Sometimes，I want to know whether there is any love between my parents．Every day，they are （41）___ trying to make money．They don't act romantic（浪漫的） the way couples（夫妇） do in books or on （42）___．They never say"I love you"to each other．It's not their （43）___．

One day，my mother was sewing（缝） a quilt．I sat down （44）___ her．

"Mom，I have a question to ask you．"I said after a while．

"What？"she asked，still working．

"Is there （45）___ between you and Dad？"I asked her in a very low （46）___．

She stopped her work and （47）___ her head．Then she bowed （低下） her head and went on sewing．

I thought I had hurt her．At last I heard my mother say，"Susan，look at this thread （线）．Sometimes it （48）___，but most of it disappears in the quilt．It makes the quilt （49）___．If life is a quilt，then love should be a （50）___．It can （51）___ be seen anywhere，but it's really there．"

I listened carefully but I didn't understand her （52）___ the next spring．My father suddenly got sick．My mother had to stay with him in the （53）___ for a month．

After they got back，she helped my father walk slowly down the road every day．My father had never been so weak．

"Dad，（54）___ are you feeling now？"I asked him one day．

"Susan，don't worry about me，"he said gently．"I just like （55）___ with your mom．"

Once I thought love meant flowers，gifts and sweet kisses．Now，I know that love is the thread that holds a family together．