Weeks passed. By June we had already baled one cutting of hay and gotten it safely into the barn. I gradually settled into a routine of daily work with Grandpa. He had a mental schedule of things that needed doing, and we worked on part of it each day. In the evenings I usually read or talked with Grandma. She never grew tired of hearing about college or anything I was involved in. She told me stories about her childhood, family and the early years after she and Grandpa had married.

幾周過去了。到六月份我們已經砍了第一批干草并打成捆，安全運進谷倉了。我和外公一起干活已逐漸上了軌道，每天例行的事也熟悉了。要做的事在外公的腦子里都想好了，每天做一部分。晚上我一般看看書或和外婆聊聊天。我和她講大學里的事，講我自己的一些事，她都愛聽。她和我談她的童年，她的娘家，她和外公結婚最初幾年的情況。

The last Saturday in June, Grandpa suggested we go fishing, since we were caught up on everything. The pond was in a low pasture near the woods. Years before, Grandpa had stocked it with fish. We drove the pickup to the pond that day, looking over the livestock as we went. We hadn't expected what we saw when we got to the pond that morning: One of the swans was dead. Grandpa had given the pair of swans to Grandma on their fiftieth anniversary. "Why don't we see about buying another one," I suggested, hoping the situation could somehow be righted. Grandpa thought for a few moments before answering.

He finally said, "no... it's not that easy, Bruce. You see, swans mate for life." He raised his finger to point, holding the fishing pole in his other hand. "There's nothing we can do for the one that's left. He has to work it out for himself."

六月最后一個星期六，外公提議去釣魚，因為事情都趕著做完了。幾年前外公已經在里面放了魚苗。那天我們開了那輛小貨車去池塘，一路上還查看了牲畜的情況。那天上午到達池塘時見到了一件意外的事：一只天鵝死了。這是一對中的一只，這對天鵝是他們結婚五十周年時外公送給外婆的。我說：“干嗎不再買一只，”希望那可以彌補一下這種狀況。

外公想了一會兒才回答。他最后說：“不，……不那么簡單，布魯斯。你知道嗎，天鵝是終生為伴。” 他一手拿著釣竿，另一手抬起來指了一指。“對于留下來的這只我們無能為力，只好靠它自己了。”

We caught enough fish that morning for lunch. On the way back to the house, Grandpa asked me not to tell Grandma about the swan. She didn't get down to the pond much anymore, and there was no sense in her knowing about it right away.
A few days later, we drove by the pond while doing our morning check on the cows. We found the other swan lying near the same spot we had found the first one. It, too, was dead.

那天上午我們釣了不少魚供午餐用。回家的路上，外公要我別向外婆提及天鵝的事。她現在不常來池塘這邊，沒有必要讓她馬上知道。幾天以后的一個清晨，我們驅車去查看母牛時從池塘邊走過。在離第一只天鵝死的地方不遠，我們見到另一只天鵝躺在那兒。它也死了。

The month of July started with me and Grandpa putting up a new stretch of fence. Then July 12 came. That was the day Grandma passed away. I'd overslept that morning. Grandpa had not knocked on my door, either. It was nearly eight o'clock by the time I could hurriedly dress myself and get down to the kitchen. I saw Dr. Morgan sitting at the kitchen table. He was a neighbor of my grandparents' age, long since retired. He'd come to the house several times before on social calls. I immediately knew something was wrong. This morning, his tattered old black bag was by his feet, and my grandfather was obviously shaken. Grandma had died suddenly that morning of a stroke. By the afternoon, my parents were there. The old house was soon crowded with relatives and Grandpa's friends.

七月初我和外公建造了一堵新圍欄。然后到了七月十二日，就在那一天外婆過世了。那天早晨我睡過了頭。外公也沒有敲我的門。 差不多八點了我才匆匆穿好衣服，下樓來到廚房。我見到摩根醫生坐在廚房桌子邊。他是外公家鄰居，和外公差不多年紀，也早就退休了。他曾來過外公家串過幾次門。我立刻感到出了事。這天早晨，他腳邊放著他那破舊的黑包，外公的身子直發抖。外婆那天早晨患中風突然逝世。下午我父母來了。這間老屋一下子親友云集，顯得很擁擠。

The funeral was held the next day. Grandpa had insisted on having it as soon as possible. On the second day after the funeral, Grandpa announced at the breakfast table, "This is a working farm. We have a lot of things to do. The rest of you should get back to your own lives." Most of the family had already left, but this was Grandpa's way of telling the rest it was time for them to go home. My parents were the last to leave after lunch.

第二天舉行葬禮。外公堅持盡快舉行。葬禮后的第二天，外公在早餐時宣布：“農場要干活，我們有很多事要做。你們剩下的人都請回吧。” 家族大多數人已經走了，而外公就用這種方法告訴剩下的人是回去的時候了。我父母吃過午飯后離開了，他們是最后走的人。