Entry_Level_The Garden_01

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The garden

It was six o’clock. I was tired. It was time to go home. I didnot like my work in the shop

I often had headaches and my feet were always tired.

The streets were hot and busy.

Everybody was going home

Their faces looked sad.

I passed a flower shop. It was dark and quiet.

The flowers smelled sweet and their leaves were wet.

I stopped. I looked in my purse.

I had a little money.

I went into the shop and bought a bunch of flowers.

At home I put the flowers in a vase.

They looked beautiful.

I put vase on the table.

I began to make supper. My father came in.

‘where is my food?’ he said.

‘Nearly ready father.’

He picked up a bottle of whisky. He poured some into a glass.

The bottle was nearly empty.

‘give me some money, girl.’

I need more whisky.

You don’t need any more, please, father, don’t buy any more.

Shut up and give me some money.

I haven’t got any.

My father was angry.

He began to shout at me. He pointed to the flowers.

You spent money on flowers.

He picked up the vase, and threw it on the floor.

The vase broke.

My father went out and shut the door with a bang.

He will get money from a friend I thought.

He will come home drunk again tonight.

I picked up the broken flowers and threw them away.

Somebody knocked at the door. I did not want to open it.

It was not a friend. Nobody comes here now.

The person knocked again and called my name.

It was the old man from next door.

Come in, George.

George came in and sat down.

I heard your father, he said.

Poor little girl. Can I help you.? I wanted to talk to oldGeorge.

What can I do?

Father drinks whisky all the time.

He hasn’t got a job.

He takes all my money and spends it on drinks.

Today I bought some flowers.

He was angry. He broke the vase.

Sometimes I hated him.

Do you like flowers?

I love them. But they cost a lot of money.

Why don’t you grow some in your balcony?

Grow flowers? I’ll show you. I was a gardener once.

The next day I came home quickly from work.

George was waiting outside the flat.

Come and see. I went inside the old man’s flat.

He had some flower pots and some packets of seeds.

George and I carried the flower pots into my flat.

We filled them with earth and planted the seeds.

We put the pots on the balcony.

Every evening George and I worked in our balcony garden.

George taught me a lot about flowers. he talked aboutdifferent flowers, about their colour and beauty.

I was happy in my garden.

I forgot about my father and my hard work at the shop.

George was my friend. I was not lonely any more.