The Jacket with the Broken Zipper
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Ronan's jacket zipper breaks right before a big work dinner, and a nearby tailor fixes it just in time.
Ronan has a big work dinner tonight. He puts on his favorite jacket to get ready. The zipper does not close.
He pulls the zipper up and down. It sticks in the same spot every time. Ronan checks the clock on the wall.
The dinner starts in two hours. He grabs the jacket and his car keys. He drives straight to the tailor on Elm Street.
A man named Osei sits at a sewing machine. "Can you help me?" Ronan asks. "My zipper is stuck."
Osei takes the jacket and looks closely. "One small piece is bent," he says. "I can fix this fast."
He uses a tiny tool to bend the metal back. Then he tests the zipper twice. It slides up without a problem.
"All fixed," Osei says. "That is ten dollars." Ronan pays and puts the jacket on right away.
He checks his watch again. He has one hour before the dinner. Ronan thanks Osei and drives back home.
He walks into the dinner right on time. His jacket looks great under the lights. Nobody notices the small repair at all.
