Page 61 - SpontaneousSuccessFINAL6

SPONTANEOUS SUCCESS
had shifted after I struck a deal with her mother, Donna
Casilda.
Knowing how much she wanted to speak English, I
had proposed a trade: I’d be her English tutor if she’d be
my Portuguese one. It became our daily ritual. For thirty
days straight, I would write out ten simple phrases on
notecards. Some were practical, like ‘Close the window,’
but many were designed just to make her laugh—phrases
like, ‘I can’t find my socks,’ and my personal favorite,
‘Who likes cheese on toast?’ Then, after lots of pointing,
mumbling, and acting things out, she translated them for
me. That way, she learned the phrases in English while I
learned them in Portuguese. I made a rule for myself that
I had to memorize all ten phrases and throw away the
paper they were written on before bed each night. Ten
phrases a day. That was three hundred phrases in thirty
days. When you can say that much in a foreign language,
the rest starts to make sense naturally. Mind you, she
drove a hard deal; I had to include Francesca in the
lessons.
Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes and ran down
my cheeks. I put my head in my hands and sobbed
uncontrollably. I was happier than I could handle. I
couldn't remember the last time anyone thanked me for
helping them.
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