2023-04-16 12:31:25
A BET Russell finished running a
relay and joined his friend Becky in the cafeteria. He asked, “What’s for lunch?”
“
Sesame chicken. It’s OK, except the meat’s
charred. Oh, and watch out for the chili peppers,” Becky said.
“Chilies don’t bother me!” said Russell.
“ My stepmother says you should be careful with them,” replied Becky.
An argument
ensued about eating chilies. “Chilies aren’t so bad. I bet I can take more bites of this chili than you,” Russell said.
Becky was
wary of eating the pepper. Despite her
reluctance, she didn’t want to say no to the bet. She
wavered about whether to do it or not. She
negotiated the details. “What will the winner get?” she asked.
“The loser has to carry the winner’s books for a year! I’ll even let you go first.”
Becky replied, “ Fine, but to
clarify, you’ll carry my books for the entire school year, right?”
Russell
restated the agreement, “That’s right I’ll carry your books all year if you win—which you won’t!”
His
dogged persuasion convinced her. The chili looked
benign, but Becky knew it could cause a lot of pain. She bit the bottom of the pepper. Surprisingly, she felt nothing.
“ My turn,” said Russell. He bit the middle of the chili. Immediately, he seemed to be in
distress. He
gasped and his face
alternated between brave and pained expressions. He experienced an
overdose of spice. He was on the
verge of tears and finally let out a horrible cry.
“Take this,” said Becky, handing him her drink.
“That was awful!” he said, continuing to
sip from the glass.
That night, Becky researched chilies. The next day she said in an
apologetic voice, “ I read that the hot part of chilies is in the middle, where the seeds are. I’m sorry—I feel like I cheated by going first.”
Russell was relieved, not only did he learn something new about chilies, but he learned that Becky was a good friend.
@storiesinenglish
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