Shadowing Practice: My Mom Never Protected Me, And I Just Found Out Why - Learn English Speaking with Video

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246 sentences

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I was sitting in the principal's office for getting in a fight yet again.

I was thinking about how my mom would be proud of me for standing up for myself.

She was never happy about the fights I'd gotten into before,

but she always let me off the hook because she knows it runs in our family.

All I needed now was my mom to get me out of here.

Pretty soon, my mom walked in and glared down at me.

The principal walked in right behind her.

I'm so sorry this keeps happening, Mr. Earl my mom said while glaring at me.

I'll make sure she's punished again.

Miss Carla, your daughter gave the poor boy a broken nose and she broke his fingers for good measure.

What does that even mean? said the principal, throwing his hands up while I tried not to smile.

I think pushing her isn't working.

You really ought to consider some other options.

Maybe I know how to raise my daughter, my mom said.

I apologize that you have to keep dealing with this, but I assure you she'll be better, won't you?

I nodded eagerly.

The principal side but stood away from the door, and I got up and left the office with my mom.

She was unusually quiet on the ride back home, so I decided to cheer her up and told her about how

Jerry thinks he's so macho, but I gave him a beating he's definitely going to remember.

My mom was quiet the whole time, but I kept talking.

You're happy I put him in his place, right mom?

No, she said sternly.

What?

I was shocked to hear her say that.

You putting that boy in the hospital caused your father to panic at work because the school called him first.

Then he told me to come pick you up, and I was, she suddenly stopped talking.

I was getting angry at this point.

My mom has always known that we have violent tendencies, but when I finally use them to do something good, she yells at me?

How is that fair?

Is this really how you wanted to start your summer break?

My mom asked angrily.

She continued to scold me, but I just decided to zone out, so I wasn't really paying attention.

When we arrived home, I ran to my room and decided to stay there.

Something had to change around here.

What was I supposed to do?

Just let that jerk

Jerry keep running his mouth?

The first few days of my summer break were boring enough.

Most of my friends go on vacations, but my parents never agree to take me no matter how much I ask.

Everybody else was getting into relationships and hanging out in twos.

All that mushy stuff really isn't for me.

I was waking up early because I was still in the habit of going to school in the morning,

but pretty soon I started to notice that my mom was acting strange.

She would kiss my dad goodbye at the door every morning before he left for work and then stayed by the window.

It was almost as if she was making sure that he was really gone each time.

I could see it all from the breakfast table.

I thought that was just my mind trying to make something interesting happen to make my days less boring.

But then things got even weirder.

Right after my dad left, my mom would go directly up to her room.

I would still be eating breakfast by the time she came back down with a black duffel bag

that I was sure I had never seen before.

She would then say that she was going to go and hang out with Mrs. Lebowski across the street.

I didn't think twice about it the first time it happened.

I asked about what she had in the bag a few times.

She would sarcastically say things like, a dead body, or my new chainsaw, and laugh as she walked out the door.

She always got back about an hour before my dad got home in the evening.

Maybe my mom just made a new friend.

After all, dad was at work all day and I was at school, so maybe she just got bored.

But then she started doing this every single day.

She would wait for my dad to leave, go upstairs to her room, come back down with the same black duffel bag,

and leave for Mrs. Lebowski after telling me there was lunch in the fridge.

Something didn't add up.

My mind started flooding with questions.

Since when did

Mom and Mrs. Lebowski become such good friends?

What's up with the bag?

Why does she only go on weekdays?

Is it because my dad is home on weekends?

Is she hiding something from him?

I decided to start looking into it, to see if I was just blowing things out of proportion.

Maybe Mom and Mrs. Lebowski just discovered some new board games to play or something.

Is that what grown -ups are into these days?

Anyways, I waited at the breakfast table until she left in the same way after telling me

there was leftover spaghetti in the fridge for lunch.

Then I looked out the window and saw her walking normally across the street to where Mrs. Lebowski lives.

So far, so good.

I saw her ring the doorbell, and Mrs. Lebowski came to the door to welcome her in.

My mom went in, and the door closed.

I turned back and sat at the table.

Well, that was disappointing.

That's when my gut woke up, probably after digesting the scrambled eggs I just ate.

Something inside me told me there was more to the story.

I made up my mind and went out after her.

I was halfway across the street when I realized I was still in my Powerpuff Girls pajamas, but I was too late to turn back now.

I went around the house to try and find a window I could look through.

I made my way to the back of the house.

Mrs. Lebowski had a really nice back garden with gnomes and properly trimmed grass and hedges.

As far as clear windows go, no luck.

Either the curtains were drawn or the window was too high to look through properly.

There was a road behind her house, and I wondered if my mom somehow sneaked out the back to go somewhere.

I could feel my anger rising, thinking I had failed.

It didn't help that the sun was showing no mercy.

I was just about to start kicking the grass out when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

It was a rusty black van approaching.

I've seen enough movies to know that black vans are always a bad sign.

I dived behind a nearby hedge and decided to wait for it to pass.

To my surprise, though, It stopped right behind Mrs. Lebowski's house.

I peered out from the side of the hedge.

Some of its blades were digging into my arm, but I didn't care.

100

I knew something was about to happen here.

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Were there kidnappers in the van?

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Thieves?

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The sun reflected off the window, so I couldn't see who was driving.

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For a moment, time stood still, and nothing happened.

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Then I heard the back door unlock, and Mrs. Lebowski stepped out, dressed fully in black, and started to walk towards the van.

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I was preparing to throw a gnome if any bad guys were going to show up, but then my mom walked out of the house.

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She was dressed head to toe in black, even with gloves and a mask that covered her nose and mouth.

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My head was buzzing with questions and confusion.

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I was about to pick up my phone and call my mom, but I stopped myself.

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Everything about this looked really shady.

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I had always wondered how my mom dealt with her violent nature.

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Maybe this was it.

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If it was, I was definitely going to be part of it too.

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I decided I needed to know more.

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I needed evidence, especially since mom was trying to keep this part of her life a secret.

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I ran up to my mom's room and looked around, but everything was neat and tidy as it had always been.

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Even the pile of clothes in the basket in the corner of the room looked neat.

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There was no use searching everything.

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I decided I needed to know exactly what I was looking for.

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I left the room and began planning.

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When my mom came back, I pretended that nothing had happened, although I had to force myself to stop smiling.

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I really was excited.

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Before sleeping that night, I made sure my phone was charging.

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I would need it.

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Sleep didn't come easy, but eventually it did.

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The next morning, I shot out of bed.

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Today was the day.

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I crept to my mom's room.

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She was already making breakfast.

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I went over to a corner in her room, turned on the video recording on my phone,

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and put it in the laundry basket between her clothes, making sure it was hidden but could still see everything.

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Then I walked down and ate as casually as I could.

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Everything happened as usual, and I kept wishing it would all happen faster.

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As soon as my mom left, I ran up to her room and got my phone out.

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I immediately stopped the recording and played the video.

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Skipping to the part where my mom walked in, my mom carefully closed and locked the door after she entered.

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She went to the table by her bed and took out what looked to be a key,

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then she walked over to her cupboard at the edge of the room and unlocked it.

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Out came the duffel bag.

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She then stuffed the bag with some things I couldn't see because she was blocking the view with her back and shoulder.

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She then closed and locked the cupboard, put the key back, and walked out.

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I paused the video right there and went to the table by her bed.

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Going through some papers and makeup stuff, I eventually found the key and ran right to the cupboard.

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Just as I was about to unlock it, I heard my mom's voice coming up the stairs.

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I panicked.

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This was really bad.

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Not being able to think of anything better, I crawled under her bed as quickly as I could.

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Mom walked in, talking to somebody over the phone.

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Yes, I understand.

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I don't know how I could have forgotten the gun.

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I'll be there soon.

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I held back a gasp.

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She hung up the phone, but my eyes were wide with excitement and surprise.

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Mom kept a gun in the house?

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Why?

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She opened her table drawer, and I suddenly realized I still had the key.

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I put a hand over my mouth so she couldn't hear me breathe.

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I heard her going through her drawer and even cursing a little.

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She eventually gave up and sat on the bed.

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I heard her phone unlock, and she dialed a number to say, hey, listen, I'm really sorry,

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but I don't think I'll be able to make it today.

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Yeah, I know it sucks, but you'll have to finish the job without me.

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Thanks for understanding.

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Okay, bye.

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With that, my mom sighed and walked out of the room.

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I heard her footsteps going down the stairs.

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I crawled out from underneath the bed and put the key back in the drawer under some papers.

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With that, my mom sighed and walked out of the room.

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Then I walked down and saw my mom washing dishes.

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Hi, I asked as I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

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You're back early today, huh?

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Yeah, I guess today was a short day out, she replied.

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She stopped the water running suddenly and groaned.

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Oh, I forgot my bag and Mrs. Lebowski's.

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This just isn't my day.

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It really isn't, I thought to myself.

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My mom said she'd be right back, dried her hands and left.

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I ran up once again to her room.

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I worked quickly to take out the key and unlock the cupboard.

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When I opened it, I was shocked by what I saw.

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There was my mom's outfit from yesterday hanging, but it had red stains on it.

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There were also red stains on the bottom of the walls.

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I could hardly believe it.

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Right behind her outfit at the back of the cupboard, there was a poster stuck that seemed more like a fancy certificate.

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It read, Welcome to the Hit Gang.

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I could feel my excitement rising.

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My mom was in a gang?

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So this is how she deals with her anger issues.

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It all makes sense now.

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Was she an assassin or just petty crime?

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But why is there so much blood?

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I noticed a gray transparent packet on the floor of the cupboard.

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Inside was a silver object in the shape of a gun.

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I wanted to open it so bad, but I didn't know how to wipe my fingerprints yet.

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I took out my phone and quickly captured pictures of her cupboard.

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Then I locked it and put the key back.

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Tonight, I'm going to ask her to let me join her.

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I thought to myself, I'll do it in front of dad so that he can also have a chance to join us.

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It'll be like a family thing.

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We could all be in a gang together.

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I ran to my room brimming with excitement.

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I could put on a nice girl act all day and be a part of a gang by night, just like mom.

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I skipped lunch that day, even though mom offered to order fresh food.

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I needed to plan on what to say while I waited for dad to get home.

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That evening, we all sat down at the dinner table.

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My mom brought the main course and I wasted no time.

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Mom is in a gang, I yelled.

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So much for a planned speech.

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Everybody was silent for a moment.

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Then my dad started laughing and my mom just narrowed her eyes at me.

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Eventually, my dad realized he was the only one laughing and just looked at the two of us.

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What?

213

He asked innocently.

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Yeah, I said, turning to my dad.

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Mom goes somewhere in a van with Mrs. Lebowski every day after you leave for work

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and she has all this cool stuff in her cupboard like cool black clothes

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and there's blood everywhere and there's a gun and a poster and mom, I want to join.

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My mom seemed surprised by that last sentence and smiled slightly as she said, what?

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Yeah, I said, I want to be a part of your gang and go on missions and fight people.

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My mom laughed a little and said, so you've been spying on me.

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Wait, she's telling the truth?

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My dad chirped in disbelief.

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You're in a gang?

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Yes, dear, I am.

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My mom said coolly with a smile.

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I'm a part of the hit gang.

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I believe that's the poster you saw, right?

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She gestured at me and I nodded with vigor.

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Well, I am sorry to disappoint you and also ruin the surprise, but all I do is run a soup kitchen.

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What? said me and my dad at the same time.

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My mom smiled at me and calmly said, That's right, I'm part of Housewives in Trailers, since our kitchen runs from a trailer.

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It's kind of catchy.

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The stains you saw are tomato juice.

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The gun you saw is a staple gun.

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It helps to seal the packets we hand out for some people.

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The black is easy to clean and helps with the whole thing.

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I felt breathless.

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Then, I don't know why I burst out laughing.

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It was something I could not stop. But why?

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My dad asked mom.

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I wanted to surprise you all with a vacation.

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She's always going on about it, so I figured, why not?

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I suddenly stopped laughing.

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So my mom was listening to me all this time.

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My dad was clearly still processing the whole thing.

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So, my mom said to me laughingly, since you're so good at spying on people, you can help our soup kitchen with some market research.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “My Mom Never Protected Me, And I Just Found Out Why”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: mom, dad, walked. This video has 246 sentences and 2766 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:46. The speaker talks fast, about 235 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
unlock verb	/ʌnˈlɑk/	To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.
excitement noun	/ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/	The state of being excited (emotionally aroused).
poster noun	/ˈpoʊstɚ/	A picture of a celebrity, an event etc., intended to be attached to a wall.
bore verb	/boɹ/	To inspire boredom in somebody.
drawer noun	/dɹɔɹ/	An open-topped box that can be slid in and out of the cabinet that contains it, used for storing clothing or other articles.
hedge noun	/ˈhɛd͡ʒ/	A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden.
stain noun	/steɪn/	A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
shock noun	/ʃɔk/	A sudden, heavy impact.
violent adjective	/ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/	Involving extreme force or motion.
anger noun	/ˈæŋɡə/	A strong and unpleasant feeling of displeasure, hostility, or antagonism, usually combined with an urge to yell, curse, damage or destroy things, or harm…
vacation noun	/veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	An extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure.
grass noun	/ɡɹɑːs/	Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as…
panic noun	/ˈpænɪk/	Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare.
spy noun	/spaɪ/	A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage).
outfit noun	/ˈaʊtfɪt/	A set of clothing (with accessories).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come back verb	To return to a place.
take out verb	To remove.
go through verb	To travel from one end of something to the other.
look through verb	To take a view of the contents of; search in, either with the eyes or by hand.
turn back verb	To reverse direction and retrace one's steps.
walk down verb	To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's…
walk out verb	To stage a walkout or strike.
add up verb	To take the sum of; to total.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

You're happy I put him in his place, right mom?
What was I supposed to do?
Is it because my dad is home on weekends?
My mom was in a gang?
You're in a gang?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were drawn · was dressed · was hidden
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has always known · I've seen
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was sitting · was thinking · was getting
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	keeps happening · keep dealing · kept talking

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 38 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, thief /ˈθiːf/, breathless /ˈbɹɛθləs/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, wash /wɑʃ/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/
Long words — get the stress right: certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, unusually /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli/, innocently /ˈɪnəsəntli/, sarcastically /sɑː(ɹ)ˈkæstɪkli/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like unlock, excitement, poster.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: My Mom Never Protected Me, And I Just Found Out Why - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?