Read the story dont answer if u dont
this wasn’t how i had planned to spend my saturday morning—trapped in a long, narrow room
with a bunch of moms in sweats, their screaming kids, and steamy, sloshing machines. instead of being able
to sleep in after a grueling week of reports and tests at the end of the semester, mom roused me out of bed at
8 a. m. we’re leaving tomorrow for a weeklong camping trip, and evidently the washing machine decided to go
belly-up this morning. so, while mom went shopping for the trip, i became the designated family launderer!
she dropped me off here about an hour and a half ago with six trash bags full of clothes, and i’ve had to wait
for a couple of empty machines. i didn’t realize that saturday mornings are such a busy time at the
laundromat.
(2) i wasn’t sure how long the washing machines took, and i had my ear buds in, so i didn’t hear
them when they stopped. a little while later, mom came by to pick me up and finish folding the clothes
and was annoyed when she discovered everything was still in the washers. she rushed off before the meat
for our camp barbecue cooked in the heat of the day, saying she’d be back. speaking of heat, i’m sweltering
in this place.
(3) all the dryers were occupied, so i had to wait again. i was in the middle of texting my buddy
jamal when i happened to glance over at the row of machines and noticed an empty one. finally!
(4) when i opened the dryer, i couldn’t believe what lay before me. several wads of greenish-looking
paper were plastered to the sides of the drum, and when i reached in and withdrew one, an immaculate and
crispy benjamin lay on my palm. whoa…a $100! i glanced around the slosh and dry, hoping no one had
noticed my elation. after all, it isn’t every day an emaciated 14-year-old boy discovers a fortune in a lowly
front loader.
(5) i instantly closed my hand around the $100 bill, threw in a couple of towels, and pretended to be
fluffing the wet whites while stowing the money in the basket under some briefs. then, surreptitiously, i
squirreled the rest of the currency out of the dryer by pretending to wipe something offensive off the drum’s
inner walls. each time i withdrew a bill, i made sure my face was sculpted into the most disgusted look i could
muster while nonchalantly transferring the money to the half-empty box of windfall softener sheets.
appropriate name, i thought, depositing the last of the bills.
(6) as i tossed in some shirts and plunked quarters into the slot, i considered how the money could
have gotten there. there was more than a thousand dollars—i lost count after 10. it wasn’t likely someone
would forget to remove that kind of change from their pockets before washing their clothes. i’d heard of
english | critical skills assignment | critical reading and argument writing (a)
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laundering money, but i knew this wasn’t what the term meant. that’s when a man with a goatee dashed in
and hurried down my row of machines.
(7) i stood there dumbfounded. what should i do? just then, i saw mom getting out of the car in the
parking lot. i grabbed the box of softener sheets and detergent and maneuvered around the wire laundry cart
and headed toward the door. as i passed the goateed man, he shot me a look with steel blue eyes that
seemed to cut right through me. was he headed toward my dryer? could he be the owner of the cash? but
how could i know for sure? clearing my throat, i scurried past him and to the door, just as mom was coming
in.
(8) mom must have known something was up by the look on my face because she didn’t even ask
about the laundry. “darren, what’s the matter? ”
(9) “come outside. i found something and i’m not sure what to do next,” i whispered.
english | critical skills assignment | critical reading and argument writing (a)
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choose answers to multiple choice questions. type responses to questions that ask you to write a response. be
sure to save your work when you finish.
1. answer the questions about the passage.
(a) what is the meaning of the word surreptitiously as it is used in paragraph 5?
a. openly
b. delicately
c. hurriedly
d. secretly
teacher feedback:
(b) which phrase from paragraph 5 best clarify the meaning of surreptitiously?
a. sculpted into the most disgusted look
b. wipe something offensive off
c. squirreled the rest of the currency
d. pretended to be fluffing
teacher feedback:
score:
2. answer the questions about the passage.
(a) which statement best reflects the theme of the story “encounter in the laundromat”?
a. money can buy happiness.
b. the loss of innocence is sad to witness.
c. character is revealed by the choices one makes.
d. taking on responsibility leads to maturity.
teacher feedback:
)