Spanish Banner: Intercambio de Enlaces
Spanish Banner: Intercambio de Enlaces.

Lucky Day

Día Suerte




Maria walked down the sidewalk and stopped at the mailbox in front of her house. There was a letter for her from a university in Paris, France. Her brother, Miguel, and his friend, Alfredo, approached her.
"Anything interesting?" Miguel asked her.


"I have a letter from Paris. It is from some university. Alfredo, you've been to Paris, do you know anything about a school that they call the Polytechnique?"


"Yes, of course. It is a very prestigious university."


"Wow," she said looking off into the distance, thinking.


"Mom and Dad are not going to pay a lot of money to send you to school in Paris when you have a scholarship to attend a good school here for free." He looked at her. "Well, I think it means a lot that they want you to go there." He looked at Alfredo. "You said that it was very difficult to get into this University?"


"Yes. Most difficult."


Miguel patted Maria's shoulder with his hand. "Why don't you open it and read how they think you are a good student and then we can go to El Toro Dorado tonight to celebrate, and I will buy your dinner."


"That isn't necessary," Maria said with a smile as she opened the letter.


"No, I insist," Miguel said. "We argue all the time and you are always wrong, but I love you and I am very proud of you. You have worked hard and I want you to enjoy tonight--you've earned it."


He stopped, expecting her to make some small clever remark in retaliation, but she was staring at the letter as if she hadn't heard a word that he had said.


"Maria?"


No answer.


"Earth to Maria. The space shuttle is about to land..."


"They want me to go to Polytechnique for five years."


"Of course they do. You're a good student and they want hundreds of thousands of dollars."


"They want to give me a full-ride scholarship to study Physics--with Madame Chartier."


Miguel put his arm around Maria and they walked into the house. They went in and sat down at the table in the dining room.


"This means you will be leaving us."


"I... I hadn't thought..."


"You're going. Of course, you're going. Oh, Maria, you know we're all going to miss you, but you have to go. It will be an honor for all of the family. Mother will make a big fuss and embarrass everyone," he laughed, "and I'll just sit back and watch you squirm."


Maria and Alfredo laughed.


"Little Camilla is going to want my room when I leave."


"Perhaps we could decorate it for her and buy that doll house that she wants before you go."


"Yes."




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