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Bang,
bang, bang. Yukiko's
mother was hitting the wall with her walking stick. 'Yukiko! Come
here,' she shouted
from her bedroom. 'Where's my breakfast? I want
my breakfast. You lazy
girl!'
'Mother, I am coming now,' Yukiko replied from the kitchen of the small
wooden house where they lived. Yukiko looked at the clock. The time was
6:01 a.m..
'You're late. You are such a useless
girl.' Mrs. Nakamuta. 'I want my
breakfast at six o'clock.'
Yukiko took
no notice of her mother's cruel
words. She understood why
her mother was so sad and so angry. Yukiko's father left home after she
was born, and Yukiko blamed herself
for him leaving. Her mother blamed
her too. In
fact she told her
every day.
Yukiko put the breakfast tray
next to her mother's bed and said,
'Please enjoy your food, mother. I bought some new miso
yesterday.'
'Enjoy your food? Ha! A pig couldn't enjoy this. Sometimes I think you
want to kill me with your cooking.'
Mrs. Nakamuta ate all the food in silence,
then said, 'I'm finished.
Take it away and bring me the newspaper, then get out.' Yukiko took the
tray and dishes back into the kitchen.
Later, when Mrs. Nakamuta was taking her morning nap, Yukiko went to her room and quietly slid open the closet door. Then she took a chair and put it next to the closet. Standing on the chair, she could reach the top shelf. Behind some towels was a small painted metal box about twenty-five centimetres long and 15 centimetres wide. Yukiko carefully took the box from the shelf and put it on her desk. The box had a picture of the Eiffel Tower painted on it, and the word "Paris" in big blue letters. It was an old box, but a valuable one for Yukiko, because this small box contained all her dreams. The next hour was a wonderful one for her, looking through the box's contents. There were clippings from travel magazines and newpapers that she had collected over many years, and the passport that she had got secretly just a few months before. And there was money too. Money she had saved bit by bit since she quit college to look after her mother when she was much younger.
Bang, bang, bang. Mrs. Nakamuta
was awake
again. 'Bring me some hot coffee,' she shouted from the sofa
where she always sat and watched daytime television.
'Yes, mother. I'll be as quick as I can.'
Yukiko closed the box and put it back in its safe place on the high
shelf. She then went to the kitchen to make her mother some coffee. As
she
prepared
it, she thought about her dreams, and how one day, she
hoped they would come true. While she was putting the mug
onto the
tray, she looked out of the window and saw that it had started to snow.
Summer seemed
such a long time ago. But maybe soon, this long winter
would end. Sometimes, her entire
life seemed like one long winter, but perhaps spring was coming for
Yukiko.
'Hurry up! I'm cold and thirsty.' her mother shouted.
'Yes, mother. I am coming.' Yukiko put the tray on the table in front
of the sofa.
'What's this?' her mother asked.
'It's your coffee, mother.'
'I said I wanted tea. You are such a stupid
girl. You never listen to me.'
'I'm sorry mother. It's my mistake.
I'll make you some tea.'
Yukiko was standing in a long
line of people. In one hand was her passport and flight ticket. In
front of her was a large pink suitcase with four wheels and a handle.
As she got closer to the check-in
counter,
Yukiko kept checking her
things: passport, flight ticket, money, credit card, hotel
reservations.
Everything was there, she hadn't forgotten anything. Finally, it was
her turn to check in. 'Good
morning,' said the pretty woman in wearing
an Air
France uniform, 'Can I have your passport and ticket, please.'
Yukiko handed the woman her things. The woman checked her computer,
then said something quietly
into her radio. Suddenly, three police officers rushed over
to the
check-in counter. The other passengers watched as Yukiko was taken away
by
the police. She said nothing, but thought about the snow that was still
falling silently
outside.
Adjectives
lazy:
Does not like to do any work or physical activity.
useless:
Not useful in any way.
cruel:
Something that is cruel, hurts another person for no reason.
valuable:
Here meaning 'important'.
wonderful:
Making you feel very happy.
awake:
Not sleeping.
entire:
Used to show you mean 100% of something.
stupid:
not intelligent. Showing no good sense or judgment.
Adverbs
secretly:
In a way that stops other people from knowing what you are doing.
silently:
With no sound.
Verbs
shout:
To say something in a very loud voice.
take
no notice:
To ignore someone, or pay no attention to someone or something.
blame
sb.
To say that someone is responsible for doing something bad.
slide:
(slide/slid/slid)
To move over a surface while continuing to touch it.
contain:
To have something inside, or have something as a part.
quit:
To stop doing something
prepare:
To make something ready to be used.
seem:
To appear to be true.
be
sb.'s
turn:
If it is someone's turn, it it their time to do something. Especially
when a group of people are waiting to do an activity.
rush
over:
To move quickly to another place.
be
taken away:
To be removed, and taken to another place.
Nouns
a
tray:
A flat piece of wood, plastic or metal, used for carrying things.
silence:
No sound.
a
nap:
A short sleep. Usually during the daytime.
contents: The things that are
stored inside another thing such as a box or envelope.
a
clipping: Here meaning some text that has been cut out using
scissors.
a
check-in counter:
The counter at an airport where you show
your ticket and passport, give your luggage, and get your seat number..
Expressions
bang:
A loud noise.
in
fact: used to say what the truth is in a situation.
bit
by bit: = gradually.
Japanese words
miso: A
thick paste used in cooking. usually made from soybeans.