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I know now that the man who sat with me on the old wooden stairs that hot summer night over thirty-five years ago was not a tall man. But to a five-year-old, he was a giant. We sat side by side, watching the sun go down behind the old Texaco service station across the busy street. A street that I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult or at the very least, an older sibling.
現在，我知道三十五年多前那個炎熱的夏夜和我坐在舊木樓梯上的那個男人個子并不高，但是對于一個五歲的孩子來說，他就是個巨人。我們肩并肩坐著，一起看太陽在繁忙的街對面那個老德克薩克加油站后面落下。我不能獨自穿過那條街，除非跟著一個成人，或者很少的時候能跟著一個大點的兄弟姐妹。
Cherry-scented smoke from Grampy's pipe kept the hungry mosquitoes at bay while gray, wispy swirls danced around our heads. Now and again, he blew a smoke ring and laughed as I tried to target the hole with my finger. I, clad in a cool summer nightie, and Grampy, his sleeveless T-shirt, sat watching the traffic. We counted cars and tried to guess the color of the next one to turn the corner.
從祖父煙斗里噴出的散發著櫻桃香味的灰白色煙霧在我們腦袋周圍飄蕩，使饑餓的蚊子不敢靠近。時不時的，他吹出一個煙圈，當我試圖把手指穿過煙圈是他笑了。穿著涼爽夏日睡衣的我和穿著無袖T-恤的祖父坐著一起看著路上的交通。我們數著汽車，并猜下一輛要從街角拐過來的汽車的顏色。
Once again, I was caught in the middle of circumstances. The fourth born of six children, it was not uncommon that I was either too young or too old for something. This night I was both. While my two baby brothers slept inside the house, my three older siblings played with friends around the corner, where I was not allowed to go. I stayed with Grampy, and that was okay with me. I was where I wanted to be. My grandfather was baby-sitting while my mother, father and grandmother went out.
又一次，我陷入了兩難的境地。作為對于很多事我的年齡不是太小就是太大，這是很尋常的。那天晚上我兩者都是，當我的兩個小弟弟在屋里睡覺的時候，我的三個哥哥姐姐和朋友們在街角玩耍，而我是不可以去的。我和祖父呆在一起，這是可以的，我在自己想呆的地方。在母親，父親和祖母都外出的時候，祖父就充當保姆的角色。
