Last updated on September 16th, 2023 at 04:49 pm
Activity 2 – After Twenty Years
Q: What is the story about?
A: The story describes a police officer patrolling a nearly empty street on a windy day, where most shops are closed. He notices a man standing in a hardware store doorway with an unlit cigar.
Q: What does the waiting man tell the police officer?
A: The waiting man tells the police officer that he is waiting for his friend, with whom he made an appointment 20 years ago. He mentions having dined with his friend in a restaurant called Big Joe Brady’s before parting ways, promising to meet again after 20 years.
Q: What happens when another man arrives?
A: When another man arrives, the waiting man assumes he is his friend Jimmy. They start walking together, but suddenly, the waiting man realizes that the newcomer is not Jimmy. He notices that the man’s nose has changed from Roman to pug-like, which he believes cannot happen in just 20 years.
Q: What revelation does the tall man make?
A: The tall man reveals that he has been under arrest for the last 10 minutes. He hands the waiting man a note from the original police officer he met earlier, Jimmy Wells. The note explains that Jimmy recognized the waiting man as someone wanted by the Chicago police when he struck a match to light his cigar. Unable to arrest him himself due to their friendship, Jimmy had sent another police officer in plain clothes to make the arrest.
Q: What does the police officer notice in the doorway of a hardware store?
A: The police officer notices a man standing in the doorway of a hardware store with an unlit cigar.
Q: What does the waiting man tell the police officer?
A: The waiting man tells the police officer that he has been waiting for his friend for 20 years. They had made an appointment to meet after two decades, regardless of what had happened in their lives during that time.
Q: Who does the tall man claim to be?
A: The tall man claims to be Jimmy, the friend whom the waiting man had made the appointment with 20 years ago.
Q: Why does the waiting man release his arm and say the tall man is not Jimmy?
A: The waiting man releases the tall man’s arm and declares that he is not Jimmy because the shape of his nose has changed from Roman to pug-like, which he believes cannot happen in just 20 years.
Q: What revelation does the tall man make after the waiting man confronts him?
A: The tall man reveals that he has been under arrest for the last 10 minutes. He then hands the waiting man a note from the original police officer, Jimmy Wells.
Q: What does the note from Jimmy Wells say?
A: The note explains that Jimmy recognized the waiting man as a wanted criminal by the Chicago police when he struck a match to light his cigar. Although he couldn’t personally arrest his friend, Jimmy had sent another police officer in plain clothes to make the arrest.
