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, esta bien．”
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