James Fry was a fantastic doctor. His surgeries helped many disabled people overcome their injuries. He also wrote for a popular medical journal. James was very busy. His son, Steve, rarely saw him.
One day, James was walking and inspecting a patient’s file. There was water all over the floor. James slipped on the liquid and fell. He fell on a broken glass tube. He was hurt.
Steve came to visit him in the hospital. James said, “ It will be tough for me to stay in bed. But I can hardly bend my legs.”
“Then let’s watch a movie.” Steve said. It made them laugh together. Steve said, “ I have to leave, but here’s some fiction to read.”
James started to recall fun parts of life. He marveled at small things, like food. He was too busy to notice them before. “Steve,” he said, “you get more nutrients when you chew slowly. But I think it makes food taste better, too!”
Weeks later, James said, “Steve, I haven’t spent enough time with you. I regret this. Even my soul feels better when you visit. But I have spent sufficient time here. We should go home.”
Outside, there was a warm breeze. James watched a flag blow.
Finally, James said, “ I’m not ready to work. I’m going to take a long bath. And then we’ll watch a movie together.”
KeyWords
bath
A bath is water in a tub. People take a bath to get clean.
After playing in the dirt, the boy took a bath.bend
To bend is to move something so it is not straight.
Lee bent over and picked up the paper on the ground.chew
To chew is to move your mouth to break up food.
I always chew my food carefully before swallowing it.disabled
When a person is disabled, they cannot do what a normal person can do.
The disabled man used a wheelchair to move around.fantastic
If something is fantastic, it is really good.
The student did a fantastic job on his project and got an award.fiction
Fiction is a story that is not true.
I enjoy reading works of fiction because they are very entertaining.flag
A flag is a piece of colored cloth that represents something.
Our country has a beautiful flag.inspect
To inspect is to look at something carefully.
The mechanic inspected our car to see if it had any problems.journal
A journal is a type of magazine that deals with an academic subject.
Mi-young was busy working on an article for an art journal.liquid
A liquid is a substance that is neither solid nor gas.
Water is the most important liquid for life.marvel
To marvel at something is to feel surprise and interest in it.
We marveled at her excellent piano playing.nutrient
A nutrient is something that a living thing needs to keep it alive.
Vegetables are full of important nutrients.overcome
To overcome a problem is to successfully fix it.
She overcame her shyness and spoke in front of the class.recall
To recall something is to remember it.
She was trying to recall what she had told her friend.regret
To regret something is to wish that it didn’t happen.
I regret that I was mean to my sister.soul
A soul is a person’s spirit.
Some people believe that the soul lives after the body dies.sufficient
When something is sufficient, you have enough of it.
After eating a sufficient amount of food, I left the table.surgery
Surgery is medical treatment when the doctor cuts open your body.
I needed surgery to repair my leg after the accident.tough
If something is tough, it is difficult.
The man passed his driving test even though it was very tough.tube
A tube is a pipe through which water or air passes.
The pile of tubes was going to be put in the ground.
