Her son’s text from the night before buzzed in her pocket: “Mom, just quit. You’re 68.” She hadn’t answered. Quitting wasn’t the point. This job was the last place where people still called her by name—not “dear” or “honey,” but Maria . The truckers who nodded as they ordered eggs over easy. The night nurse who always left a $5 tip with a smile.

She waited.

Here’s a modeled on the Alberta English 20-2 curriculum (focusing on understanding, supporting details, inference, and author’s purpose). Passage: “The Last Shift” (excerpt) The diner had seen better decades. Its chrome edges were dulled, the red vinyl seats patched with electrical tape. But at 5:30 a.m., it still smelled of fresh coffee and something baking. Maria wiped the same spot on the counter for the third time, watching the door.

The bell above the door jingled. A young man in a suit—rare for this hour—slid into the corner booth. “Coffee, black,” he said, not looking up from his phone. Maria poured it anyway. When she set the cup down, he glanced at her nametag.

“She worked in a place like this. Never complained.” He paused. “She died last month. I miss her.”

“Maria. That was my grandmother’s name.”

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