Polly Meets Someone

The morning Polly arrived on Oak Street, the whole neighborhood smelled of fresh bread. Polly left two suitcases by the green door and greeted the first neighbor in sight: an enormous bear watering her geraniums. "Hello! My name is Polly. I arrived this morning."

Asubuhi ile Polly alipofika katika Mtaa wa Mialoni, mtaa mzima ulinukia harufu ya mkate uliotoka mekoni. Polly aliacha masanduku mawili kando ya mlango wa kijani na kumsalimia jirani wa kwanza aliyeonekana: dubu mkubwa aliyekuwa akimwagilia maua yake. “Habari! Jina langu ni Polly. Nimefika asubuhi hii.”

The bear wiped her paws on her apron and smiled. "I am Berta. I have lived here for twenty years." They talked for a good while by the fence: where Polly came from, what Polly did for a living, and why this street of all streets. "I teach languages," Polly explained. "I work from home, so we are going to see a lot of each other."

Dubu alifuta makucha yake kwenye aproni na kutabasamu. “Mimi ni Berta. Nimeishi hapa kwa miaka ishirini.” Waliongea kwa muda mrefu kando ya ua: Polly alitoka wapi, Polly hufanya kazi gani, na kwa nini mtaa huu kuliko mitaa mingine yote. “Ninafundisha lugha,” Polly alieleza. “Ninafanya kazi nyumbani, kwa hivyo tutaonana mara nyingi.”

When the sun was high, Berta pointed at the square at the end of the street. "There is a market tomorrow. If you want, I will show you where I buy my fruit." Polly accepted right away. "Nice to meet you, Berta. See you later!" And stepping into the new house, Polly thought that learning the neighbors' names was going to be the best possible start.

Jua lilipopanda juu, Berta alionyesha uwanja ulioko mwisho wa mtaa. “Kesho kuna soko. Ukitaka, nitakuonyesha mahali ninaponunua matunda yangu.” Polly alikubali papo hapo. “Nimefurahi kukutana nawe, Berta. Tutaonana baadaye!” Na alipoingia katika nyumba mpya, Polly alifikiri kwamba kujifunza majina ya majirani kungekuwa mwanzo bora kabisa.