【明報專訊】Cecil and Christopher were two primary one students and they were best friends who shared each other's happiness and sorrows.

Time flew and Cecil was about to change schools. Despite much reluctance (不情願), she needed to bid Christopher farewell. "A present should be enough." She knew that Christopher liked fruit gums so she bought a jar from the supermarket.

Christopher agreed to Cecil's invitation to meet up. In the school garden, it was Cecil who started the conversation.

"Hey Christopher, I know you like sweets. Here you are." Cecil gave Christopher a jar filled with colourful fruit gums.

"This jar represents our friendship," Cecil continued with tears, "Please keep it safe!" She shook her hands with her pale cheeks flushing. Christopher didn't open the jar thereafter. Nor did he call Cecil.

Years on and Christopher was going to be a secondary one student. He heard that Cecil was going to the same school. On the first day of school, he brought with him the jar in the hope that Cecil might notice it.

Something peculiar happened. Just after the lunch break, he discovered that the jar had gone. "Who stole my fruit gums?" Christopher was frustrated and interrogated (質問) his classmates randomly.

A girl suddenly came in. "Are you Christopher?" A jar! The girl was carrying a jar! Christopher was boiling with rage (非常憤怒). He grabbed the jar from the girl.

"Don't you recognise me?" The girl was calm. "Oh she actually called my name correctly. How could that be?" Christopher looked at her carefully and cried in a sudden. "You're Cecil!"

"I feel disappointed indeed. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Now the jar smells!" Cecil scolded him and broke the jar. Among the rotten (腐爛的) fruit gums, there was a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.

"Sorry I just wanted to keep it safe!"

"I expected you to enjoy the fruit gums and call me, rather than letting them rot!"

Having heard that, Christopher was embarrassed. It finally dawned on him that a stable friendship also needs hard work.

◆Food for thought

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" comes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It means something is not important by its name but what it really is. Whatever you call your friends, you need to see them to keep them. Do treasure friendship!

■Glossary

bid sb farewell (v) 向某人告別

conversation (n) 對話

recognise (v) 認出

dawn on sb (v phr) 令某人領悟

[Smarties' Power English 第237期]