Last year, things didn’t go well to me. Like many people during the pandemic, my husband Paul, lost his job. I was working, but only part-time. I was worried about money, COVID and our future. That’s when our mailboxes really started getting to me.
I’d never liked our mailboxes much, which was already in rough shape and stood at the end of our long driveway with the paint faded and the metal pole rusted (生锈).
One day, someone had driven into the pole, which was now bent slightly. However, because the boxes could still hold the mails and the postman wasn’t complaining, there was no need to replace them. But every time I saw them lately, they reminded me of all the problems in my life.
“Lord, I wish we had better mailboxes,” I found myself thinking one day on my way to work. It was more of a passing thought than a prayer. I probably would have forgotten all about it if it were not for the news we got the next morning.
“Our neighbor just sent a message,” Paul said. “A girl drove her car right into the mailboxes, completely breaking them down.”
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“She wasn’t hurt, but really upset. Shihiem saw it happen. He said she’s just a teenager. He gave her our number and information.”
“That certainly wasn’t in the budget,” I thought. As much as I wanted new mailboxes, getting them would be expensive.
I glanced out of the window. There was an unfamiliar car at the end of the driveway. It was too far away to see what the driver was doing. Surprisingly, about two hours later I found on the spot where rusted mailboxes had once stood was a solid, white post with new, shiny mailbox sitting on each arm—one black, one white. Paul handed me a note.
“Dear Neighbor, I am so, so sorry I hit y’all’s mailbox. I bought and replaced them with new pretty ones. Again, I am so sorry. Have a wonderful, blessed day!”
The writer had included her phone number and address in case we needed anything else.
We did—we needed to thank her! We also wanted to make sure she hadn’t been injured.
【小题1】Why didn’t the writer replace her mailboxes?
| A．She was busy working. | B．The postman liked them. |
| C．They could still be used. | D．They reminded her of the difficulties in life. |
| A．Clever and beautiful. | B．Hardworking and intelligent. |
| C．Talented and friendly. | D．Responsible and considerate. |
| A．It’s boring. | B．It’s discouraging. |
| C．It’s inspiring. | D．It’s interesting. |
