Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. 1 ,
there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12.
Their clothes were not 2 , but they were clean. The children were 3 , all of them standing in line,
two-by-two behind their parents, 4 hands. They were excitedly jabbering (喋喋不休地说) about the clowns,
elephants, and other acts they would see that night.
One could 5 they had never been to the circus before. It 6 to be a highlight of their young lives.
The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He 7 responded,"Please let me buy 8
children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady 9 the price.
The mother's head 10 , and her lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little 11 and asked,"How much did
you say?"
The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn't have enough money.
Seeing what 12 , my dad put his hand in his pocket, 13 a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We
were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) Then reached down, 14 the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder
and said,"Excuse me, sir, this fell 15 your pocket."
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout 16 certainly appreciated the help
in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing 17 He looked straight 18 my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand
in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with a tear running down his 19 , he replied, "Thank
you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and 20 home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't
go without. |