. He asked the officers for a few minutes to
talk to me. In private, he told me to keep it a secret
that Bruce was driving. It turned out that dad had told the police
that he was driving, and that he hit the cyclist. I tried to stop him, but he made that decision
on his own. It looked like he really felt guilty about
it. He was taken away. So, now it's just my brother and me. A few weeks later, we were allowed to see
our Dad. He apologized to us for the past three years. He said he lied to the police because it would
be better for both of us and Bruce can really take care of me. Later we found out that the cyclist had started
to recover, and will be fine. It does not absolve us of guilt, but I am
very happy that this little girl will have her father back. Then there was a trial and dad went to prison. It's sad, but he gave us a chance to move
on with our lives, and we just can`t lose it. We're both very grateful to our dad. I can't even imagine how my brother feels
right now, but he's trying his best to justify Dad`s sacrifice. And I learned an important lesson - the right
choice is not always good or easy, and you have to do everything to make sure your loved
ones are safe. What would you do in this situation? Would you give up your brother? Write in the comments below, and be sure to
share this video with your friends!
