“Come on, we’re in a hurry,” Mom shouts as Ven runs into the living room.
“I’m ready!” Ven shouts back. The family is going to a birthday party for Ven’s grandfather. He is turning eighty, so it is a very special day. Dad is carrying the birthday cake, and he is waiting at the front door of the family’s apartment.
“Where’s your sister?” Mom asks Ven.
“I’m coming,” Ven’s sister says from the kitchen. They are finally all ready to go.
They walk quickly to the subway station and wait for a train. One arrives, and the family gets on. The train isn’t very busy because it is Sunday, so each of them gets a seat. They are sitting comfortably when there is a loud noise, and the train stops suddenly. The lights turn off. Ven’s sister moves closer to her.
“I’m scared,” she says quietly. She doesn’t use the subway often. Ven puts her arm around her sister.
“It’s OK. Trains stop all the time. It’s normal,” Ven says. The girls hold hands.
The lights come back on, and then the driver’s voice comes from the front of the train. “I’m sorry for the delay. There is a train ahead of us and it has broken down.”
“See,” Ven says and looks at her sister. Her sister smiles.
“We’re going to be late now,” Mom says, looking worried.
After five minutes, the train starts moving again, and the family soon gets to the station. They get out and hurry to the exit.
After a short walk, they reach the grandparents’ apartment. Everyone is there: Grandpa, Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone is laughing and chatting and having a good time.
