My parents never once spoke of the stress of having to pay for college, but I knew enough to appreciate that it was there. Therefore, when my French teacher announced that she’d be leading an optional class trip to Paris over one of our breaks for those who could come up with the money to do it, I didn’t even bother to raise the issue at home.
Yet one evening my parents sat me down, looking puzzled. My mom had learned about the France trip through my friend’s mom.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” she said.
“Because it’s too much money.”
“That’s actually not for you to decide, Michelle,” my dad said gently, almost offended.
“And how are we supposed to decide, if we don’t even know about it?”
I looked at them both, unsure of what to say. My mother glanced at me, her eyes soft. My father had changed out of his work uniform and into a clean white shirt. They were in their early forties then, married nearly twenty years. Neither one of them had ever vacationed in Europe. They never took beach trips or went out to dinner. They didn’t own a house. We were their investment, me and my brother. Everything went into us.
A few months later, I boarded a flight to Paris with my teacher and a dozen or so of my classmates from Whitney Young. We would stay in a hostel, tour the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. We’d buy snacks from stands on the street and walk along the banks of the Seine. We’d speak French like a bunch of high school kids from Chicago, but we’d at least speak French.
As the plane pulled away from its gate that day, I looked out my window and back at the airport, knowing that my mother stood somewhere behind its black-glass windows, dressed in her winter coat and waving me on. I remember all the details. I remember the jet engines firing, shockingly loud. And then we were rattling down the runway and beginning to tilt upward as the acceleration seized my chest and pressed me backward into my seat for that strange, in-between moment that comes before finally you feel lifted.
4. Why didn’t the author tell her parents about the France trip?
A.She didn’t get on well with her parents. |
B.She thought her parents couldn’t afford it. |
C.She wanted lo save money for her college. |
D.She had already had plans for the vacation. |
5. What are the author’s parents like?
A.Strict and ambitious. | B.Devoted but stubborn. |
C.Loving and supportive. | D.Caring but picky. |
6. What would the author do in Paris?
A.Visit a few tourist sites. | B.Take French courses. |
C.Practice French with local kids. | D.Go on a boat tour on the Seine. |
7. What does the author want to show by mentioning the take-off of her flight?
A.The eagerness of pursuing her dream. |
B.The sadness of leaving her mother. |
C.Her nervousness about the future. |
D.Her deep impression of the experience. |