[영어2] special lesson. The Cactus (1)본

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[영어2] special lesson. The Cactus (1)

본문 1 ‒ The Cactus

KAKAO : 오답노트

Isn t it strange that one can think about so much in such a short time People in life threatening situations can recall years of their lives in just a few seconds Likewise one can remember a romance from beginning to end all while taking off his or her gloves

That is exactly what Trysdale was doing as he stood in his room On the table next to him was a unique green plant in a red earthen jar It was a rare species of cactus with long green leaves that moved in the slightest breeze The way they moved seemed to say

come closer

Also in the room was Trysdale s best friend He was the brother of the bride The two stood in the room wearing suits ready to relax after the wedding For Trysdale however there would be no relaxation

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본문 2 The Cactus

As he slowly unbuttoned his gloves the horrible recollection of the last few hours ran through his mind He could still smell the wedding flowers The love song for the bride and bridegroom still played in his head Most of all he remembered the minister s voice declaring the marriage official in front of all the guests

Even now he tried to figure out why and how he had lost her He also faced the new feeling of seeing his own miserable self clearly The pride he had had looked like foolishness now He had always had plenty of confidence but now he was disgraced His vanity and ego had been his armor but now they were rags With all these gone the only thing that remained was his pitiful self

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본문 3 The Cactus

When she was walking up the aisle toward the altar he saw that she looked pale and somehow sad Trysdale felt a meaningless dark pleasure from this Perhaps it meant she still thought about him Maybe she knew she was making a mistake However when he saw her happily looking up at the bridegroom with shining eyes he knew she had forgotten him Memories of the time when she used to look at him this way came flooding back This was the final blow to his pride Why had their romance ended this way They hadn t fought with each other even once

For the thousandth time he replayed the last days of their relationship in his mind He constantly tried to find the reason that everything had ended so suddenly

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본문 4 The Cactus

She had always adored him and looked up to him He had accepted her admiration like a king accepts reverence from his people To him her adoration had seemed so childlike so faithful and so worshipful He had believed it was sincere She had always seen the best in him He had received her praise like the desert absorbs the rain and doesn t promise fruit in return

As Trysdale removed his second glove the worst memory returned It was the night when he asked her to spend the rest of their lives together Now it was too painful to think of her beauty that night It was her beauty that had always made him accept her praise During their conversation she said Captain Carruthers says that you speak Spanish like a native speaker Why haven t you ever told me Is there anything you aren t good at

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본문 5 The Cactus

It occurred to Trysdale that he had repeated an old Spanish saying to Carruthers He had heard it from somewhere by chance and then said it later pretending to be smart Carruthers who loved to exaggerate must have overestimated Trysdale s ability However her praise was so sweet that he could not tell her the truth He just let her continue believing that he was a fluent speaker of Spanish

How glad how shy how nervous she was when he proposed How surprised she seemed when he kneeled in front of her He could have sworn and he could swear now that the look in her eyes meant yes However she avoided a direct response and shyly said I will send you my answer tomorrow Trysdale like a confident victor happily allowed this short delay

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본문 6 The Cactus

The next day he waited eagerly to hear from her At noon one of her servants came to Trysdale s door and left the strange cactus in the red earthen jar There was no note no message There was merely a tag on the plant showing some foreign or botanical name He waited until night but her answer did not come With his pride so deeply wounded he did not try to visit her

Two days later they met by chance at a dinner They greeted each other politely but she looked at him breathlessly waiting for some sign of what he was thinking Trysdale just stared back at her gravely wanting her explanation for not answering his proposal Noticing a sudden mood change she followed Trysdale s lead turning cold and distant From that night on they grew apart What had he done wrong Was he the one to blame Now after her wedding he searched for the answer in his ruined pride

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본문 7 The Cactus

Just then the voice of the other man in the room interrupted his thoughts and awakened him from his deep reflection

Trysdale what in the world is wrong with you You look sad Look at me I came 2 000 miles on a crowded old boat all the way from South America to attend my only little sister s wedding Now she s gone but I m still enjoying the night Come now Let s have some tea together

I don t want any tea thanks said Trysdale

Your tea his friend replied is awful Come down to my place in South America one day and try the tea there It s worth the trip Oh This looks familiar Where did you come by this cactus Trysdale

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본문 8 The Cactus

A present said Trysdale from a friend Do you know the species

Oh yes It s very common where I live I see hundreds of them every day Here s the name on this tag tied to it Do you know any Spanish Trysdale

No said Trysdale with a trace of a bitter smile Is it Spanish Yes The people there think the leaves look like they are reaching out and telling you to come They call it ventomarme In English it means Come and take me