I was a single mother and I have two daughters to bring up. I just moved to Chicago this year.

   Though I tried my best, what I ____  (1)  ___ just made ends meet. I was always ___  (2)  ____ of the last days of a month, during which many bills were waiting for me to pay. Now the ___  (3)  ____ month was going to end. When I ___  (4)  ___ the monthly bills, I saw I couldn't ____  (5)  ____ what my girls wanted.

   I still remembered what I had ____  (6)  ____ my daughters. For our first Christmas in a ____  (7)  ____ state, I wanted to get my daughters something ____  (8)  ____. "What do you want from Santa this year?" I asked them.

   "Bicycles!" they replied at once. ____  (9)  ____ they had their hopes set. But after I got the monthly bills, I ____  (10)  ____ the money left was not enough for one bike. What could I do to get two? I turned the matter over in my ____  (11)  ____ several times: Lord, would it be fair to my landlord to be ____  (12)  ____ with the rent this month?

   Over the next few ____  (13)  ____, I always asked myself the same question when my daughters were deep in sleep. ___  (14)  ____, the only voice I heard was my grandpa's, "Diane, whatever you do, always pay your rent on time," he ____  (15)  ____ to say.

   I guess I had my ____  (16)  ____. I carefully put the rent check under the landlord's door and called the girls in. The phone rang when I was about to toll them the bad ____  (17)  ___.

   "I want you to __  (18)  ___ something," my landlord said. I heard the sound of paper being torn. "That was your December rent check," he said. "It is being torn into pieces because you always pay your rent ___  (19)  ____. Merry Christmas to you and the girls."

   Grandpa's kind ___  (20)  ____, a generous landlord and some unknown reasons added up to a Christmas gift that my daughters and I will never forget.