Mama's voice floated through the apartment as she sang a Mexican folk song that I had heard all my life．“Hola,” she greeted me when she came out of the bedroom．“Please speak to me in 1 ,” I interrupted．She paid no attention and 2 speaking in Spanish．The words 3 me of my grandparents and birthday parties in Mexico, but I knew my mother's life would be 4 if she learned to speak English．We had lived in the United States for three years, and she still had difficulty 5 to store owners and my teachers．I was determined that she should try．“Why won't you speak English?” I 6 ．“Don't you want to be 7 to talk to people here?” “Isabel,” she whispered．Mama always whispered when she was upset with me．“What?” I was not 8 with her, either．She 9 for the English words．“Come with me to the, uh －how do you say it? Meeting．” “What kind of meeting? Where is it?” I 10 her, but now she refused to answer．In 11 , we drove across town to the college, where she pulled into a brightly lit parking lot．I was 12 ．I had expected a meeting at someone's 13 － a garden club or a parents' group．Then I 14 a sign on a door．My mother was 15 night classes to learn English!
“I don't understand． 16 you're learning English, why won't you speak English at home?” I asked．“You'll learn faster if you 17 with me．” “I speak English here,” she said in her thick accent．She hesitated, putting the words together, and then went on, “I speak Spanish at home 18 you．”
I 19 understood － she spoke Spanish at home so that I wouldn't forget the words, songs, and 20 of Mexico．I said, “O．K．, Mama, estabien．”
As my wife greeted me one evening, her voice came through the door,“Guess what?”
I always take a deep 1 on this very leading question．“What?”I asked．
“I just won a sales contest at work and the 2 is dinner for two at the new fancy restaurant down by the river-front!”
She was so 3 ．We knew the restaurant was extremely good．“See?I told you there would be a 4 for me to wear my new spring outfit,”she shyly reminded me．
“ 5 can play at that game,”I responded．“I will wear my gray suit, my Borsalino imported straw hat and a new silk tie．We will be well 6 ．”
It was early 7 and nearing dusk as the waiter took us to a table by a window, with a(n) 8 of the river．And the table was 9 set, with a smoke-gray tablecloth and bright colored napkins．
A delicious meal 10 in such an atmosphere should be remembered a long time．As it 11 , this will probably never be forgotten．
As the shadows lengthened, the 12 rocking by the riverbank, I murmured,“Why not take a walk?”
Hand in hand, we walked by the stores．People smiled and nodded．“I 13 realized there were so many 14 people as we have seen this evening, dear,”I observed．
“Probably your new straw hat or your 15 ,”she said．
After receiving many smiles, we 16 ourselves back at the restaurant, looking at ourselves in the 17 ．It was then that I saw the 18 for all the smiles．
Caught in the fly of my trousers and 19 down for all to see was a bright red 20 from the restaurant!
“Mama, when I grow up, I'm going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three．It was the first time that my 1 took on a vivid form and acted as something important to start my training．As I grew older and was 2 to more, my interests in the world of dance 3 varied but that little girl's dream of someday becoming a 4 in the company never left me．In the summer of 2005 when I was 18, I received the phone call which made that dream a 5 ; I became a member of the company 6 back to 1925．
As I look back on that day now, it surely 7 any sense of reality．I believe I stayed in a state of pleasant disbelief 8 I was halfway through rehearsals(排练)on my first day．I never actually 9 to get the job．After being offered the position, I was completely 10 ．I remember shaking with excitement．
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the change, it did not come without its fair share of 11 ．Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to 12 up the material fast with every last bit of concentration．It is that extreme 13 to detail(细节)and stress on practice that set us 14 ．To then follow those high-energy rehearsals 15 a busy show schedule of up to five performances a day, I discovered a new 16 of the words “hard work．” What I thought were my physical 17 were pushed much further than I thought 18 ．I learned to make each performance better than the last．
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great 19 of being a part of, not only as a member, but as a dance captain, I see a 20 that has inspired not only generations of little girls but a splendid company that continues to develop and grow-and inspires people every day to follow their dreams．
