1. Most of the class might be considered disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other goodies of the season.
2. When the had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas’desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The looked away and murmured, “It’s yours, teacher.”
母亲的礼物
Wherever You Are
罗杰?迪安?凯泽／Roger Dean Kiser
When the school bell rang, I headed out the back door and down Spring Park Road. It was not easy for a ten-year-old, runaway boy to walk the streets of Jacksonville, Florida. I traveled for what seemed to be miles before I crossed over the Main Street Bridge. I walked, as fast as I could, through the downtown area hunting for something to eat.
I made my way down to Bay Street and stopped and stood in the doorway of the bus station. I watched as the dirty looking bums drank from their brown paper bags and argued with one another.
“Sonny! Can you go into that store across the street and cash in these here glass bottles for me? I’ll buy you a candy,” said the old woman.
“Sure. I can do that for you for nothing,” I told her.
I loaded the bottles into the store a few at a time. Her large wooden type wagon cart was filled to the top with all varieties of soda bottles.
I cashed in the bottles and I walked back out of the store to give her the money.
“Can you count the money out for me, Sonny?” she asked me.
“Can’t you count?” I questioned.
“It’s not that, Sonny. I just can’t see very well,” she told me.
As I stood there counting out the money in her hand, two large boys walked up and began pulling on her coattail. One of the boys was trying to grab the money from our hands while the other boy pulled her backwards. I immediately closed my hands and I fell to the ground trying to catch the coins which had fallen.
“OUCH!” I yelled out as one of the boys stomped on my hand, p