We sat down next to each other, but David wouldn't look at me. It was me who first broke the silence. “Why don’t you choose to run?”, I asked in an enquiring voice. Hearing my words, a flush of shame rose to David’s cheeks. David explained that he understood what his coach did was to protect him from being teasedby kids from other schools, which was his choice, too. However, I stressed that the big cross-country run was the competition of a long-term endeavor that he had been applying so he should not let others' laughing prevent him from doing what he really desired to do. After hearing my encouraging speech, David lifted his head and raised his eyes, casting me a determined look-the kind that said he would run for himself.
I watched as David moved up the starting line with the other runners. When the starter's gun sounded, all the participants began their race. Slowly as David run, he still stuck to doing so. Tripped by his feet, David suddenly fell down to the ground. Much to my surprise, David stood up on his feet quickly with the help of the cheers of encouragement not only from his schoolmates but from other school kids. Eventually, David finished the run amid tremendous applause, his big toothy smile shining like a diamond. It is the determination and others'kindnessthat was what it tookto conquer his fear and accomplish hisgoal.