Vivid in my memory remains the scene when my dad gathered our family in the living room. After nearly eleven months of unemployment, we could sense what this meant. Even though my dad usually had a way with words, he skirted around saying what we knew was coming. Finally, he uttered the decisive words, “I accepted a new job.”And in turn, I had to accept my fate.

I blurted out the obvious question, “Where?” Before my father could finish saying “Austin, Texas,” I had burst into tears, practically inconsolable (伤心欲绝的). I would have to completely start over, which was less than ideal for a sophomore in high school. My crying continued well into the night. After that I was done. Not another tear fell.

Following that December night, I became numb, withdrawing into myself in an attempt to make leaving seem painless. While my dad commuted back and forth between California and Texas, I was allowed to finish out the school year.

This transition left me with six months to manage my relationships with those who cared about me. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness knowing that soon I would bid farewell to the familiar faces and cherished memories that defined my high school years. As a result, I felt detached (不带感情的), as if living a double life while hiding my departure from my friends and acquaintances. Consumed by self-pity, I began questioning the purpose of engaging in the world around me, knowing that my time there was limited.

The Bridge We Were Meant To Cross

My brother and I were driving home together and became engrossed in a conversation. Because of this distraction, my brother took a wrong turn.

Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us towards a bridge and we had no way to turn back. Grudgingly, my brother paid the bridge toll and drove on. He was clearly frustrated by the mistake and the needless waste of $ 4.

We eventually reached an exit slip-way and, as we took it, my brother noticed a beat-up black Mustang pulled over to the side of the road. A young guy was standing nearby trying to phone someone. I was busy trying to figure out which way we went next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat tire and needed a wrench to get it off.

I was a volunteer for an organisation at the beginning of this year. The organisation is aimed at helping children who suffer from cancer. One day, we were asked to raise money for cancer research and programme funding at an event.

Since my friend Lisa was also a volunteer for the organisation, I went to the event with her. There were many people at the event. After seeing our poster, some people came to us and talked with us. But few people donated money. It was a bit hot that day. Both Lisa and I got really upset.

Half an hour later, Lisa started complaining, “I don’t think we can raise much money today. ”

“Don’t worry. The event lasts for three hours. There is still a lot of time left，” I said, though I also thought poorly of our plan to raise much money that day.

While Lisa and I were talking, a little boy of about eight years old came to us. He stood in front of our poster and started reading.

After a while, he asked, “What is cancer？”

I explained what cancer is. Then I said, “Many people around the world are suffering from cancer. It can be really dangerous. More research is needed to learn about it so that people with it can suffer less. That’s why we’re collecting money for it. ”

“Do children suffer from cancer, too？” asked the boy.

“Yes. Many children suffer from cancer. Some of them may die. They need help. ” Lisa said and I nodded.

Hearing that, the boy became sad. Then the boy asked, “How much money have you collected？”

Both Lisa and I were embarrassed to tell him that we didn’t raise much money. At last, we said, “Not much. ”

The boy looked into our donation container and only saw a few one­dollar and five­dollar bills. The boy said nothing after seeing that and left. Then some girls came to us and we started talking with them. Neither Lisa nor I thought the boy would return. However, about twenty minutes later, the boy did return.