Page 84 - English Reader - 7

Stephen liked my moma’s Sticky Rice, a glutinous mix of sweet smelling
rice, wrapped in banana leaves with a treat in the middle. Each morning

I would carefully unwrap the pocket of green-brown banana leaves to
reveal the rice, biting in slowly, tasting each flavour.

One morning while watching Stephen eat the remainder of my sticky
rice I noticed he was standing alone. Everyone else was in groups of two

or three; boys playing handball, girls gossiping and giggling. Stephen
didn’t have many friends and when he went to have another look in my

lunch box I offered it to him.

I learned that if you make friends

with the tough guy no one picks on
you for the remainder of your school

years. It was wonderful having a best
friend to hang out with and over time

Stephen mellowed out.

In an uncanny twist, even though

he could be a tough guy, Stephen
maintained an excruciating streak of

honesty. I’ve never heard him bend
the truth or tell a lie, which means we could never get away with any

mischief.

After twelve years in the education system I needed to pass a science

exam by a certain amount to get the desired overall position. When

getting our exams back, I was relieved to see my goal had been achieved
by just one point. No one could wipe the smile from my face.

But Stephen did.

After the exam the entire class would go through the paper with the

84 Dolphin English Reader Book 7