it was the end of my exhausting first day as a waitress in a busy new york restaurant. my cap had gone awry1（失败，出错）, my apron2（围裙） was stained, my feet ached. the loaded trays i carried felt heavier and heavier. weary and discouraged, i didn't seem able to do anything right. as i made out a complicated check for a family with s*ral children who had changed their ice-cream order a dozen times, i was ready to quit.
then the father smiled at me as he handed me tip. "well done," he said. "you've looked after us really well."
suddenly my tiredness vanished. i smiled back, and later, when the ma*r asked me how i'd liked my first day, i said, "fine!" those few words of praise had changed *rything.
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