Simply Speaking
James' race against the clock
[based on actual events]
Getting Started

an Image

James was on his way to the nearest bus stop when he saw the bus pulling away. If he didn’t catch that bus, he would be late for work.  His boss was very strict, so he couldn’t be late—not even one minute. He had no time to waste – he had to catch that bus. So James ran after the bus as fast as he could.
As he ran, he saw the bus ahead, stopped at a traffic light. He ran even faster, but just as he reached for the door, the light turned green, and the bus drove off, leaving James behind.
Feeling frustrated, James watched the bus disappear. He was running out of time and he didn't have a lot of options. He could hail a taxi or order an Uber, but either way would take too long. James wasn’t going to give up – he wasn’t going to let a missed bus ruin his day.
Wondering what to do, James looked around for other ways to get to work. That's when he saw a bike rental station nearby. He hurried there and held his credit card to the card reader. In just a few seconds, James was riding a bike down the street. He was pedaling as fast as a bike racer. It wasn't easy, but he knew it was his best chance to get to work on time.
When he saw his workplace in the distance, James felt hopeful. He pushed himself to pedal even faster. He looked ahead and saw that he only had to clear one more traffic light to get to his workplace.
Suddenly, the light turned yellow, James knew he could make it. But just as he got to the crosswalk, the light turned red. An old woman stepped out into the crosswalk area. James swerved to the right to avoid her, he hit the curb and went headfirst into a coffee stand.
No one was hurt in the accident, nor the bike damaged. James sat on the sidewalk trying to catch his breath and pull himself together. As he looked up, he saw a man holding a coffee cup. He was standing over James and looking down---it was his boss.
"Rough morning, James?" asked his boss.
"You have no idea," James replied.
“Coffee?” his boss offered, pointing at the coffee stand. “It’s on me.”
“Better make it a double espresso. Thanks,” James retorted.
Comprehension Questions
  1. What happened when James arrived at the bus stop?
  2. Why did James need to catch that particular bus?
  3. When he reached the bus at the traffic light, what happened?
  4. What were James limited options for getting to work?
  5. At the bike rental station, how did James pay for the bike rental?
  6. How close was James to his workplace before he had the accident?
  7. Explain how the bike accident happened.
  8. After the accident, who was standing over James?
  9. What did the boss offer James?
Discussion
  1. Talk about some silly, awkward, or crazy experience you've had at school or the workplace.