When my father died of a heart attack in 1991, Jimmy was a wreck, beneath his careful 1 . He was simply in disbelief. Usually very 2 , he now quit speaking altogether and no amount of words could penetrate the 3 expression he wore on his face. I hired someone to live with him and drive him to work, but no matter how much I tried to make things stay the same, even Jimmy 4 that the world he"d known was gone. One day I asked, "You miss Dad, don"t you" His lips quivered and then he asked, "What do you think, Margaret He was my best friend." Our 5 began to flow.
He didn"t 6 to going to work without my father right away, so he came and lived with me in New York City for a while. He went wherever I went and seemed to adjust pretty well. Still, Jimmy longed to live in my parents" house and work at his old job and I pledged to help him return. 7 , I was able to work it out. He has lived there for 11 years now with many different caretakers and blossomed on his own. He has become 8 to the neighborhood. When you have any mail to be picked up or your dog needs walking, he is your man.
My mother was right, of course: It was possible to have a home with room for both his limitations and my 9 . In fact, caring for someone who loves as deeply and 10 my efforts as much as Jimmy does have enriched my life more than anything else ever could have.
A. consequently
B. adjust
C. pleasant
D. Eventually
E. agreeable
F. grasped
G. disguise
H. ambitions
I. essential
J. vacant
K. appreciates
L. tears
M. abandon
N. ceremony
O. indispensable