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The Guest Who Threw Tomatoes

   Adam knew it was special to have a Spanish guest because his parents allowed him to stay up until 10 o’clock to pick up Pepe at the airport.
   As they waited, Mr. Sapikowski pulled out a little Spanish dictionary and practiced saying the word “hola.” That means “hello” in Spanish.
   Mr. Sapikowski knew that Pepe had learned to speak English in school. But he thought Pepe might feel more at home if he greeted him in Spanish.
   Just then, a loudspeaker announced that the flight from Spain had landed. Soon, a man wearing a funny black hat and a red cape appeared.
   “I am Pepe from Spain,” he said, with a great bow.
   Nobody had ever bowed to Mrs. Sapikowski before. She was very impressed to have such a polite guest. Lauren and Adam bowed back.
   “Hola,” Mr. Sapikowski said.
   “Hola,” Pepe replied. “You are longer than a day without bread.”
   Now, Mr. Sapikowski was a very tall man. But he had never heard anyone say that about him before.
   “It is an old Spanish expression,” Pepe explained.
   Mr. Sapikowski smiled at the compliment.

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