Ben, who was an excellent student at school, studied very hard. He got on well with all of his classmates and they all liked him so much. Unluckily, the poor boy's father passed away because of a terrible accident two years ago, leaving Ben and his mother. Last Sunday afternoon, he went home from his school without saying anything.
There would be a class meeting the next day. It was a rule that all the parents had to attend it . However, Ben didn't want his mother to go to the meeting because she was a deaf-mute (聋哑人). With such a deaf-mute mother, he was afraid that other students and their parents would laugh at him. It was just what he could not stand.
Seeing her son getting home, the mother made a gesture (手势) of "I love you" as usual. Ben usually gave back a kiss to her in the past, but this time he didn't say anything and went into his own room. Ben went for the table but he ate nothing with his head down. Her mother asked what on earth had happened to him. "Nothing serious. I just feel uncomfortable in my heart, Mum."
The next day, forty-nine parents went into the classroom and sat on their children's seats. Only Ben's seat wasempty. Ben was gloomy (忧郁的) on the seat. Suddenly, "please show your mother to your seat, Ben" the head teacher said. Ben's mother made a gesture of "I'm sorry I'm late" to others. "Please explain your mother's words to us, Ben" the head teacher said. So all the parents knew she was a deaf-mute. Then they all stood up from the seats and smiled to her in a friendly way.
Ben came to his mother and asked impolitely, "Why do you come here, Mum?"
"Only because I love you," the mother made a gesture and her face turned red like a shy girl.
