(B) - Lucy Nemetz - It's cleaning time again - and cleaning time is smiling time!

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Lucy Nemetz

There are some things in life one never forgets. And, Lucy Nemetz often thinks back to the '60s. She and her husband Walter were living in London at the time. And, Lucy remembers one Saturday well. It was spring, the weather was nice, and Lucy and Walter went down at the market.

And, being spring, Lucy Nemetz, like all other housewives, was thinking of cleaning. And, there on one of the stands Lucy saw it. A gadget for cleaning the windows. And, Lucy bought one. And, the salesman was honest and nice, and Lucy went home with a smile on her face. From then on, cleaning the windows was going to be fun!

And, Lucy showed off her purchase the following Wednesday. Her friends, who had all come for coffee, were deeply impressed. Lucy's window cleaning gadget was a real sensation. But, then came the nasty surprise! After just cleaning one of the windows, the gadget simply broke and fell to the ground. Lucy was very upset.

And, being in England, everyone told Lucy to smile, don't worry, and put on the kettle. There's nothing like a nice cup of tea when everything fails. And, of course, every dark cloud has a nice silver lining and things could only get better. And so, Lucy and her friends had a nice cup of tea and Lucy felt better.

And, Walter was understanding as well. The solution was simple. They would go back to the market. The salesman, being honest and nice, would change Lucy's gadget for one that worked as it should. And so, Lucy and Walter went back to the market .

But, the kind honest salesman was nowhere to be found. And, Walter, in an understanding kind of way, told Lucy to put on a smile. Things could have been worse! And, off they went to the pub for a fish and chip lunch. And, afterwards, of course, back home for a nice cup of tea.

But, all was not lost. This dark cloud did indeed have a nice silver lining. The cloth, which had been part of the package, was very, very good. And now, all these years later in Vienna, Lucy still has it for washing the floor. And, so it is, that whilst down on her knees and cleaning the floor, Lucy's mind still goes back to her time spent in London, and, of course, the day they went down to the market. And that was a long time ago! And, Lucy then smiles once again. Cleaning the floor is such fun, and London was a wonderful time! Let's have a nice cup of tea!

Vocabulary

as usual – wie gewöhnlich

bought (buy/bought/bought) – kaufte

attention – Aufmerksamkeit

defective – fehlerhaft

demonstrate – vorzeigen

gadget – Gerät

honest – ehrlich

never mind – macht nichts

solution – Losung

thoughts – Gedanken

upset – bestürzt

Questions

When were Lucy and Walter living in London?

Where were Lucy and Walter on that fine spring day?

What was Walter's solution?

What do the English do when things go wrong?

What did Walter and Lucy have for lunch at the pub?

What does Lucy think of when she's washing the floor?

Is Lucy happy?

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