11. Enemies Turned to Be Friends

I was 14 when Mr. Ingram hired me as a farmhand. It was the first time I was 1) actually paid for work.

One day Mr. Ingram 2) found an old truck that was 3) stuck in the soft, sandy soil of our field, It was full of melons that someone had tried to steal before his truck got bogged down.

Mr. Ingram 4) explained that the truck’s owner would be returning soon, and he wanted me to 5) watch and learn. It wasn’t long before a local guy with a terrible 6) reputation for fighting and stealing showed up with his two 7) full-grown sons. They looked really angry.

Calmly Mr. Ingram said, “Well, I see you want to buy some watermelons from us.”

8) There was a long silence before the man answered, “Yeah, I guess so. What are you getting for them?”

“Twenty-five cents each.”

9) “Well, I guess that would be fair enough if you help me get my truck out of here.”

It turned out to be our biggest sale of the summer, and a nasty, perhaps violent, incident had been avoided. After they left, Mr. Ingram smiled and said to me, 10) “Son, if you don’t forgive your enemies, you’re going to run out of friends.”

Notes:

bog down：be stuck fast, unable to make progress （陷入泥淖）

nasty：dirty, disgusting （脏的，令人厌恶的）