365个英语简短小故事-293.Rich Man Invites Poor Student

Jodie liked her apartment. She had a beautiful view to the south. A nearby tree was home to two squirrels. She liked to watch them. So did her cat. Mrs. Neely owned the apartment building. She was an old lady who spoke¹ with a thick Norwegian accent.

Jodie and Mrs. Neely got along very well. Mrs. Neely said that Jodie reminded her of her daughter, who had died in a car crash years ago. Mrs. Neely was a widow. She kept busy by volunteering at the local library and senior center. An excellent baker², she often brought bread and pastries³ to Jodie.

“You’re trying to make me fat,” laughed Jodie one day. “How will I ever find a boyfriend?”

“I still can’t believe that Prince Charming hasn’t found you,” said Mrs. Neely. “Maybe you’re just too pretty and too smart for the young men around here.”

Jodie was going to graduate school at night. She had a day job as a teacher’s assistant in the fourth grade. She loved teaching kids. The principal had already told her that a full-time⁴ teaching job was hers after she got her master's degree.

“Aren’t there any nice boys in your graduate classes, Jodie?” Mrs. Neely asked.

“There are some,” said Jodie. “But they’re either married, or have a girlfriend, or are too focused on getting their degree. And don’t forget, I have to concentrate on graduating, so I really shouldn’t be dating anyway.”

“Well, that’s just a shame,” said Mrs. Neely. “You’re too pretty to be alone. But don’t worry. You keep doing your homework, and I’ll be on the lookout⁵ for you.” She winked⁶ at Jodie. Jodie smiled. She loved Mrs. Neely.

Mrs. Neely died not long after that conversation. She had a stroke while mixing some batter⁷ for cookies. An ambulance took her to the hospital, where she died a day later.

Her son Ned was Mrs. Neely’s sole heir. Ned had been married and divorced three times. None of his wives had anything nice to say about him. Ned didn’t care. He was looking for Wife Number Four.

Ned introduced himself to Jodie right after Mrs. Neely’s funeral on Saturday. He knew about Jodie because Mrs. Neely had told him about her. Ned said he was afraid that he might have to double her rent. Also, no pets were allowed in the building. “You’ll have to take your cat to the pound,” he said.

“In that case,” she said, “I’m moving out.”

“I was joking, of course. You’re very pretty,” said Ned.

“Thank you,” said Jodie.

“Come to dinner with me at Chez Maison tonight and we can discuss your apartment and your cat.” Ned had an air of confidence that Jodie found mildly attractive.

“That might be nice,” she found herself saying. Ned told her he would pick her up at 8 and left. Jodie wondered if she was doing the right thing. She didn’t even know this guy. Oh well, she thought, it would be nice to eat at a fancy restaurant for a change.

She picked up some cat food on her way home.

 

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

4 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

5 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

6 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。