A new beginning

Benjamin Worth

Everything about our moving day was a puzzle.I didn't know anything about our new building on a new street.Our old life was broken into pieces and packed up in piled boxes.I wondered if it would ever fit back together again.

Mom introduced me to our new neighbors,the Chens.Mrs Chen worked with Mom at the job she'd just started.Mr Chen was a famous craftsman (手藝人) from China.Mom said it was a fresh start,but it felt broken to me.I just wanted things to go back to how they had been before.

After the first day at my new school,I walked home alone.Mom had told me she had to work.I was still hoping she'd meet me after the bell.I had to open the door myself with the new key.I felt a bit hungry and went straight into the kitchen.Suddenly,something went crashing to the ground.It was Grandma's bowl.

“Please just throw out the pieces.We can't make a fresh start with broken things,”Mom said.As I wandered down the hall,Mr Chen was emptying his garbage.

“Are you sure you want to throw that out?”he asked.My throat twisted into a knot.“It's broken,”I murmured.“That's a simple repair.Come.”In his apartment,Mr Chen spread the broken pieces out.After finding each match,he delicately rebuilt the bowl and filled in the crack lines with a special paint.Finally,the bowl was together again.Slightly different,it was as beautiful as before.I couldn't wait to show it to Mom and rushed back home.

I brought the repaired bowl into her room.Obviously,she was more than surprised to see the bowl again.“It's amazing,”she said.“Mr Chen helped me mend it.He is a superb craftsman,”I said with a grin (露齒笑).“Definitely.After being repaired,it looks much stronger than before,”said Mom.I sat on the edge of her bed,and Mom reached out to me.We both knew this was a new beginning.