HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 23When Rosa came home from school, she checked the mail. She looked at each letter
carefully and then frowned in dismay. She had hoped to fi nd a letter from Liz. Rosa was
disappointed.
Rosa’s best friend, Liz, had moved to a new town a month ago. The friends promised
to write to each other every week. Rosa had kept her promise, but she had not
received a single letter from Liz.
Liz’s silence began to irritate Rosa. Rosa stomped into her room. She stared grimly
out the window at the house where her friend used to live. She had already sent Liz
three letters. “Why hasn’t she written back?” Rosa snapped.
Two more weeks went by. Rosa’s bad feelings grew. Her annoyance at Liz became
stronger and stronger, until it was a red-hot fury. If someone at school asked her
how Liz was doing, Rosa would roll her eyes and say scornfully, “How should I know?”
Whenever Rosa talked about Liz, her voice became loud and strident. Rosa’s harsh
voice gave away her hurt feelings.
Rosa forgot about the time Liz helped her to the nurse when she twisted her ankle.
She forgot about the time they watched old movies and laughed until their sides ached.
All Rosa remembered was Liz’s broken promise. And every time she thought about it,
she felt contempt and anger. Rosa did not want to feel hatred toward Liz, but she felt
herself starting to despise her.
Still, Rosa checked the mail every day. Still, she stomped into her room when she
did not see a letter from Liz. One day, Rosa’s mother heard the sound of Rosa’s angry
footsteps. She knocked on Rosa’s door.
“Rosa, do you want to talk about why you’re so upset?” her mother asked. Rosa
took a long time to answer, because she was reluctant to say the words.
“I keep wondering why Liz hasn’t written to me,” Rosa said. “I guess she must be
busy in her new town. I’m trying to be happy for her, but I’m still sad and very angry.”
Rosa’s mother put her arm around Rosa. “It’s OK to be angry,” she said. “But it’s
also important to remember how happy you and Liz were together. Nothing will ever
change that.”
Rosa smiled a wry, dry smile. She was still sad and angry, but she knew her mother
was right.
COMPREHENSION What makes it diffi cult to keep in touch with someone who
has moved away? What words help you understand the way Rosa feels?
The Broken Promise
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Sometimes family members live in different places. For example, brothers
and sisters may go away to college. Or sometimes a family member will move
away to take a job in another place. Sometimes family members will even move
to different countries! For these members of a family, living far away from
home can be hard. They do not get to see their families every day when they
come home. They miss out on a lot of the everyday interactions, like chatting
about their days or helping to cook dinner. Since they are no longer a part of
the household, they have to work very hard to stay in contact.
There are many ways for people living away from home to keep in touch. Some
people choose to write letters and send them in the mail. Letters written by hand
usually get the best reception because they take time and effort to write. The
person who gets the letter knows that the person who wrote it cares a lot.
But it can take anywhere from two days to two weeks for a letter to go
through the mail. If someone wants a letter to arrive sooner, he or she might
choose to write an e-mail. These letters get delivered through computers.
They are sent right away over the Internet. But some people are not well
acquainted with computers and technology. They do not know how to use the
Internet, and they cannot send e-mail.
People can also use the telephone to stay in touch. It is wonderful to hear
a familiar voice when you need sympathy after a bad day. The telephone can
help family members with confronting any problems. They can talk to each
other as if they were face-to-face, instead of writing a letter. This can help
to get rid of tension between family members. But there is one tricky part to
using the telephone: It is important to use telephone etiquette, or rules for
being polite. One rule is to call only during certain hours of the day—not too
early and not too late. If family members follow different schedules, it can be
hard for them to stay faithful to keeping in touch by telephone.
Does anyone in your family live far away? How do you keep in touch?
COMPREHENSION Name three ways that people living apart can stay
in touch. What words did you hear about relationships?
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