多功能英语阅读01 The Toy

The Toy

It was 1952 and my father was away at war,leaving my mother and me behind to face hardship alone.I was ten.My mother was a surgeon and worked at the local clinic a few blocks from where we lived.We both resided in a medieval apartment in the city.It was noisy and cold in the winter,whereas humid in the summer.My mother argued with the landlord constantly,as did the other tenants 1.To their dismay,the landlord made promises,which he never kept.My mother's only revenge for this devil was that he would burn in hell someday.I learned a valuable lesson that year which carries on to this day.

The bell rang and thoughts of Christmas were the only thing on my mind.I raced home from school in the fresh snow that fell while i was in school.It lay there on the ground,white and smooth,waiting for my boots to disturb its beauty.I stopped briefly 2 to gather some snow in my hands,packing ti tight,then I threw it at Susie as I ran past her.

"Danny,I'm telling your mother on you,"she cried.I laughed and run away.

The five-story building where I lived was made of brown bricks.There was a large,cement stoop in front of the building as you entered.A spiral staircase reached up to our apartment and continued to the top of the building.At the very top of the steps was a door that led you to the terrace.The summer brought many parties up there.Sometime I would go up there and watch old man Macinni tending to his pigeons.

The apartment was enpty when I arrived and a note was attached to the refrigerator.My mother was working a double shift and left me instructions for the day.I became angry and ripped the note in several pieces.We had planned on making Christmas biscuits and apple pies together,but my mother spoiled it by working.

I sulked for several minutes,and then realized I was alone.My mother hid the Christmas presents somewhere in her bedroom and I found this to be the perfect opportunity to investigate.I carefully rummaged 3 through her closet,finding most of the gifts wrapped in linen 4 cloth.All but one toy,a model airplane.

I took the airplane to the living room and played with it for a long time.I was still mad at my mother and I hurled 5 the airplane into the air.I was so crisp and crashed down on the floor,breaking one of its wings.

I stood frozen with my eyes and mouth wide open,staring down at the plane.Oh boy,am I in trouble!Picking up the broken parts of the plane,I thought,how was I going to explain this?I had not got even a coin in my pocket.Where did my mother buy the plane?How can I make some money to replace it? Who would give me a job now? On Chrismas Eve! Then I heard my mother coming through the door. This is awful! Why was she coming home now? I raced to my room, hiding the broken plane under my sweater.

"Danny?"

"Yeah Mom?" I came home to take a present to one of my patients," she shouted back at me.

I sat on my bed, unable to come up with a good explanation for the toy missing in her closet. The silence was torture. I did not hear my mother asking herself, where did that toy go? Or yell for me to come in her room. All I heard was a gentle knock on my door. I slowly went to the door and opened it. My mother stood there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded in front of her. She stared at the lump that protruded 6 from my belly 7.

After telling my mother the horrible truth, she made me put my coat on and told me to follow her. We left bowed down as we walked. The avenue was illuminated 8 with Chrismas lights. People busied the streets with their arms full of packages. I thought they all were staring at me for the terrible thing I had done. I knew why my mother was taking me to she worked. The county clinic bore many tales.

Climbing the steps without catching 9 our breath,we entered the clinic. We climbed more steps and reached the floor where my mother worked. Several nurses my mother knew greeted us with a "Merry Christmas". My mother returned the greetings without stopping as we continued down a lobby. We stopped outside a ward 10 and I peeked 11 inside the dim ward. There in a bed was a lad who looked very sick.

"That boy is going to die, Danny," my mother told me."Possibly today, maybe tomorrow. He loves planes. I knew his mother could not afford to buy him one. So I did. I count my blessings 12 every night and think of this boy and how grateful I am that you are not in that bed."

The words cut hard and sharp in my heart. The tears rolled down my face and I was so guilty. I ran as fast as I could, down the lobby and out of the clinic. I ran home and into my room where I cried myself to sleep.

Nowadays, 30 years have elapsed, I am sitting behind my desk at my electronic enterprise, waiting for my wife. Susie and I married when we graduated from high school. On Christmas Eve, Susie and I take toys for the little infants at the local shelters. Hitherto, we have never missed this seasonal 13 tradition.