Shadowing Practice: 🔥5天聽5遍, 形成英文耳: 愛在紐約/傾城佳話 (美國小學5年級程度)英文故事, 不怕聽不懂, 英文聽力, 聽故事學英文 Ronny Chieng - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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This story, if you're not tired of listening, your English ability is completely enough in American life.
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Let's start with the same language as you learn English.
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This is the story of Charlie, the luckiest police officer in New York.
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He worked in Queens.
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Every day, walking the same streets, Charlie always looked for ways to help others.
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If a blind person needed to cross a busy street, Charlie was there to hold their arm.
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If a pregnant woman suddenly needed to have her baby on the sidewalk, Charlie was there to help her.
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He took money from his own small paycheck to give to poor neighborhoods.
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After a long day of work, he did not go home to rest.
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Instead, he went to the local park to teach young kids how to play baseball.
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He was the kind of cop who would risk his own life to stop a bad guy.
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Everyone in Queens loved him.
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He had many awards and flags of honor.
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Meanwhile, Charlie's wife, Muriel, was very different.
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Working at a beauty salon in Queens, she always wanted more.
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Every day she complained loudly in her salon where all her customers could hear.
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Calling her husband foolish, she hated that he followed all the rules
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and wanted him to take secret bribes from people so she and Charlie could have more money for their own thin wallets.
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One day, Charlie and Muriel were walking down the street.
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Charlie saw a homeless man sitting on the ground.
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Charlie felt bad for him.
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Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a one-dollar bill and handed it to the homeless man.
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Muriel saw this and became very angry.
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Stepping forward, she snatched the dollar bill right out of the homeless man's hand.
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She looked at Charlie with angry eyes.
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Would you stop giving money away on the street? she yelled.
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But she did not know something important.
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That homeless man on the street was quietly watching them.
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His hidden eyes stared at the couple, and he started to follow them from the shadows to see what they would do next.
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A few weeks later, on a normal afternoon, after walking the streets for his job, Charlie went into his favorite local diner to eat lunch.
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He sat at the counter and ordered his food.
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He reached for his wallet.
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Opening his wallet, he searched every pocket.
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It was empty.
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He had no cash at all.
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The only thing inside was a single lottery ticket.
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Charlie felt very embarrassed, and his face turned red.
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He realized he did not have enough money to pay the bill and leave a tip.
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A waitress named Yvonne was standing on the other side of the counter.
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She was having a very bad day, and she was tired.
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When she saw Charlie taking a long time to pay, she became impatient.
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Speaking with a sharp voice, she asked if police officers thought they could eat for free, and complained that she would probably have to pay his bill out of her own pocket.
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Charlie felt terrible.
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He was not a man who took things for free.
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He always left a good tip for his servers.
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He looked at Yvonne, who looked just as tired as he felt.
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Suddenly an idea came into his mind.
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He made a crazy promise.
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Holding up the lottery ticket, he looked right into her eyes.
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I don't have enough money for a tip, but I have this lottery ticket.
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If I win, you get half.
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If I lose, I'll come back tomorrow and give you double the tip, he said.
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Yvonne looked at him like he was crazy.
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She thought he was just making up a silly excuse so he could run away without paying.
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She crossed her arms.
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You're kidding, she said.
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Instead of smiling, Charlie looked completely serious.
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A promise is a promise, he answered.
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Yvonne was too tired to argue with him.
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She rolled her eyes.
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I thought I was never going to see you again, she muttered.
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Charlie spoke honestly.
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You'll see me tomorrow.
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Yvonne sighed and agreed to let him go.
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We got a deal, she said.
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Earlier that same morning, Muriel had a beautiful dream about being rich.
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She woke up and told Charlie he must buy a lottery ticket.
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She told him to use the number 27 because that was the date of their wedding anniversary.
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Charlie thought playing the lottery was a foolish way to try to get rich.
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He did not believe in it.
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But he always listened to his wife.
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So, while he was working, he bought a ticket.
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But he made a mistake.
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He and Muriel always celebrated their anniversary one day early.
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Because of this, Charlie picked the number 26 instead of 27.
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When he went home and showed the ticket to Muriel, she was furious.
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Yelling at him for picking the wrong number, she was ready to complain all night.
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That same night, the lottery drawing came on television.
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The man on the TV read the winning numbers out loud.
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Charlie and Muriel froze.
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Charlie's cheap ticket was a winner.
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The jackpot was exactly four million dollars.
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This huge amount of money was enough to change their poor lives forever.
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Muriel jumped up and down.
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She was wild with happiness.
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But Charlie did not feel happy.
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He sat on the edge of the bed.
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He looked at the winning ticket in his hand, and then he looked at his wife.
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The room was loud with her screams of joy, but inside his head, it was quiet.
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He only heard his own voice from earlier today.
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A promise is a promise.
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All he had to do was say nothing.
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He fought a quiet battle in his own mind.
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But Charlie was an honest man.
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His heart would not let him rest.
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He finally looked at his wife to tell the truth.
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He spoke very calmly.
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I made a promise, Muriel.
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Half the ticket is hers, he said.
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When Muriel heard his crazy plan, she exploded.
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Calling him a loser, she yelled that no one gives a $2 million tip.
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She even told Charlie he was sick in the head and needed a doctor.
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Complaining that he spent his whole life helping other people for free, she hated that he now wanted to throw the money away.
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She was this angry because she knew Charlie was stubborn.
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Knowing that he always kept his promises, she tried to use their marriage against him when she saw him looking torn.
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She told him to just keep quiet and never tell the waitress.
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Charlie felt a terrible pain in his heart.
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He was pulled between his wife and his honor.
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The next day, Charlie went back to the diner.
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He stood next to the police car outside the diner.
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He was still not sure what to do.
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His police partner, Beau, was sitting inside.
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Beau's eyes went wide.
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He thought Charlie had lost his mind.
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You're giving two million dollars to a woman who served you coffee?
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What kind of coffee was it?
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Beau asked, looking stunned.
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Bo tried to stop Charlie.
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He told Charlie that no one else heard the promise.
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It was just talk.
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You don't have to do this, Charlie.
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Nobody heard you say it, Bo said.
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But Charlie stood tall.
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He remembered his duty.
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I heard myself say it.
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I'm a cop.
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I follow all the rules, Charlie said.
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He did not know how to tell the waitress about the money.
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He decided to buy her a small gift first he told himself to follow his heart
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so he would not have regrets later
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taking a deep breath he opened the diner door and walked inside when ivan saw him she simply smiled
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charlie smiled gently and handed her a small gift it was a nice chain for her eyeglasses
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yesterday charlie noticed that ivan kept losing her glasses He bought this chain
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so she could wear her glasses around her neck and never lose them again.
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Ivan looked at the small, kind gift.
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A gentle smile grew on her face.
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It had been a long time since anyone cared about her.
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She felt warm inside.
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She poured Charlie a fresh cup of coffee.
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She had come to New York after college because she wanted to be a famous actress.
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Instead, she ended up just a poor waitress.
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Then she married a cruel man named Eddie.
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He secretly spent all the money on her credit card without telling her, leaving her with a massive $12,000 debt.
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He stole all their savings and ran away.
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Yesterday, the court finally called her.
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The judge told her she had to pay the money back quickly.
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Because she had no money to pay for a lawyer, she had to declare bankruptcy.
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When she walked out of the court building yesterday afternoon, heavy rain poured down.
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Her umbrella broke, and she was soaked with cold rain all the way home.
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To make matters worse, because of the rain and all the trouble yesterday, she was late to the diner today.
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Her boss was very angry and took money out of her small paycheck.
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While Yvonne talked to Charlie, her boss yelled at her from across the diner, telling her she had to pay for Charlie's unpaid bill from yesterday out of her own pocket.
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Listening to her sad story, Charlie remembered his rule.
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A promise is a promise.
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He reached into his pocket and paid for his unpaid lunch from yesterday.
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Then he looked right into her eyes and asked a simple question.
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So what will it be? he asked gently.
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Your double tip in cash or half of a lottery ticket?
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Yvonne looked at him.
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Charlie had already given her a nice gift today, and she did not want to take his hard-earned money.
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She smiled softly.
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I'll choose possibility, she answered.
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Charlie let out a long breath.
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He looked at her deeply.
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I was hoping you would say that, he said.
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Yvonne laughed a little.
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I bet you have better luck next time, she said.
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Charlie looked very serious.
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Oh, actually, we were pretty lucky.
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We really did win something, he said.
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Yvonne felt something strange in the air.
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She stared at him.
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You won?
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How much? she asked.
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Charlie did not blink.
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Four million dollars.
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Your half is two million, he said.
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Yvonne froze.
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Then she screamed with joy.
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She threw her arms up.
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She ran around the diner and hugged everyone she saw.
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She shouted that she would pay for everyone's lunch today.
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She bought everyone sweet ice cream.
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Her boss ran around with a pen and paper.
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He wrote down the price of every single free meal because he was scared the diner would lose money.
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Charlie watched Yvonne smile and laugh.
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A bright smile grew on his own face.
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His heart felt light.
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He passed his own moral test.
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Outside the window, his partner Beau watched them.
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Beau smiled and nodded.
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Beau was not surprised.
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He always knew that Charlie would do the right thing, no matter how hard it was.
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When Muriel found out he actually gave the money away, she lost her mind with anger.
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Firing angry words at him like a machine gun, she refused to accept it.
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But Charlie had a smart plan.
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He knew Muriel loved attention and wanted to look rich.
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He told her a secret idea.
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He said Muriel should stand on the big stage at the prize ceremony.
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She should be the one to tell the whole world that she was sharing $2 million with a waitress.
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Charlie told her this would be massive news everywhere.
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Nobody gives away $2 million to a stranger her.
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Charlie told her the media would make her a huge star.
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Hearing this, Muriel stopped yelling.
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Her face relaxed.
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The idea of being a famous, rich star was too bright to ignore.
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She agreed to the plan.
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Soon, the official prize ceremony began.
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Charlie, Muriel, and Yvonne stood together.
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Just as Charlie predicted, a giant crowd of reporters and cameras surrounded them.
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looked right into the camera lenses.
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She faked a sweet smile.
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She lied and said she was completely happy to share the money with a stranger.
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The story of a cop giving away $2 million for a promise became the biggest headline in the country.
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But one thing did not go according to Muriel's plan.
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She did not become a famous star.
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She tried to use her TV time to talk about a shampoo from her salon, but the salon did not sell a single extra bottle.
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Money is like a magnifying glass.
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It does not change you.
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It only shows the world who you truly are.
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Now that she had millions, Muriel spent every day shopping.
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She bought diamond jewelry and thick fur coats.
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She only went to the most expensive stores and bought the highest level designer clothes.
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One day, Muriel walked out of a store wearing an expensive new fur coat.
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A group of animal rights protesters saw her.
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They threw a bucket of bright red paint all over her fur coat.
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Muriel had to take it off, put on her normal clothes, and sneak back home feeling humiliated.
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But she came home with bags of luxury items for herself, and she refused to spend one single penny on Charlie.
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While Muriel was busy living her rich dream, Charlie was still wearing his old uniform, walking the streets like he always did.
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One day, Charlie and Beau walked up to a corner deli store they visited all the time.
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As Charlie walked close to the glass door, he stopped.
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He looked inside.
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One of the customers were moving.
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They were standing completely still like statues.
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A few customers looked at Charlie with scared eyes.
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Charlie was a good cop.
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He instantly knew something was very wrong.
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But he stayed perfectly calm.
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Without making a sound, he slowly backed away from the glass and turned to Bo, whispering to him to call for police backup.
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Then, Charlie walked quickly down the side alley.
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He found the basement door.
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He quietly sneaked into the store from under the floor.
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He peeked up and saw two men with guns robbing the store.
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Charlie watched them for a second.
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Then he jumped up.
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He grabbed a heavy metal food can and threw it as hard as he could.
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The can hit the first robber right in the head.
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The robber fell down unconscious.
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Charlie instantly dove across the floor and tackled the second robber to the ground.
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They fought loudly.
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Just then, Bo and the backup police cars arrived with sirens screaming.
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The police saved all the hostages, but during the fast fight, a gun went off.
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Charlie got shot in his left arm.
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Because of this bad injury, the police department told Charlie he had to take a long medical leave.
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But good things came from this bad event.
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The news reporters went crazy.
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They wrote huge stories about the brave cop who stopped a robbery.
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Overnight, Charlie became a massive hero in New York City.
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Even the mayor of the city threw a special event and pinned a shiny medal on Charlie's chest.
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But at this happy event, Charlie did something that made Muriel's face turn pale.
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He stood at the microphone and announced
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that he was giving $10,000 of his own money to a special fund for the families of police officers who died on duty.
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A few days later, when he came home, he found their house completely destroyed.
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In the middle of the mess, Charlie saw his favorite old chair thrown into the garbage.
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They had a massive fight.
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looked at her and spoke a sad truth.
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We are in two different worlds now.
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I care about people, and you only care about money, he said.
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Yvonne did the exact opposite with her money.
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She kept living her normal life.
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The very first thing she did was pay off all the heavy debt her ex-husband Eddie left behind.
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The only big thing she bought was the old diner where she used to work.
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She bought the business to show how grateful she was to Charlie.
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She became the boss and the main worker.
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Inside her new diner, she set up a special table.
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She named it after Charlie.
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This table was only for homeless and poor people.
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They could come in and get a hot meal for free.
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A few weeks later, the New York State Lottery threw a huge, fancy party on a large boat.
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They invited all the big lottery winners.
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Muriel forced Charlie to put on a suit and go with her.
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On the boat, there were many rich people drinking cocktails.
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Muriel quickly lost her mind.
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She met an old man who wore expensive clothes.
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He whispered sweet, fake promises in her ear.
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Darling, with your money and my connections, we'll own this town, he said.
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Muriel looked at him with loving eyes.
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She did not love Charlie anymore.
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Because he did not care about getting richer, Charlie walked out onto the wooden deck of the boat to breathe some fresh air.
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Looking down at the street next to the water, he saw Yvonne.
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She was arguing with a taxi driver because she was late.
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Charlie quickly ran down the stairs and stepped off the boat to help her pay the driver.
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While he was on the street, the boat's horn blew loudly.
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The huge boat pulled away from the dock and sailed away.
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Charlie and Yvonne were left behind on the empty street.
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But neither of them was angry.
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They walked to a small restaurant nearby to eat dinner.
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As they ate, they opened their hearts.
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Yvonne smiled softly and asked a small question.
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How do you feel about dancing?
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Charlie looked right into her eyes with a warm look.
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I would love to, he answered.
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Yvonne stood up and held out her hand.
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They walked to the floor and danced.
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As they moved to the music, a strong, silent feeling grew between them.
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They were falling in love.
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But both of them were good people.
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They knew they were still married to other people.
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They did not cross the line.
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They held back their feelings.
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Meanwhile, out on the water, Muriel was laughing loudly with the fake rich man.
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She completely forgot she had a husband.
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She was blinded by the dream of money.
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The morning after the dance, Charlie and Yvonne decided to spend the day together as friends.
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In the next few days, they did more kind things.
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Hoping to give the kids a night of pure fun away from the noisy streets, they spent a lot of money to rent a huge baseball stadium
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and a whole bowling alley just for one night to host a big group of poor kids from Charlie's neighborhood.
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Charlie and Yvonne were so happy together.
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this joy had nothing to do with being rich yvonne looked at the kids playing
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and sighed we don't need the money to be happy do we she asked charlie smiled
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and shook his head no we just need a bowling ball and some good shoes he answered
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But on the night of the bowling party, Charlie's world crashed down.
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He walked home feeling very happy.
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But when he got to his building, he saw all his shirts, pants, and bags thrown out onto the dirty street.
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Muriel had seen the daily newspaper.
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The newspaper printed a picture of Charlie and Yvonne at the bowling alley.
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When Charlie tried to talk to her, she put her hands over her ears.
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She refused to listen.
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She screamed that he was a useless idiot.
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She said he only did stupid things and deserved to be a nobody forever.
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Charlie was heartbroken that his wife had zero trust in him.
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He looked at her with sad eyes.
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You used to come home at night.
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Throw your arms around me.
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Kiss me and ask, how was your day?
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Charlie said, his voice breaking.
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When's the last time that happened?
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"'Five years ago!' Muriel knew it was true, but she lied.
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She said she could not remember, and she said it did not matter anyway.
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She told him she had a bigger world now, and he was just a low-level worker.
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She looked at Charlie with cold eyes.
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"'I want a divorce, and I want all the money.
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You're giving away my money!' she screamed.
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Charlie felt a deep pain in his chest.
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It wasn't just your money, Muriel.
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It was ours, he said softly.
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Muriel stared at him with pure hate.
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Charlie felt all the energy drain out of his body.
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He looked down.
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I'm leaving, he whispered.
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He never thought the woman he loved for ten years would actually throw him away.
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He picked up his bags from the street and walked away from the only home he had.
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At the exact same time,
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Yvonne's cruel ex-husband, Eddie, walked right back into her diner and demanded she give him $500,000.
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Come on, baby, we're a team, Eddie said, trying to act sweet.
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Yvonne was not weak anymore.
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She found her strength.
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She pointed at the door.
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We were never a team.
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Get out of my diner, she snapped.
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Eddie left the diner, but he did not give up.
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He went straight to Yvonne's small apartment.
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He sat down and told her that if she did not give him the money, he would live in her house forever.
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Because the law said they were still married, the police could not throw him out.
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Yvonne was trapped.
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She packed a small bag and ran away from the man who ruined her life.
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Because they both had nowhere to go, they wandered into the cold city.
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By pure luck, they bumped into each other in the lobby of the most famous, expensive hotel in New York.
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They sat there all night, just talking and feeling safe.
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They did not cross the line or do anything wrong.
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That the next morning, trouble was waiting.
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Hotel workers recognized them and called the newspapers.
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When Charlie and Yvonne walked out the front door, 50 cameras flashed in their faces.
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Reporters shouted questions.
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Because neither of them had finished their divorce papers yet, the news called them terrible cheaters.
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Meanwhile, Muriel saw the news on TV.
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She smiled an evil smile.
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This was the perfect weapon.
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During the early divorce meetings, Muriel demanded all the remaining lottery money.
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Charlie was tired and generous, so he easily said yes.
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He let her have it all.
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But Muriel's greed had no limit.
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She hired a lawyer and sued Yvonne, too.
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She demanded the court take back the $2 million Charlie gave Yvonne as a tip.
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She said she would destroy them in court.
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Charlie was so angry at how cruel Muriel was.
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He grabbed her arm to try and talk sense into her.
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Muriel immediately fell down and cried fake tears.
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She told the police Charlie attacked her.
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She used this lie to look like a victim.
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The official divorce trial began.
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Charlie was an honest cop, but he was not ready for Muriel's evil tricks.
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Muriel was an expert liar.
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Crying fake tears, she told the judge a crazy lie about her dead father coming to her in a dream to change their anniversary date.
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It made no sense.
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But she acted like an innocent angel.
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Then, Muriel's lawyer started attacking Charlie.
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The lawyer brought up the fake violence.
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The lawyer told the judge that Muriel only agreed to give Yvonne the tip because Charlie threatened to hurt her.
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The lawyer painted Yvonne as a bad woman who stole a husband.
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The lawyer walked right up to Yvonne's face and spoke in a loud voice.
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Isn't it true you and the officer made up this whole story for the money?
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The lawyer demanded loudly.
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Yvonne sat in the silent room.
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She knew how this game worked.
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All she had to do was nod her head.
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Just one simple lie, and she could keep her two million dollars and her diner.
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But she looked across the room at Charlie.
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She felt a fire of anger inside.
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She stood up straight and spoke from her soul.
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No!
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He is the most honest man I've ever met.
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I love him more than anything, she declared.
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Because Yvonne admitted her love, the judge thought Muriel's fake story about them cheating was true.
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Muriel won completely.
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The judge gave Muriel every single penny.
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Because Yvonne had to give the $2 million back to Muriel, The court took her diner away.
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The trial was huge news.
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When they walked out of the courtroom, hundreds of reporters screamed at them.
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The reporters called Charlie a bad husband and called Yvonne a greedy woman who only wanted money.
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The heavy weight of the screaming crowd broke Yvonne.
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She started to cry.
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She turned and ran away as fast as she could.
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Charlie yelled her name, but she did not look back.
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Charlie pushed through the reporters and ran after her.
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He searched the dark streets of the city for hours.
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Finally, he went to the diner she was going to lose at the end of the week.
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He found her sitting in the dark, lit only by the moon.
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It had been days since they really talked.
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Charlie missed her with his whole heart.
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But Yvonne was completely broken.
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She believed she destroyed his life.
433
She looked at him with tears running down her face.
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She cried out softly.
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Oh, don't you get it?
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I ruined your life!
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You're crazy!
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You won four million dollars in the lottery, and because of me, you have nothing!
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She put her hands over her face and cried harder.
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I ruined your life.
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Charlie heard her words.
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He did not step back.
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He walked right up to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
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Did he really have nothing?
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No. To Charlie, four million dollars was just paper.
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It was nothing compared to holding Yvonne.
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He looked into her eyes and spoke the most beautiful words of his life.
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No, because of you, I have you.
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Why can't you understand that?
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He said softly.
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He told her he was the richest man in the world because he had her love.
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No one had ever loved her this purely.
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No one had ever chosen her over money.
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In the dark, quiet diner, they held each other.
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They felt safe.
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Yvonne knew then that she would never leave him.
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For a long moment, the heavy rain and the cruel city outside did not matter.
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They finally found their home in each other.
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Then, they sat down to talk about moving to a new city to start over.
460
Suddenly, the bell on the diner door rang.
461
A dirty homeless man stood in the doorway.
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He looked hungry.
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Charlie and Yvonne had zero money and zero hope.
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But when they saw the hungry man, they stood up.
465
They smiled.
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They brought him inside and cooked him a hot meal.
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They handed him the food and then stepped back into the shadows to hug each other again.
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But they did not see what the homeless man was doing.
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The homeless man reached into his dirty coat and pulled out a small camera.
470
He took pictures of them in the dark.
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This homeless man was Angel.
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He was a reporter for the New York Post newspaper.
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He was the same man who watched Muriel steal the one dollar months ago.
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Angel had followed Charlie and Yvonne everywhere.
475
He saw the truth.
476
The next morning, the New York Post printed a massive story on the front page.
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Angel wrote the truth.
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He wrote that these two people lost everything, but they still fed a homeless man for free.
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He told the city that they were not liars or cheaters.
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They were saints.
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Angel wrote a beautiful message to the city.
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In a city where people prayed for miracles every day,
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like winning the lottery, a cop and a waitress were about to find out that sometimes miracles do happen.
484
At the bottom of the page, Angel printed the address of the diner.
485
He asked the city to help them.
486
Charlie and Yvonne did not read the paper that morning.
487
They packed their few clothes into bags to leave New York.
488
But Angel's story went across the whole city.
489
New York is a tough town, but it has a heart.
490
They read the story, and they sent tips.
491
Thousands of them, Angel said.
492
Two days later, before leaving the city forever, Charlie and Yvonne walked back to the diner for one last goodbye by.
493
Charlie turned the key and pushed the door open.
494
They froze.
495
The entire floor of the diner was covered in white envelopes.
496
There were thousands and thousands of them.
497
They bent down and opened one.
498
It had cash inside.
499
They opened another.
500
More cash.
501
There were letters from the people of New York, thanking them for being good people.
502
The normal people of the city decided that bad things should not happen to good people.
503
They created a massive tip fund for the couple.
504
Charlie sat at a table buried in letters.
505
He had been a millionaire, and he had been poor, but now he knew what real wealth was.
506
He held up a handful of letters and smiled.
507
Look at this!
508
We're rich again, he said.
509
Yvonne looked at the man she loved.
510
Her eyes were full of soft light.
511
We were always rich, Charlie.
512
We just didn't have any money, she answered.
513
For three whole days, the mail trucks kept bringing more letters.
514
When they finally counted all the tips, it was six hundred thousand dollars.
515
It was a miracle.
516
Yvonne used the cash to buy her diner back forever.
517
She put his blue uniform back on and went back to the police station.
518
As for the bad people, karma caught them both.
519
Muriel married the fake rich man from the boat.
520
However, shortly after the wedding, he stole every single dollar of her lottery money and ran away forever.
521
Muriel was left with absolutely nothing.
522
She had to move back to a poor neighborhood to live with her angry mother.
523
had to get a dirty, low-paying job washing feet in a nail salon.
524
Eddie, Yvonne's ex-husband, got no money from anyone.
525
He ended up driving a smelly taxi cab.
526
After all the pain, the money lost, and the love gained, Charlie and Yvonne stood outside in the cold New York night.
527
Soft snow began to fall around them.
528
It was a perfect moment.
529
Charlie looked at Yvonne's beautiful face.
530
He smiled a playful smile.
531
I guess this means I don't owe you a tip anymore, he whispered.
532
Yvonne smiled back, her eyes full of endless love.
533
Just kiss me, she said.
534
They kissed in the falling snow.
535
Soon after, they got married in a beautiful ceremony.
536
They took their honeymoon in a giant hot air balloon.
537
It floated high over Central Park.
538
They held hands tightly.
539
They carried a basket full of thank you cards.
540
As they flew over the city, they threw the cards into the wind.
541
The white cards fell down over the buildings and streets like a second snowfall, thanking the city that saved them.
542
It was a perfect picture of their love.
543
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Why This Video Is Perfect for Learning English with Videos
This story about Charlie, the kind New York cop, and his wife Muriel isn’t just engaging—it’s a goldmine for improving your listening and speaking. The dialogue uses everyday language, like “reaching into his pocket” and “felt very embarrassed,” that you’d hear in real life. The slow, clear delivery (perfect for American elementary school level) makes it easy to follow, while the emotional moments—like Muriel snatching the dollar or Charlie’s nervous promise—add natural intonation. That mix of simplicity and feeling makes it ideal for shadow speak practice, where you mimic what you hear to build fluency.
Breaking Down Natural Speech: 3 Key Phrases
Let’s look at why the dialogue sounds so real. First, “He took money from his own small paycheck to give to poor neighborhoods.” The phrase “small paycheck” is a common way to talk about limited income—no fancy words, just honest, conversational English. Second, “Would you stop giving money away on the street?” Muriel’s yell uses a natural question structure to show frustration, with stress on “stop” and “away” that you can hear clearly. Third, “I don't have enough money for a tip, but I have this lottery ticket.” Charlie’s nervous tone comes through in the pause before “but,” which is how people actually speak when they’re thinking on their feet. These details aren’t just grammar—they’re the secrets to sounding like a native.
A Simple Shadowing Technique Routine for This Video
Want to turn this story into a speaking workout? Try this shadowing technique loop:
- Watch the video once, focusing on the story. Don’t worry about words—just get the vibe.
- Play a 5-second clip, pause, and repeat it out loud, copying the speed, tone, and stress. If you miss a word, rewind and try again. (A shadowing app can help track your progress, but even a phone recorder works!)
- Record yourself and compare it to the original. Notice if your “yelled” matches Muriel’s anger or if your “felt terrible” sounds as sad as Charlie’s.
- Do this for 10 minutes a day, 5 days in a row. By the end, you’ll not only understand the story—you’ll speak like the characters.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If I lose, I'll come |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to work · used to come |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was pulled · was soaked · were left |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | man who took · woman who served · man who wore |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.