A few days ago, my husband, Russ, and I lost our house of 28 years to a California wild fire.
On that night, we had to leave our house and sleep in the back seat of our Ford. The next morning, we had to drive three and a half hours to find a hotel that had a room available. Only later, in the local newspaper, did we see photographs of the destruction. Our house had been consumed by the fire along with most of our neighborhood.
“How are we going to rebuild our house after this?” I thought, rounding a corner on the sidewalk on my walk back to the hotel. “Is it even possible?”
I noticed something up ahead—a pair of nickels, shining like precious jewels. They were just nickels, but they somehow felt special. I bent down and picked them up. If these were lucky coins, I could use all the luck I could get.
A few days later, I made a trip to the store to buy essentials. The enormous task of replacing everything we’d lost put a heavy weight on me. I was about to leave when I felt the urge to stop and turn my head to the right. I could hardly believe it—there on a shelf, was a nickel! “Okay, maybe this is more than luck,” I thought and put the nickel in my pocket.
I told myself that I had found the nickels just by chance. Then I found one next to my plate at a restaurant—on Thanksgiving, when I was missing our house more than ever. It seemed that a nickel appeared whenever my spirits sank.
Whenever I reached my breaking point, I’d find another nickel. In the grass at the park, or near the tire of my car in a parking lot. Once, my change for a quick lunch was given entirely in nickels. “I’m sorry,” the cashier said. “It’s all we have.” “It’s all I need!” I said.
One day, I was sitting at the desk when my phone rang. It was a real-estate agent I’d been working with. “I have a new listing,” she said. “When can we see it?”
A few hours later, Russ and I were following the agent down the driveway toward the house. I didn’t think long. Because there, in the driveway...
24. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?
A.The hotel was rather far away from their destroyed house. |
B.The author took some photos of the destruction after the fire. |
C.The couple saved most of their precious items from the house. |
D.The couple spent the night sleeping in a temporary tent after the fire. |
25. Where did the author find the first pair of nickels?
A.In front of the hotel. | B.Among the ashes of his house. |
C.In the corner of the hotel room. | D.At the corner of the side of a road. |
26. How did the author react to the cashier’s giving her change in nickels?
A.She laughed at the cashier. | B.She refused to accept them. |
C.She expressed her satisfaction. | D.She threw them on the counter. |
27. What might the nickels represent on the author’s mind?
A.Not only victory but also something else. | B.Not only fortune but also something else. |
C.Not only strength but also something else. | D.Not only promotion but also something else. |