Week 10: Reading short story in a part named A 20- Years Appointment

A 20-Years Appointment

 English is the main language used in communication in the nationwide and worldwide with people in several countries. In the century 21 st, everyone should speak English as well as the native speaker or own language. Some Thai people usually do not dare to speak English when facing each other with foreigners. For this reason, Thai people should practise more English skills than in the previous of time. They can practise English by reading books, online journal, tale and short stories. The short stories are useful for readers composed of grammatical knowledge, audio for listening, how to translate English into Thai, meaning of difficult words and sentences and pictures. Readers can continue to read because the short stories included translated difficult words on the left and right edge of each page without opening a dictionary. By the way, everyone ever had relationship with others such as being relatives, friends, lovers, workers or strangers. This short story offered content about long-term relationship between two man friends who had never met for long time. About twenty years passed, they had appointment at a place for meeting again. They were going to meet at 4 p.m. However, the second man who came to meet with the first man who waited before was a stranger.

         Two close friends had appointment at a place around 4 p.m. The policeman checked doors when he went to make sure they were locked. He walked slowly about halfway on one building. Meanwhile, he saw a man who stood at the door of a dark entrance smoked cigarette. A man told the policeman that he was waiting for his friend because they made an appointment in twenty years ago at here around 4 p.m. They agreed that they were going to meet each other again, no matter they have worked or not. A man knew that his friend had to meet him here if he was alive. After that, the policeman walked few steps away. A man waited his friend half an hour at least. After twenty minutes waited, a tall man in a long overcoat hurried to across the street and went directly to the waiting man.  You’re Bob, a tall man asked him! Then, they asked for everything each other, they stood at the corner of a drugstore with bright electric light. Likewise, they could look clearly upon the other’s face.  Bob said he was not Jimmy, and twenty year is not long for changing his nose from long and thin to short and wide. A tall man said that “time could change a good man to bad one.” He also said “Silky Bob have been under arrested for twenty minutes.” Before they went to the police station, he sent a paper to Bob. Bob began to read that Jimmy was at the appointment on time. When Bob light cigarette, Jimmy saw Bob was one who the policeman needed in Chicago.  Jimmy could not do it, so he got a simple man to do this job.

         The truth is more important than relationship. Although our best friend break the law or be bad man, we should not ignore them for wrong things. Everyone may have long relationship with others. Bob and Jimmy is close friend. Bob went to live in the West, but Jimmy lived in other place. They agreed that they were going to meet each other in twenty years ago.  They had appointment at 4 p.m.  Bob came first and waited for his friend until his friend came at the waiting place 4:20 p.m.  Jimmy, a tall man, was not Bob’s friend. Bob was so angry at him. After that, a tall man gave a paper written by Jimmy to Bob. Jimmy did not come at the waiting place but he saw Bob already. Jimmy knew Bob was criminal needed by the policeman. The end of this short story was twisted and so sad not be happy ending. Do you like this short story? Why? If you were Jimmy, how will you do with your friend, Silky Bob? Why? How do you feel if you are arrested because of your friend? 

Vocabulary	Pronunciation	Meaning
Meanwhile (adv.)	/ˈmiːnwaɪl/	ในขณะนั้น while something else is happening Ex: Bob spent fifteen months alone on his yacht. Ann, meanwhile, took care of the children on her own.
Step (n)	/step/	การก้าวเท้า the act of lifting your foot and putting it down in order to walk or move somewhere; the sound this makes Ex: He took a step towards the door.
Arrest (v)	/əˈrest/	จับกุม if the police arrest somebody, the person is taken to a police station and kept there because the police believe they may be guilty of a crime Ex: A man has been arrested in connection with the robbery.
Light (v)	/laɪt/	ทำให้เกิดไฟหรือจุดไฟ to make something start to burn Ex: Steve took out a cigarette and lighted it.
Directly (adv.)	/dəˈrektli/ /dɪˈrektli/ /daɪˈrektli/	โดยตรง in a direct line or manner Ex: The issues raised in the report relate directly to the ongoing work of the charity.

Reference:

Reference:

William Sydney Porter.  "O. Henry’s short stories รวมสุดยอดเรื่องสั้นของ โอ.เฮนรี่
                     ตอน A 20- Year Appointment  20 ปีแห่งมิตรภาพ.  (พิมพ์ครั้งแรก), กรุงเทพฯ; ซีเอ็ด
                     ยูเคชั่น, 2554.