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Unit Five
　
　

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A mother and her son learn more from a moment
of defeat than they ever could from a victory. Her ex-
ample of never giving up gives him courage for the rest
of his life.
　
　
THE DAY MOTHER CRIED

Gerald Moore
　
Coming home from school that dark winter's day so long ago, I was
filled with anticipation. I had a new issue of my favorite sports magazine
tucked under my arm, and the house to myself. Dad was at work, my sis-
ter was away, and Mother wouldn't be home from her new job for an hour.
I bounded up the steps, burst into the living room and lipped on a light.

I was shocked into stillness by what I saw. Mother, pulled into a tight
ball with her face in her hands, sat at the far end of the couch. She was
crying. I had never seen her cry.
I approached cautiously and touched her shoulder. "Mother?" I said.
"What's happened?"

She took a long breath and managed a weak smile. "It's nothing, real-
ly. Nothing important. Just that I'm going to lose this new job. I can't
type fast enough. "
"But you've only been there three days, "I said. "You'll catch on. "I
was repeating a line she had spoken to me a hundred times when I was hav-
ing trouble learning or doing something important to me.

"No, "she said sadly. "I always s aid I could do anything I set my mind
to, and I still think I can in most things. But I can't do this."
I felt helpless and out of place. At age 16 I still assumed Mother could
do anything. Some years before, when we sold our ranch, and moved to
town, Mother had decided to open a day nursery. She had had no training,
but that didn't stand in her way. She sent away for correspondence courses
in child care, did the lessons and in six months formally qualified herself for
the task. It wasn't long before she had a full enrollment and a waiting list.
I accepted all this as a perfectly normal instance of Mother's ability.

But neither the nursery nor the motel my parents bought later had pro-
vided enough income to send my sister and me to college. In two years I
would be ready for college. In three more my sister would want to go.
Time was running out, and Mother was frantic for ways to save money. It
was clear that Dad could do no more than he was doing already -- farming
80 acres in addition to holding a fulltime job.

A few months after we'd sold the motel, Mother arrived home with a
used typewriter. It skipped between certain letters and the keyboard was
soft. At dinner that night I pronounced the machine a "piece of junk."
"That's all we can afford, "Mother said. "It's good enough to learn
on. "And from that day on, as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes
were done, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The
slow tap, tap, tap went on some, nights until midnight.

It was nearly Christmas when I heard Mother got a job at the radio
station. I was not the least bit surprised, or impressed. But she was
ecstatic.
Monday, after her first day at work, I could see that the excitement
was gone. Mother looked tired and drawn. I responded by ignoring her.

Tuesday, Dad made dinner and cleaned the kitchen. Mother stayed in
her sewing room, practicing. "Is Mother all right? "I asked Dad.
"She's having a little trouble with her typing, "he said. "She needs to
practice. I think she'd appreciate it if we all helped out a bit more."
"I already do a lot, "I said, immediately on guard.

"I know you do, "Dad said evenly. "And you may have to do more.
You might just remember that she is working primarily so you can go to
college. "
I honestly didn't care. I wished she would just forget the whole thing.
My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears on Wednesday
was a perfect index of how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting
beside her on the couch, I began very slowly to understand.

"I guess we all have to fail sometime, "Mother said quietly. I could
sense her pain and the tension of holding back the strong emotions that
were interrupted by my arrival. Suddenly, something inside me turned.
I reached out and put my arms around her.

She broke then. She put her face against my shoulder and sobbed. I
held her close and didn't try to talk. I knew I was doing what I should,
what I could, and that it was enough. In that moment, feeling Mother's
back racked with emotion, I understood for the first time her vulnerability.
She was still my mother, but she was something more: a person like me,
capable of fear and hurt and failure. I could feel her pain as she must have
felt mine on a thousand occasions when I had sought comfort in her
arms.

A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary
radio station had offered. "It's a job I can do, "she said simply. But the
evening practice sessions on the old green typewriter continued. I had a
very different feeling now when I passed her door at night and heard her
tapping away. I knew there was something more going on in there than a
woman learning to type.

When I left for college two years later, Mother had an office job with
better pay and more responsibility. I have to believe that in some strange
way she learned as much from her moment of defeat as I did, because
several years later, when I had finished school and proudly accepted a job
as a newspaper reporter; she had already been a journalist with our
hometown paper for six months.
The old green typewriter sits in my office now, unrepaired. It is a me-
mento, but what it recalls for me is not quite what it recalled for Mother.
When I'm having trouble with a story and think about giving up or when I
start to feel sorry for myself and think things should be easier for me, I
roll a piece of paper into that cranky old machine and type, word by
painful word, just the way Mother did. What I remember then is not her
failure, but her courage, the courage to go ahead.
It's the best memento anyone ever gave me.



Click the button to listen to the pronunciations of new words

　

　

New Words

　

anticipation n.
expectation

anticipate vt.

issue n.
发行物(刊物的)一期

tuck vt.
put or push into a desired convenient

　
position so as to hold tightly; draw

　
together into a small space 塞(进);卷(起)

bound vi.
move along quickly by jumping or leaping

　
move- ments 跳跃

flip v.
turn or move quickly or with a jerk

tight a.
drawn, fixed or fastened together

　
firmly 紧的,牢的

ad.
firmly, closely

couch n.
a long comfortable seat with a back and

　
arms on which more than one person may

　
sit; sofa 长沙发椅

approach v.
come near or nearer (to)

cautiously ad.
very carefully 细心地,谨慎地

cautious a.

type vt.
write (sth.) with a typewriter

line n.
a row of words in a poem; a row of words

　
on a page of writing or in print(诗,文的一行）

helpless a.
unable to look after oneself or take

　
action to help others, powerless

assume vt.
take as true without actual proof;

　
suppose 假使,主观认为

ranch n.
a very large farm for raising horses,

　
cattle or sheep 大牧场,大农场

nursery n.
a place where small children are

　
temporarily cared for 托儿所

day nursery n.
a place where small children are cared

　
for during the day

training n.
the process of training or being trained;

　
instruction

correspondence n.
the act of exchanging letters 通信

correspondence course n.
an educational course in which instructions

　
and work are exchanged between the teacher

　
and student by post 函授课程

formally ad.
according to proper rules or lawful

　
forms 正式地

formal a.

qualify vt.
make fit or competent for a special

　
purpose 使具有资格

enrol(1)ment n.
the number of people who have registered

　
them- selves as members of a school, a

　
program, etc. ;registering 注册人数;

　
注册,登记

enrol(l) v.
注册,登记

motel n.
a roadside hotel providing overnight

　
lodging for motorists 汽车旅馆

frantic a.
wildly anxious, afraid, happy; etc.

acre n.
英亩

addition n.
the act of adding 加,加法

full-time a.
occupying all normal working hours

typewriter n.
打字机

keyboard n.
the set of keys on a typewriter, piano,

　
etc. 键盘

junk n.
old useless things 破烂,垃圾

tap n
a short light blow 轻叩

midnight n.
the middle of the night 午夜

ecstatic a.
marked by a state of overwhelming

　
emotion, esp. great joy 欣喜若狂的

drawn a.
(of the face) looking very tired or

　
worned or tense 憔悴的;紧张的

respond vi.
act in answer to the action of another;

　
answer

dad n.
(colloq.) father

evenly ad.
calmly, peacefully

even a.

primarily

primarily ad.
mainly; chiefly

embarrassment n.
a feeling of shyness, shame or guilt

index n.
sign or indication 指数,指标

pressure n.
a constraining influence upon the mind

　
(心理上的)压力

tension n.
(a feeling of) nervous anxiety, worry,

　
or pressure 紧张

arrival n.
the act of arriving

rack vt.
shake violently 猛力摇动

vulnerability n.
being liable to be damaged or hurt 易受

　
伤的,脆弱性

vulnerable a.

dry goods
(AmE) cloth, ribbons, laces, curtains

　
and similar textile fabrics 织物类商品

session n.
a meeting or period of time devoted to

　
a particular activity 会议;(从事某项

　
活动的)一段时间

journalist n.
a person whose profession is writing

　
for, editing, or publishing newspapers

　
or magazines, a reporter 新闻工作者;记者

memento n.
sth. which reminds one of a holiday, a

　
friend, etc. 纪念品

cranky a.
(of a machine) shaky; malfunctioning

　
不稳的;有毛病的


　

　

Phrases & Expressions

　

have sth. to oneself
have sth. for one's own private use

at work
working; operating

catch on (to)
(informal) learn; understand 学会，懂得

set one's mind to (or on)
pull all one's efforts into doing (sth.)

　
决心做

stand be in sb's way
be in a position to delay or prevent someone

　
from his in- tended actions 阻碍,妨碍

send away for
request (sth.) or order (goods) to be sent

　
by post 函索

run out
come to an end ; be used up 到期;用完,耗尽

in addition (to)
besides; as well (as)

help out
give help; help (sb.) at a time of need

　
帮助;帮助(某人)摆脱困境

on guard
ready to defend or protect; watchful 警惕

　
提防

in tears
crying

hold back
control; make (sth.) stay in place 抑制,阻止

go on
take place or happen

go ahead
make progress; advance


　

　

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