Jerry and Emma are husband and
wife. It’s summer, and Jerry’s birthday is approaching. Emma wants to give him
a present for his birthday, but she wants it to be a surprise, so she must keep
everything a secret.
But she has a big problem. If
Jerry cannot know about her plan, how does she find out what to get him
for his birthday?
She decides to use a secret
technique. For a whole week, while she pretends to be doing other things, she
actually keeps her ears wide open for clues.
However, Jerry doesn’t really
talk about this subject. A whole week passes with no mention of something he
actually wants or needs!
“That’s it!” Emma thinks to
herself. “Jerry’s birthday is tomorrow! I’m taking off the gloves!”
She calls her sister-in-law
Mary, and they make a secret plan.
Mary will call Jerry, ask him
what he would like to receive for his birthday, and Emma will listen to the
conversation (without Jerry knowing it).
The scheme starts out as
planned. Mary calls Jerry, and they have a nice chat about his upcoming birthday.
Emma listens carefully from the other room.
Finally, she hears what he
wants—a pair of sneakers!
“All right!” she thinks to
herself.
Full of excitement, she storms
out of the room. She was not so quiet, but who can blame her?
She rushes off to the shop and
buys a pair of shiny sneakers, exactly Jerry’s size. She’s very happy. She will
get him the present he wants, and it will be a complete surprise!
Today is Jerry’s birthday. Emma
waits until their special dinner at night.
Finally, the moment arrives.
It’s time for Jerry’s present!
Emma brings in the box of
sneakers, wrapped in colorful paper.
“Wow!” Jerry says with a big
smile. “I wonder what it can be.”
“Open it and see for yourself!”
Emma replies happily.
He tears off the colorful paper
and takes out the box. He opens the box.
“Oh, it’s a . . . pair of
sneakers! What a lovely . . . surprise . . .”
Emma notices that something is
wrong. “What’s the matter? You don’t seem so happy. Don’t you need a
pair of sneakers?”
“Hmm.” Jerry takes a look at
each shoe.
“Well, didn’t you tell Mary
that you wanted a pair of sneakers?” Emma asks him.
“A pair of sneakers?” Jerry
starts to laugh. “I said a pair of speakers! You seem surprised. Well, I
guess I could use a pair of sneakers too.”