"Mommy, I got something for you!" Cody ran through the door after school. His face wore the biggest smile ever. He waved something above his head. "It's a pen. But not just any pen. It's a lucky pen!" He handed me the pen 1 , waiting for my reaction (反应).
I looked at the pen in my hand. There was nothing 2 about it. It looked just like any other ballpoint pen. I had a drawer full of them. At that moment, I didn't realize how special it was or how much I would come to treasure it.
I had made the decision to be a(n) 3 . I had dreamed about it for a long time but I was afraid of being refused by the publishing houses. The night before I told my husband my 4 when I thought Cody wasn't listening. "What if 5
likes my writing and I fail?" But Cody did 6 what I said. Now he stood in front of me, watching me examine the pen. "You don't have to be afraid now," he said. "This pen will make your 7 great and everyone will love you."
Tears filled my eyes. Refusal (拒绝) and failure didn't seem like such a big problem any more. Even if I 8 sold the first book, I had everything I could ever need. I knew that pen would bring me luck, though. And I felt 9 already, just by having Cody in my life, especially when I heard what he did to get it.
In the lunchroom, Cody heard an older boy talking about having a lucky 10 . He decided to get it for me. The boy was a tough negotiator (强硬的谈判者) but Cody didn't 11 . In the end, he 12 his favorite Matchbox car, two army men his brother gave him, a crayon, and a piece of candy — his most important things, for that pen. Just to make 13 feel better.
I still have that pen, though it's long out of ink, in a cup on my desk. When a refusal letter arrives and I start feeling 14 , I look at it and remember just how lucky I am. For while I value that pen, it's Cody who I really 15 in my life.
