My first time on horseback was embarrassing. I had never been on a horse in my life, but I was afraid to admit it. That’s probably where my trouble started. When I lifted my foot to put it into the stirrup, my friend Sally laughed. “Use the other foot, silly,” she said. Blushing beet red, I laughed too. I used the other foot. Then it took me about 10 minutes to swing up into the saddle. The horse kept moving and I scampered along on one foot while Sally giggled. Finally mounted, I looked down. I felt as if I were sitting on a mountain! Fortunately, Sally had chosen a gentle mare for me. I realize now she wasn’t fooled. She knew I didn’t know the first thing about riding. She really is a good friend. After a while, I learned to relax a little. I was actually riding a horse and it was fun. I even learned how to use the reins to guide the horse to the left and to the right. 1. What is the topic sentence? 2. Why did the narrator of the story state that Sally was a good friend?