i was tired with preparing for the joint college entrance examination the other evening. and having been alone for several hours, i was eager to have someone to chat with me about anything but examinations. so i telephoned my best friend mary, who was also busy preparing for the joint entrance examination.

　　on the telephone, i told her that i missed her very much. and i invited her to have a cup of coffee with me in a coffeehouse near her home. but to my surprise, she declined and said that she had to devote all her time to her studies. hearing this, i could do nothing but hang up after saying “sorry” to her. disappointed and discouraged, i turned back to my desk and reluctantly buried myself again in my books.