Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

王秀鳳

父愛如山。父愛，猶如大海上的一盞明燈，為我們照亮了人生前進的方向。父愛是一種默默無聞、寓于無形之中的一種情感，只有用心的人才能體會。

Do you ever chat with your parents in your free time？ What do you like to talk about？

When I was a little girl， I remember that when my dad was fixing things around the house， he would ask me to hold his hammer （錘子） while he worked so that wed have time to chat with each other.

Several years later， I bought a house. My dad came over and painted it by himself for three days in the summer heat. He asked me to hold a paint brush and talk to him while he painted. But I was too busy that day. I couldnt find any time for a conversation with my dad. I grew up and left home for college. After that， my dad called me every Sunday morning， no matter what.

Four years ago， my dad was visiting me. He spent many hours putting together a swing set for my daughter. He asked me to bring him a cup of tea and talk with him， but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend， so I didnt have time for any long conversations that day.

One Sunday morning came a call. My father had an accident and was in the hospital. I immediately（立即） bought a ticket home. While I was on the plane， I thought about all of the missed opportunities （機會） I had to talk with my dad.

I realized how little I knew about my dad， since I had never made time to talk to him. By the time I got to the hospital， it was too late. My father passed away. Now he was the one who didnt have time for a conversation.

All he ever asked me for was my time. But now， he gets my attention every single time he comes into my thoughts.

跟蹤練習：

1. What did the father do after the writer went to college？

A. He flew over to visit her every weekend.

B. He took care of her house for her.

C. He called her every Sunday morning.

D. He made a swing set for her daughter.

2. The father always asked the writer to hold things for him because .

A. he couldnt get his work done without her help

B. he wanted to chat with her while he worked

C. he wanted to play a joke on her

D. he didnt want to work by himself

3. What regret does the writer express in this story？

A. She didnt live with her father.

B. She didnt see her father before he died.

C. She didnt realize how hard her fathers life was.

D. She never made time to talk to her father.

4. The last sentence in the story suggests that .

A. the writer is too busy to think of her father

B. the writer never got any attention from her father

C. the writer misses her father

D. the writer doesnt love her father as much as before