2022

(A)

Joelstaredattheground.Rather,hestaredatwhatwaslyingontheground:aroboticglove.It

wasmadeofmetal,withblackandyellowpaint.Joellookedaroundhisbackyard.Howdida

roboticgloveendupnexttohisdad’svegetablegarden?

Inanycase,Joelhadfoundit.Andnooneelsewasaround.

Thatmeantonlyonething:finderskeepers.Wasn’tthathowfinderskeepersworked?Ifyou

foundsomethingandcouldn’tfindtheowner,itwasyours.

TheroboticglovewasnowJoel’s.Pickinguptheglove.Joelrealizeditwasn’tasheavyashe

expecteditwouldbe.Eventhoughitwasmuchbiggerthanhisownhand,hedecidedtotryiton.

Heslippedhishandinsideandfeltthemachinecometolife.Itbeeped()three

times.Joelmovedhisfingers,andtherobotfingersmovedtoo.Joelwalkedovertoalargetree

branchthathadfalleninhisyardandwrappedtheroboticfingersaroundit.Heliftedthebranch.It

shouldhavebeenheavy,butwiththegloveitwasnoheavierthanasmallbranch.

Hecouldn’tbelieveit.Maybeitwasakindofantigravitymachinereportedinthenewspaper.

Now,whatwashegoingtodowithit?

Joel’smomwasinsiderearrangingthefurniture.Hecouldwalkinandsay“Doyouneeda

handwiththat?”beforeeasilypickingupthecouchandsettingitsomewhereelse.

Atthelibrary,hecouldsay“Letmehelp”andcarryinatallstackofboxesfilledwithbooks.

Atthepark,hecouldsay“Howaboutwecatlunchoverthere?”andcarrythepicnictabletoa

shadyspot.

Everythingwouldfeelaslightasapencil.He’dfeellikeasuperhero.

Butfirst,hewantedtoshowhisdadwhathe’dfound.Hestartedrunningtowardthefront

yard.That’swhenheheardsomeonecall,“Hasanyoneseenmyroboticglove?”Joelstopped

short.

Nearthegarage,hisdadwastalkingtotheirnewnext-doorneighbor,Mr.Shore.

“Ihaven’tseenaroboticglove,”Joel’sdadsaid

1.^'iaJM^150

Joel’seyeswidenedwhenherealizedtheglovebelongedtoMr.Shore.

Justthen,Joel'smomcalledout,“Helpmemovethecouch!”

(B)

Inourkitchen,therewasawoodentableandthreechairs—oneforDad,oneforMom,and

oneforme.Inthecellar(MW),theverylastjarofapplejamlayquietlyontheshelf,waitingtobe

turnedintoanapplepiewhenDadcameback.Momsatatoneendofthetable.Isatinthemiddle

betweenherandDad.ItriednottolookatDad’semptyplace.Dadhadgonetothecitytolookfor

workforalongtime.

Everynight,Ilayawakeinbedandwaitedforthetraintostop.Waitedtohearthecreaky

tKl)gateDad’sgoingtofixwhenhecamehome.Waitedtohearthesoundofhis

workbootsdroppingonthestepbythekitchendoor,andhisvoicecalling,“I’mhome!”

Everynight,asIlaythere,IstaredatthewindowandthecurtainsMommadefromempty

floursacks

Everynight,Momcametokissmegood-night—afterthetrain’sgoneby.Shehad

beenlistening,too.“Gotosleep.Yourdadwillbehomesoon.MaybeforThanksgiving.”

Timedraggingby,itfinallycamethedaybeforeThanksgiving.1wenttosleepwiththesound

oftrainwheelsinmyhead,whispering,“Maybetomorrow,maybetomorrow.”

Earlythenextmorning,thesmellofcoffeewokeme.Iranintothekitchen.Therehewas!Dad

liftedmeontohisshouldersandpretendedtostaggerfrommyweight.“How’smyboy?You’ve

gottensobigthatIcanbarelyliftyouupanymore.”

Heputmedown,andIstaredatthetwosacksonthetable.OnesaidFLOUR—Iknewthat

word.Itriedreadingtheother:S-U-G-A-R.Dadwhistledadmiringlyandwinkedatme.Momand

Ihadbeenpracticingmylettersmostdays.IcouldseethatMomwaspleasedwithme.“I’mgoing

tobakeapicforyourdad’shomecomingdinner.Jimmy,bringmethatjarofapplejamfromthe

shelfinthecellar.”Momsmiledatme.

M:

1.150

2.

Hearingthis,Itookthestepstwoatatimetothecellar.

“Nevermind,boy,accidentshappen,”Dadsaidandwipedmytears.

(C)

Mondaystartedoutgreat.Iwokeupontime,atebreakfastanddidsomelastminutestudying

formyfirsthourmathtest.Iwasconfidentofgettinggoodgrades.ThenIleftmyhouse.Ten

minuteslater,Iwassettledwithmyfriendsontheschoolbus.Wewerebusychattingabouthowwe

spentourweekend.Atonestop,FatRyangotonhurriedly.Hetrippedoversomeone’sfoot

accidentallyandTHUMP!Hefellflatontothefloor.

Everyoneofusonthebuslookedonandlaughedcrazily.Ryanstruggledtohisfeet,dusted

thejacketandmadehiswaytoanemptyseat.Hetriedtolaughwithus,buthisfacewasburning

withembarrassment.Therestofthemorningflewby.Ididwellinmymathtest.Ireadtwomore

chaptersofToKillaMockingbirdinEnglishclass.Itwasn’tlongbeforetherewentthelunchbell.

Imetmyfriendsfromthecheerleadingteaminthedininghall.ThenIcouldn’thelpbutnotice

Ryanafewtablesaway,sittingallalone.Hecaughtmelooking.Ismiledathimquicklyand

lookedaway.

Whenwefinishedeating,weheadedouttothecourtyardtopracticeacheerwewoulddoat

thatnight’sfootballgame.Afteralittlepractice,wenailedthecheer,sowedecidedweonly

neededtogothroughitonelasttime.Again,justliketherestofmydaysofar,thecheerwas

goinggreat.Iraisedmylegforonelasttoetouch.RIIPPP!Ifeltmyjeanssplitdownthemiddleof

mybackside.

Ifroze.Ihadnoideawhattodobutstandstill.ThenIheardpeopleburstoutlaughingandI

sawthempointingatmytomjeans.Tryingtocovermyselfwithmyhands,Itriedtolaughtoo,but

Ifelttearsbegantowellupinmyeyes.

1.^?*1150

2.

Paragraph1:

ThenIsawRyanrunningtowardsme.

Paragraph2:

Thatnight,afterthecheeratthefootballgame,IfoundRyan.

(D)

AsuddencallcameintoJimmyGilleece’sbarthispastMarch.Anewlymarriedwomanwho

hadspenttheafternoonatthedivebeachbarcouldn’tfindherwallet.Shedidn’tcareaboutherID,

creditcards,or$150incash,butherweddingringwasjustinside.

Gilleece,42,didn’tliketheideathatatheftcouldhavehappenedathisplace,sohespent

hourssearching16differentcameras,watchingthewoman’severystepuntilshewenttositona

benchoutsideandleftwhenherridearrived.Withinminutes,ayoungmaninahoodiefj?)

approachedthebench,putsomethinginhispocket,andwalkedoff.Gilleecepostedacliponthe

bar’sFacebookpage.“Jdidn’twanttocriticizehim,”hesaid.“Ijustaskedifanybodyknewwho

theguywas.”Withinhours,Gilleecegotatextmessagefrom17-year-oldRiversPrather,who

admittedtakingthewalletandsaidhe’ddoneitbecausehehadn’teatenintwodays.Thinkingthe

ringwasfake,hethrewthewalletintotheoceanandtookthemoneytobuyasandwich.

Gilleece,unsurewhetherhebelievedPrather,toldtheteenagertomeethimatthedocksfii^

Jk-).There,theygottotalking,andPrathersaidthathewasn’tgettingalongwithhisfamilyand

hadbeenlivinginthewoodsforaweek.Gilleece,afatheroftwo,tookstockof('4i#?1)Prather—

hissmallbody,hisflushingCi^MillUlfltJ)cheeks—andsawhimforwhathewas:moreofakid

thanacriminal.

However,thepolicewerealreadyonthecaseandbecauseofthemissingring,Prathercould

befacingseverecharges.Gilleecedecidedtohelp.Heemployedtwolocaldiverstosearchthe

waterswherePratherhadthrownthewallet.Meanwhile,thepolicewantedGilleecetobringthe

teendowntothestation.Instead,Gilleececalledthepoliceandtoldhvm,“He’sgoingtobeatthe

dockswithmetomorrow.”

ftiS:1.

2.

Paragraph1:

Acrowdhadgatheredtowatchthetwodiverssearchinthestrongcurrent.

Paragraph?:

Butitwasn'toverforGilleece

(E)

IftJitTiliWM,WiWffiWff??,ffiZW-ig^lWXo

IwasstillathiefwhenImetAnil.Andthoughonly15,Iwasanexperiencedandfairly

successfulhand.

Anilwasabout25—atall,thinfellow—andhelookedeasy-going,kindandsimpleenough

formypurpose.Imightbeabletogetintohisconfidence.

Igavehimmymostappealingsmile.“Iwanttoworkforyou.”Isaid.

“ButIcan’tpayyou."

PerhapsIhadmisjudgedtheman.Iasked,“Canyoufeedme?

“Canyoucook?"

“Icancook.”Ilied.

“Ifyoucancook,thenIcanfeedyou.”

ThemealIcookedthatnightmusthavebeenterriblebecauseAnilgaveittoastraydogand

toldmetobeoff.ButIjusthungaroundsmilinginmymostappealingway,andhecouldn’thelp

laughing.

Laterhepattedmeontheheadandsaidnevermind,he’dteachmetocook.Healsotaughtme

towritemynameandsaidhewouldsoonteachmetowritewholesentencesandtoaddnumbers.I

wasgrateful.IknewthatonceIcouldwritelikeaneducatedmantherewouldbenolimittowhatI

couldachieve.

Oneeveninghecamehomewithasmallbundleofnotes,sayinghehadjustsoldabooktoa

publisher.Atnight,Isawhimputthemoneyunderthemattress

It’stime1didsomerealwork,Itoldmyself.Afterall,hedoesn’tevenpayme.

Anilwasasleep.Icreptuptothebed.Anilwassleepingpeacefully.Myhandslidunderthe

mattress,searchingforthenotes.WhenIfoundthem,Idrewthemoutwithoutasound.Anilsighed

inhissleepandturnedonhisside,towardsme.Iwasfrightenedandquicklycrawledoutofthe

room.

Ibegantorun,holdingthenotesbythestringofmypajamasButIsloweddownand

satdownintheshelteroftheclocktower.IshouldgobacktoAnil,Itoldmyself,ifonlytolearn

toreadandwrite.

iiB:

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2.

Ihurriedbacktotheroomfeelingverynervous.

IawokelatenextmorningtofindthatAnilhadalreadymadethetea.

(F)

Someofmyearliestmemoriesinvolvesiltingwithmydadinhisstudyeverynightwhenhe

camehomefromtheoffice.I’dwatchasheputhispersonalitemsaway:hiswatch,wallet,comb

andcarkeyswouldalwaysoccupythesamespotonthetableeverytime.Itwasasifhecouldsee

invisiblelinesdrawnspecificallyforthesethings,notacentimetremoreorless.

Dad'scombwasjadegreen.IheardheboughtitwhenhemarriedMum,whichmadethe

combtwoyearsolderthan1was.Everynight,hewouldsmile,handmethecombandsay:“Bea

goodgirlandhelpDaddycleanit,OK?”

Iwasmorethanhappytodoit.Atagefivethisordinarytaskbroughtmesuchjoy.Iwould

excitedlyturnthetapon,thenbrushthecombwithausedtoothbrushashardasIcould.Satisfied

thatI’ddoneagoodjob,IwouldproudlyreturndiecombtoDad.Hewouldsmileatme,and

placethecombontopofhiswallet.

Abouttwoyearslater,Dadlefthissalesjobandstartedhisownwholesalebusiness.Istarted

primaryschool.Thatwaswhenthingsstartedtochange.Dadisbusinesswasn’tdoingsowell,

andourstablelifestartedgettingshaky.Hedidn’tcomehomeasmuchasheusedto—justa

coupleoftimesaweek.Andwhenhedidcomehome,itwasalwayslateandI’dalreadybeinbed.

Istartedtogetmad.Whydidn'thelistentoMumandjuststicktohisoldjob?Whytaketherisk

andplacethewholefamilyintrouble?Overtheyears,Istoppedwaitingforhimtocomehome,

andstoppedgoingdownstairstocheckonhim.

Today,I'mnolongerakid.Now28,I’vegraduatedfromcollegeandgotajob.Dad’s

businesshasalsostartedtogetbackontrack.Thingsarebetternow.Yettheuncomfortablesilence

betweenDadandmecontinued.

1.150

2.

Twodaysbeforemybirthdaylastyear.Dadcamehomeearly.

WhenIpassedthecleancombbacktoDad,Inoticedthewrinklesnexttohiseyes.

A

(DJocl’seyeswidenedwhenherealizedtheglovebelongedtoMr.Shore.?Staringatit,he

feltcaughtinadilemma,thoughheknewfinderskeepersdidn’tw'orkifyoufoundtheowner.

However,?seeingthedisappointmentonMr.Shore’sface,hetookadeepbreathandcalledout,

“Ifoundit!”Mr.Shore’sfacelitupwithrelief.?Joelranover,tookofftheglove,andgaveitto

hisneighbor.“Ifounditinthebackyard,”Joelsaid.“ItrieditonandIcouldliftahugebranch.

It’samazing.”

Justthen,Joel’smomcalledout,“Helpmemovethecouch!”Hehesitatedbecausewithout

theglove,hisdreamsofbeingasuperherofadedaway.Hefeltsoupset.Everyonelookedateach

other—andtheneveryonelookedattheglove.Mr.ShorehelditouttoJoelwithagiantsmile.

“Wouldyouliketouseit?”“Yes,please.”Joel’ssmilewasasbigasMr.Shore’s.Heslippedon

thegloveandthecouchwasaslightasapencil.Joelfeltlikeasuperheroagain!

B

Hearingthis,Itookthestepstwoatatimetothecellar.ThenextsecondIwasinfrontofthe

shelf.Istoodontiptoeandtookdownthejarcarefully.IcouldhearDadandMomlaughing

upstairsandMom’shandsslappingthedough.?Wantingtojointhem.Ihurriedupthesteps,and

myfootcaughtonthemiddleone.Iputoutmyhandtosteadymyself,butItumbleddown.?The

jarslippedthroughmyfingersandsmashedonthefloor.Thejamwe’dbeensavingandsaving

Heweverywhere.Wrong-footed,IburstintotearsandheardDad’sfootstepscloserandcloser.

“Nevermind,boy,accidentshappen,”Dadsaidandwipedmytears.Thesewordsseemedto

havemagicandgraduallyIsettleddown.Throughtheshirt,Icouldsmellthedustofthetrainand

thecityaswellasthatofDad’s.HowIwishedIhadn’thurried.“NexttimeIwillbemore

careful,”Ithoughttomyself.?Havingswiftlydealtwiththemess.Dadliftedmeontohis

shoulderandwentbacktoMom.“Nowoutofthekitchen,youtwo,’’Mornsaid,“I'mgoingtobake

mymama’ssugarpie,withoutapplejam!”IfollowedDadoutandhelpedhimfixthatold

creakinggateuntilMacalledusinforThanksgivingdinner.

C

ThenIsawRyanrunningtowardsme.Asapproaching,hetookoffhisjacketandtiedit

aroundmywaist.?Withoutanywords,hepattedmeonmyback,turnedbackandranaway.

?ThinkingaboutwhatIhaddonetohimearlier,Ifelttearsrollingdownmycheekswhichwere

burningwithgreatembarrassment.?Therestoftheafternooncrawledby.?Finally,classwas

overandthefootballgamebegan.Itriedtogetfocusedwhileperformingthecheer.

Thatnight,afterthecheeratthefootballgame,IfoundRyan.?Tears,outofcontrol,rolled

downmyfaceagainthemomentImethim.?Iheldhishandsfirmlyandsaid“Thankyou!”once

andonceagain.?Ryansmiledandpattedmeonmybacklikebefore.When1apologizedtohim

forwhathappenedinthemorning,heaskedmetoforgetitandtoldmethatwewereclassmatesas

wellasgoodfriends.?Ryan’skindnessconvincesmethatsunshineiseverywhereonceweare

goodtoeverythingaroundus.

D

Acrowdhadgatheredtowatchthetwodiverssearchinthestrongcurrent.Morethananhour

passed,withnosignofthering.Gilleecegrewworried,especiallywhenthepolicebegan

questioningPratherandtryingtogethimtoadmittokeepingthering.Eachpassingminute

increasedthechancesthathewouldarresttheyoungman.Thenadiverpoppedup.Inhishand

wasthewallet,andinsidewasthering.Cheerseruptedfromthecrowd.Eventhedetectivewas

happy.

Butitwasn’toverforGilleece.He’dbeentroubledaboutPrathersleepinginthecoldwoods.

GilleeceknewhishomewasbigenoughtogivePratheraplacetoliveforawhile.Hetoldthe

teenhecouldstaywithhisfamilyuntiltheboygotonhisfeetagain.Healsogavethekidajobat

hisbar.“Mostpeoplewouldhavegiventhefootage(!Si$M^)topolice,buthechosetobelieve

meandhelpme.I’llworkhardtobecomeagoodguy,justasheexpected,”Prathersaidinan

interview.

E

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