Met Him At Christmas ｜ Learn English Through Story Level 2 ｜ English Listening Practice

It was December 24th. Snow fell outside the hospital windows. Big white flakes covered the streets. The city was quiet. Everyone was home with family. But I was here. I worked the night shift. I walked down the long hallway. My shoes made soft sounds. The floor was cold and white. Machines beeped in the

rooms. Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound never stopped. I felt so alone. The ICU was empty tonight. No visitors came. It was Christmas Eve. People wanted to be home. They wanted warm dinners and bright lights. But some people had to stay. Some people had no choice. I turned the corner. I saw a man

on the bench. He sat very still. His head was down. He held a paper cup in his hands. Steam did not rise from the cup. The drink was cold. I stopped walking. I looked at him. He wore a dark coat. His hair was messy. His face looked tired. Very tired. "Hello." I said softly. He

looked up. His eyes were sad. Dark circles sat under them. He tried to smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Hi." He said. "That cocoa looks cold." I said. He looked at the cup. "Yes." "Thank you." He said. "That would be nice." I went to the break room. I made two cups of coffee.

Hot steam rose from them. I walked back slowly. I did not want to spill. I sat down next to him. I gave him one cup. He took it with both hands. The warmth touched his fingers. "Thank you." he said again. We sat in silence for a moment. The machines beeped nearby. The snow

fell outside. The world felt very small. "Do you work here?" he asked. "Yes." I said. "I am a nurse." "It must be hard." he said. "Working on Christmas Eve." I nodded. "It is." "But someone has to do it." He drank his coffee. "Yes. Someone has to." I wanted to ask his name, but I did not.