An unforgettable thing

In the spare time, Mrs Green always asked her sons, Alan and John to help their neighbor, Ms Maud, to clean her house because she was too old to do it herself. They helped Ms Maud throughout the spring.

Summer vacation just began. The two brothers planned to play tennis with friends every day, so they could make the freshman team. However, Alan’s racket (球拍) was lost, which disappointed him a lot.

As usual, Alan and John came to Ms Maud’s house to help her. They went down the block to the Ms Maud’s and got started. Before cleaning, John put boxes that were thrown around the garage (车库) floor on shelves. When John put a big box on a shelf, he found a tennis racket in the box. It was a new racket, which was exactly what Alan wanted.

“You’ve got to see this.” John took out the tennis racket and showed it to Alan.

“Whoa, where did you get that?” Alan asked. John pointed to the shelf, “It was just in the box over there.” Alan continued to say, “It is so beautiful. My tennis racket was missing. If we take it, I believe no one will ever know.” He looked at the garage door, which was closed.

But John didn’t think it’s a good idea, “Well, we do a lot of things for Ms Maud and don’t get paid. It’s not really stealing. It’s a kind of payment for our hard work,” said Alan. Without hesitation (犹豫), John looked at the racket, took it from Alan’s hand and put it back in the box.

“Hello, boys.” At that time, Ms Maud walked into the garage, surprising them. “I’ve made a cake. Can you come in for a piece? I really appreciate all the things you do for me.” “Ugh... sure, Ms Maud,” said John. “Let us finish up and we’ll be right in.” Ms Maud went back to her house.

Then, John told Alan that Ms Maud always rewarded (奖励) them for helping her.

After Alan and John finished the cake, Ms Maud walked in and handed Alan a new tennis racket.

Mary frowned as she helped her mother and father set out the cooking supplies in the shiny steel kitchen. Her family had just moved here from New York, having bought a small restaurant, which was set to open in the next few days.

“Moving here was a stupid idea. I have lost all my friends in New York. What should I do now?” Mary grumbled (抱怨), mostly to herself.

“What’s that?” Her mother asked, opening a box and lifting out several pots. “Nothing,” Mary mumbled (嘟哝). The girl had been complaining about the move, but her parents had made the decision and were then too busy to listen to her complaints.

The first few days at her new school hadn’t been easy, either. She found it hard to talk to people she didn’t know, and it seemed that the students hadn’t even noticed her. Mary sighed and got back to wash dishes.

On the day of the grand opening, Mary’s parents were busy the whole day, welcoming customers into the restaurant, which was brightly decorated in gold and red. Even Mary was in a good mood as she rushed around, seating guests, handing out menus, and pouring glasses of water. This was a big day for her family.

At one of the tables sat a family with two daughters who were about Mary’s age. As she filled their glasses, Mary realized the twins were in her class. Mary ducked her head down. Her long hair covered her face, and she turned away from the table.

A few minutes later, Mary’s mother found her in the kitchen. “Honey, what are you doing back here? We need you out front with the customers.”