The Ramp at the Community Center
1Every Tuesday, Mr. Bell runs the checkers club at our community center. Last month, the club moved to the art room, which has a side door with three concrete steps. Mr. Bell uses a wheelchair, so he could not get in. That is when my neighbor, Ms. Reyes, said, "Let's build a ramp." Ms. Reyes is a carpenter, and she asked me to be her helper.
2On Saturday, we unloaded long boards from her truck and stacked them on the grass beside the steps. Ms. Reyes showed me how to hold a tape measure flat against the wood and mark it with a thick pencil. "Carpenters have a saying," she told me. "Measure twice, cut once."
3I was in a hurry, so I measured only once. Ms. Reyes cut the board where I had marked it. When we set it in place, it was two inches too short! My face turned hot. "Everyone makes mistakes," Ms. Reyes said. "Now you know why we measure twice."
4We measured the next board two times, and it fit perfectly. For the rest of the day, I held boards steady while Ms. Reyes cut and drilled. Then I sanded the railing until it felt as smooth as a creek pebble, so no one would get a splinter.
5On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Bell rolled slowly up the new ramp and through the side door. At the top, he grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. "Now, who wants to lose a game of checkers?" he joked.
6Then I went home and ate dinner. The end.