The Café on the Corner

Every Saturday morning, Leila went to the little café on the corner of her street. She always sat at the same table by the window. She ordered a cup of tea and opened her Spanish book. She wanted to visit Mexico in the summer, so she studied hard.

One Saturday, the café was very busy, and there were no free tables. Mrs. Novak, the owner, came over with a young man. "Can he sit with you, Leila?" she asked. "Of course," said Leila.

The young man sat down and opened his book. It was an English book for Spanish speakers. Leila looked at his book, and he looked at hers. Then they both laughed.

"I'm Mateo," he said. "I'm from Mexico. I'm going to start a new job here next month, but my English isn't very good." "It's better than my Spanish," Leila said with a smile.

After that, they met at the café every Saturday. For one hour, they spoke English, and for one hour, they spoke Spanish. Mateo told Leila about his city and his family. Leila helped him with English for his new job.

In June, Leila had some news. "I'm going to fly to Mexico next week," she said. "I'm going to miss our Saturdays."

Mateo didn't say anything for a minute. Then he said, "When you come back, can I take you to dinner? Not for a lesson. Just dinner."

Leila smiled. "Yes," she said. Then she said it again, in Spanish. At the other end of the café, Mrs. Novak smiled too.