We met Bailey 5 years ago. He was a standard poodle (髦毛小狗) born on Valentine’s day in 2020, and came to us in a small blue box. His previous owner posted the news online and we adopted him. Our only request was that he behave calmly and be able to put up with the pushing and hugging of our eight-year-old daughter and six-year-old son.
We were a sweet family: me, my husband, our children Angela and Tony. But for years. I’d felt that we wouldn’t be truly whole if we didn’t have a dog. Also, my husband worked for a commercial company and traveled around 200 days a year. and I knew that having a large animal sleeping by the door made me feel safer.
The last piece of our purzle fell into place when we opened the box. With his dark hair and smart eyes, Bailey was beautiful. He was so small that he could fit in the palm of my hand, his big paws (爪子) resting at his sides. He was a little scared, too. As I pulled him close, I felt his heart racing, and 1 wondered if we had done the right thing by taking him away from his mother. But it was too late. Angela and Tony were already arguing about who would carry him and who had the right to bathe him.
Over the following months, we spent countless hours watching Bailey play with his toys or roll around on the living room floor. Like most poodles, he was smart. He quickly mastered house-training and never chewed (咀) on our furniture or shoes. He considered himself one of us.
One night we were sleeping in the bedroom when I heard some strange noise.
At that time, Bailey ran towards me.
A.I thought it was Bailey running and hitting something, so I kept lying in the bed and made an attempt to fall asleep again. However, the noise became louder and louder, which had already annoyed me. Quickly l got up from my bed. I opened the door and found Bailey running around the living room, trying to let all the things fall down. These abnormal behaviors really made me confused and a little afraid. |
B.He firmly grabbed my trousers and pulled me to the kitchen. As I approached the kitchen could obviously smell a strong burning smell and immediately knew what had happened. When¹ aw the fierce fire in the kitchen, I dashed into my children’s room like an arrow(前), waking them up at my maximum voice. Rushing out of the house together with my family. I called 911 and asked our neighbors for help at the same time. Fortunately both my family and my house were saved Thanks to our smart Bailey, we did escape from death. |
C.Angela and Tony completed the delicious breakfast and they could not wait to bring it to me who slept in the room. Their father praised their hard-earned work with his thumb up, informing them that I was sleeping on the second floor. To my surprise, their hand-made food was so delicious that l would never forget it. Obviously. what they had done for me would be rooted in memory. |
D.I nodded with a smile and encouraged the children to get started. Quickly. Angela volunteered to get the big box of com and prepared to make popcorn. At the same time, Tony. my smart boy. went to buy some paper bags. I ran to Bailey’s home to invite him. Not surprisingly. Bailey was amazed at this great project and couldn’t wait to come. To our delight, the popcorn they made looked great and tasted delicious. Finally. they packed the sweet popcorn in the paper bags together. Laughter and happiness filled this house. |
“Every cloud has a silver lining.” It drives me crazy when Mom says nonsense (废话) like that.
I’d barely had time to arrange myself in the passenger seat, my foot already blown up like a balloon when she came out with it, exactly like I knew she would. First, she patted my leg. Then she just couldn’t help herself, “Every cloud has a silver lining, you know, sweetheart.” “Mom, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not ready to look on the bright side of this.” We hadn’t even left the school parking lot yet.
On the farthest side of the field, I could see my teammates doing sprint training, Coach Zito striding back toward them. He’d mercifully helped me to the car in silence. Unlike Mom, he knew when it was best to say nothing.
As Mom started the engine, I imagined my teammates cooling down without me while they listened to Coach Zito’s pep talk. And next Thursday, they would go to practice without me, and the Thursday after that. When I had fallen and twisted my ankle, I’d cried from the pain, but I was crying out of self-pity in the car. Hours and hours of training, and then this. I told myself there was a glimmer (微光) of hope that everything would turn out okay, and that I’d make it to the track meet next month, but I knew it was just that: a glimmer. The tears fell hot and fast. Mom gave me a weak smile. “It’ll be okay, Casey.“ I suspected this was another version of the silver lining thing, but I felt so miserable that I let it pass.
We finally arrived at the hospital. Doctor Van gently moved my ankle around a bit before carefully lowering it. I nervously asked how long it would be before I could run. “Four weeks maybe, possibly five, “he replied. “And even then, you’ll need to take it easy for a while. Is that possible?” he asked with a smile.
I couldn’t answer.
One month later, I made my appearance on the field.
A.Five weeks meant little chance for me to the track meet. Looking down at my swollen foot, I wept bitter tears, knowing my last glimmer of hope was fading. As usual, Mom patted me on the shoulder and said with a smile, “sweetheart, every cloud...”“No...”I interrupted her impatiently. Life seemed dull and meaningless, but touched by Mom’s great help, I regained my confidence and was back on my feet. Amazingly, I began to practice running soon. |
B.I was lying calmly on the bed. Seeing my mother come into the ward (病房),I greeted her with a smile. When she asked what happened, I told her I was not going to play sports anymore. After hearing my words about the accident, she was quite surprised how I could still remain so optimistic. I patted my mom on the shoulder and comfort her. In my view, it is a great opportunity to have a good rest and rethink about my future life. |
C.I saw my doctor carrying the medical bag and waiting for me. He explained, “I came here to see my patient. “The delighted man warmly welcomed me, asking me whether I conducted a thorough examination and suggested appropriate following-up care. I thanked him with gratitude. Before he left, my mother came, asking,” How did you know to come to see my son? I didn’t call!” |
D.All my teammates were absolutely astonished at my quick recovery, not believing their eyes. “OH, boy! What a miracle!” My coach Zito looked at me in disbelief. To tell them everything was okay, I kicked, jumped and ran in front of them. Seeing this, they all burst out laughing. Later, I went to practice with them and participated in the track meet. From then on, whenever I encountered difficulties, Mom’s encouraging words “Every cloud has a silver lining” always rang in my ears. |