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小蘭 譯

I¹⁾bumped up and down on the cloth and²⁾vinyl

seat of the³⁾immaculate but ancient⁴⁾Chevy,⁵⁾pinned between two⁶⁾cousins.

Grandpa⁷⁾clutched the wheel and⁸⁾pulled up outside a⁹⁾grocery. We followed him into the small grocery store, hoping to receive candy. We hadnt been too good that day, so the chances were slim; but you could always hope.

Grandpa picked up several items and placed them on the counter. We stood behind,¹⁰⁾tiptoeing to see if candy was hidden among the goods. Grandpa turned and I flashed a smile¹¹⁾guaranteed to buy at least a¹²⁾gum-drop. How could he¹³⁾resist my¹⁴⁾toothy¹⁵⁾grin? He grinned back,¹⁶⁾wise to my ways.

The clerk added up the total and Grandpa did a¹⁷)sleight of hand. Somehow three pieces of candy¹⁸⁾miraculously appeared. The clerk¹⁹⁾frowned and added the extra items while we danced in delight.

The girl called out the total. Grandpa told her it would be on credit. The clerk was new and obviously didnt know Grandpa, though he had been coming to this same country store for 20 years. She pulled out a slip of paper,²⁰⁾chewing a fingernail idly as she pushed the paper in front of Grandpa.

“Sign here,” she said.

Grandpa took the²¹⁾stubby pencil and carefully marked an “X” on the²²⁾dotted line.

“Youre supposed to sign your name,” she said.

My Grandpas full name was Carmie Menuard Morrison. I stared at the “X.” I started to remind him of his name when the clerk²³⁾arched an eyebrow and said, “Cant you write?”

Grandpa²⁴⁾shuffled his feet. He was a tall man, thin with sandy blond hair and²⁵⁾piercing blue eyes. I hadnt seen him shuffle before, especially in front of a nail-biting²⁶⁾pimple-faced teenaged girl.

“I cant read nor write,” he said. “Ive always signed with an ‘X.”

I watched as a proud²⁷⁾self-sufficient man?a man who put²⁸⁾venison on the table²⁹⁾in season. A man who built a small home and kept it neat. A man who lost two fingers cutting³⁰⁾timber when he was younger. A man who looked a whole lot like Festus on³¹⁾Gunsmoke when he³²⁾squinted his eyes and told us to “ye better git on outta here.” He was a³³⁾mean hand with a³⁴⁾broom, daring dirt to come into his house. He was a lot more than a simple “X” and I wanted to tell the clerk that, but Grandpa was still shuffling. I could see he wanted nothing more than to get out of there.

I wasnt sure what happened, but somewhere deep inside of Grandpa had been³⁵⁾pricked. I³⁶⁾snuggled close to him and broke my³⁷⁾Hersheys bar in half.

“Want some?” I asked. He took it and bit into it. In spite of his smile, the sadness in his eyes said that chocolate wouldnt make the pain go away.