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It is late at night. Mei walks into a small convenience store. The store is quiet and bright. She needs to buy a few things. She picks up some milk, some bread, and a bottle of water. She puts them in a basket. Then she walks to the . There is only one person in front of her. The man is very old. He moves very slowly. He puts one item on the . Then he stops. He looks in his bag for a long time. Mei watches him. She takes a slow, deep breath. She tells herself to be . The old man picks up a small piece of paper. He reads it very slowly.
He puts it down again. Then he picks up another item from his basket. He places it on the carefully. The waits. The is a young woman. She smiles at the old man. She does not look angry. Mei looks at the clock on the wall. It is almost . Mei is very tired. Her feet hurt. She wants to go home. But she does not say anything . She takes another deep breath. She looks at the old man again. He has kind eyes and white hair. Mei feels a little sorry for him. She thinks, "He is doing his best."
After a few more minutes, the old man finishes. He picks up his bag slowly. He says "thank you" to the in a quiet voice. Then he walks out of the store. Now it is Mei's turn. She puts her items on the . The smiles at her. "Sorry about the wait," the says. Mei smiles back. "It's okay," Mei says. "He needed a little more time." The looks . "You are very ," she says. Mei laughs a little. "I try to be," she says. She pays for her things. She picks up her bag. She walks out into the cool night. She feels and happy.
able to wait without getting angry or upset
"Mei is patient because she waits quietly for the old man."
the place in a shop where you pay for your items
"Mei walks to the checkout with her basket."
a person who takes payment from customers in a shop
"The cashier smiles kindly at the old man."
a long, flat surface where goods are placed in a shop
"The old man puts his items on the counter one by one."
twelve o'clock at night
"Mei looks at the clock and sees it is almost midnight."
not polite; showing bad manners
"Mei does not say anything rude, even though she is tired."
relaxed and not worried or angry
"After she leaves the store, Mei feels calm and happy."
feeling something unexpected has happened
"The cashier looks surprised when Mei says kind words about the old man."
take a deep breath
to breathe in slowly and deeply, often to stay calm
"Mei takes a deep breath because she wants to stay patient."
be patient
to wait without getting angry or upset
"Mei tells herself to be patient while she waits in line."
doing his best
trying as hard as someone can
"Mei thinks the old man is doing his best, even though he is slow."
sorry about the wait
an apology for making someone wait
"The cashier says, "Sorry about the wait," to Mei."
it's okay
used to say something is not a problem
"Mei says, "It's okay," because she is not angry about waiting."
a little more time
some extra time that is needed
"Mei says the old man needed a little more time."
I try to be
used to say you make an effort to have a quality
"When the cashier calls Mei patient, she says, "I try to be.""
in a quiet voice
speaking softly, not loudly
"The old man says thank you to the cashier in a quiet voice."
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