What was he going to do?
Charlie sighed and rang the doorbell. As he waited in silence, he thought of the girl he had just dated. She had a good figure and had been wearing a very sexy, diaphanous outfit that caused him to get carried away.
In fact, he was three hours late.
The slight smile that had flitted across his face disappeared when he heard the shuffling of feet and the sharp click of the lock. There stood his two very strict (or so he thought), very tired, and very angry parents.
"Where were you, young man?"
"Mom, I'm sorry. I just forgot the time, and I-"
"Forgot the time?" she said, cutting him off. "Forgot the time? You promised to be home by nine o'clock, you're three hours late, and you forgot the TIME? You're always doing this, so you're grounded, you hear me? For two months! Honestly, do you expect-"
"Aw, c'mon Mom! Two months? That's too long! I can't-"
"SHUT UP!" his dad roared. "Your mother is right. You are a Confucian, and you should act like one."
Eric groaned inwardly. Not this again, he thought as his dad continued:
"You gave your promise that you would be home at nine; you should have kept it. And you must be honest." He snorted. "Forgot the time?
"You should also be loyal and respectful to your parents. You shouldn't be whining as you did just now. 'Aw, c'mon! Aw, c'mon!'" he repeated in a derisive tone. "And don't you know that Confucius said in The Analects that 'a person who engages solely in self-interested actions' will acquire many enemies?"
"But dad," whined Charlie, "two months? Ted and Steve and Aaron stay out later than they say they will and they don't get grounded for two months!"
"Well, their parents don't care about their children," Charlie's mom interjected. "Besides, if all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you? However, if you tell us what made you three hours late, and it's a good reason, then we'll ground you for only two weeks."
Charlie debated the matter for a moment. He didn't want to say that he was too busy necking to realize that he was three hours late. But two months! Grounded for two months! So, slowly, haltingly, he told his parents all of it.
"So... what do you think?" asked Charlie.
Charlie's parents were silent. Then, in a voice that chilled him to the bone, Charlie's mom said: "You're grounded for four months."