| Narrator: |
Today is her mother's birthday and May is
very troubled because she does not have enough money to buy her mum
a present.
|
| May: |
75, 80, 85 cents. (Sigh!) This is only enough to
buy the bottlecap of Mummy's favourite Chanel No. 5 perfume.
What am I going to do?
|
| Narrator: |
May flips through the New Paper and saw a huge
advertisement.
|
| May: |
(Reading the newspaper aloud) Guess the number of
Coke cans contest. 12 - 3 p.m. Grand prize: $200. Winner will be
announced at 3:30 p.m. today. Wow! That's just what I need
... if only I could win ...
|
|
| Narrator: |
May went down to Cold Storage to join the contest.
|
| May: |
What a huge crowd gathering around the contest
area! Wait a minute. Isn't that my classmate, Janice?
|
| Narrator: |
May walked up to Janice.
|
|
| May: |
Hi, Janice, what are you doing here?
|
| Janice: |
Hi, May! I came to join the contest.
|
| May: |
Me too. I'm going to get the contest form
now. See you later!
|
| May: |
(Thinking aloud) Gosh! There are rows and rows of
Coke cans piled up high like a pyramid. How am I going to start
counting them?
|
| Narrator: |
After hesitating for a very long time, May finally
decided to make her guess.
|
| May: |
I think I'll write 9,999 cans on the contest
form. Please God ... please let that be the lucky number! |
| Narrator: |
After dropping the entry form into the box, May
waited impatiently for the results to be announced. At 3:30 p.m.,
the emcee stood up and announced that the number of Coke cans was
Nine thousand, nine hundred ... May held her breath ... and
ninety-nine.
|
| May: |
I won! I won!
|
| Narrator: |
May collected her prize joyfully. As she walked
out of Cold Storage, she met Janice again at the bus-stop.
|
| May: |
Oh, Janice! I won the grand prize! I'm going
to Takashimaya now to get a present for my mum. It's her
birthday.
|
| Janice: |
(Sadly) I'm very happy for you.
|
| May: |
(Concerned) But, you don't sound very happy. Is anything
wrong?
|
| Janice: |
(Sobbing) My ... my ... mother is very ill at home and she
can't get out of bed. I went to the clinic near my house but
Dr. Tan would not make house calls unless I pay $200. But
we've no money. I'm really afraid of losing mum.
She's all I have since daddy passed away.
|
| May: |
(In deep thought) Oh, dear! That's terrible. (A short
pause) What do you intend to do?
|
| Janice: |
I don't know.
|
| Narrator: |
May gazed at the prize money in her purse. After deliberating
for a short while, she pressed the money into Janice's
hands.
|
| May: |
Here, take this. Go and get Dr. Tan right away!
|
| Janice: |
But ... but ... you need this for your mum's birthday
present.
|
| May: |
Don't worry, it's okay. She'll
understand.
|
| Janice: |
Oh! Thank you so much! Thank you so much! I'm sure my mum
will pay you back when she gets well.
|
| Narrator: |
Janice rushed back to her mum while May walked home slowly. She
is happy that she had done a good deed but worried about her
mother's birthday present.
|
| May: |
(Dejectedly) What should I do? I still don't have any
present for Mum's birthday. Guess I'll just make a card
for her. The card won't mean much without a present but ...
it'll have to do.
|
| Narrator: |
That night, at the birthday party, May's
brother gave their mother a gold necklace and her sister gave her
mum a Versace bag.
|
| May: |
Mummy, I wanted to give you a present, but this
card is all I have.
|
| Mother: |
But, May ... You've already given me a
present. Janice called and told me what you had done. You see,
sweetheart, all the presents in the world wouldn't mean as
much to me as knowing that you've understood what I've
been teaching you.
|
| May: |
What's that, Mummy?
|
| Mother: |
How to love, May. And that's the best
present in the whole world that any child could ever give to a
parent.
|
|
| May: |
Do you mean it, Mummy? I wanted so much to give
you the very best present in the world.
|
| Mother: |
Of course, I do, sweetheart. You have indeed given
me the very best present in the whole world and I'm very
proud of you!
|
| May: |
Oh ... Oh! Mummy, I'm so happy!
|
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