Anonymous
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尽管家里没有钱,但大家都相亲相爱,关系和睦。
博比有两个姐姐和一个妹妹,母亲不在时,她们会把家料理得井然有序。
博比就拿出那枚硬币来,问店主是否能用它买一枝鲜花送给母亲作为圣诞礼物。
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow.Bobby did not wear boots:he did not like them and anyway he did not own any.The thin sneakers1 he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold.
Bobby had been in his back yard for about an hour already.And,try as he might,he could not come up with2 an idea for his mother's Christmas gift.He shook his head as he thought,'This is useless,even if I do come up with an idea,I do not have any money to spend.'
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago,the family of five had struggled.It was not because his mother did not care,or try,there just never seemed to be enough.She worked nights at the hospital,but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far.
While the family lacked in money and material things,they more than made up for in love and family unity.Bobby had two older and one younger sisters,who ran the household in their mother's absence.
All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.Somehow3,it just was not fair.Here it was Christmas Eve already,but he had nothing.
Wiping a tear from his eye,Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were.It was not easy being six without a father,especially when he needed a man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop,looking into each decorated window.Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting of something along the curb4.He reached down and discovered a shiny dime.
Never before had anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment.As he held his new found treasure,a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line.When the shop owner asked if he could help him,Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift.The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cents offering.Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him,'You just wait here and I will see what I can do for you.'
As Bobby waited,he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy,he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers.
The sound of the door closing as the last customer left jolted Bobby back to reality.All alone in the shop,Bobby began to feel alone and afraid.
Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter.There,before Bobby's eyes,lay twelve long stemmed,red roses,with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow5.Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.
'That will be ten cents young man.'the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime.Slowly,Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.Could this be true?No one else would give him a thing for his dime!Sensing the boy's reluctance,the shop owner added,'I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen.Would you like them?'
This time Bobby did not hesitate,and when the man placed the long box into his hands,he knew it was true.Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby,he heard the shop keeper say,'Merry Christmas,son.'