Getting around the city when you are six months pregnant and have a two-year-old girl can be really     1     (challenge). One spring afternoon, we went to one of the grocery     2    (store) nearby to buy some food. There was no sign of rain     3     the store was just around the corner, so we went there without an umbrella. However, when we were about to leave the store)the rain came in full force and the streets     4     (cover) with water within minutes.

I noticed a young Chinese couple staring at     5     (we) when we came to a crossroad and were waiting for the light to change     6     (patient). I figured they were probably wondering     7     a pregnant foreigner was dragging her little kid out through the rain. But as we crossed the street, the woman offered me her umbrella. I declined but she handed it to me and hurried off with her husband.

Though     8     (catch) in the rain unexpectedly, we still treasure     9     memory and will remember the warmth and    10     (kind) of the Chinese couple forever.

One morning, I told my husband jokingly that he’d dropped the ball because by that moment he     1     (make) me coffee and I was having trouble getting motivated to start the day. My five year old son overheard me and asked what “drop the ball” meant. I told him it was just something like making a mistake. A few minutes later, he came into our bedroom holding an overflowing coffee cup     2     a dishcloth underneath it to catch the drops. He said to my husband, “You dropped the ball, but I picked the ball up,” and he handed me the worst tasting, most watered down but     3     (sweet) cup of coffee ever.