Job was not a brilliant man. He swept floors for a living. He believed that Tarzan was a real man, and that all those movies were really documentaries of Tarzan's life. He was the butt¹ of many jokes, yet he taught me about the essence of a 'real man': love and respect for women, honor, kindness and gentleness.

 

Job embraced life in unexpected, simple ways. He showed up for work, on time. He never bragged² about（吹嘘，炫耀） himself, and he loved only one woman—his wife, Molly. Job filled a void（空虚，空间） in my life. He was principled and straightforward³ in my world of dishonor and lies. He loved me as his very own grandchild, even though he was a year younger than my father.

 

I will never forget my graduation from high school. That was a day of hopeless inevitability⁴ for me. My father, who was a heavy drinker, began his celebration very early in the day. By the time we congregated⁵ in the high school gymnasium my father had congratulated himself through nearly a case of beer. 

 

I tried to be invisible within a sea of faces. I wanted to run away. Disappear. Most of all I wanted no one to guess whose kid I was. I was betrayed by my last name, which began with the letter 'A,' so I was the first graduate on the first row; Being a red-head gave me even more exposure, and the baccalaureate（学士学位） speaker, who had never met me, decided⁶ to use me as his audio-visual aid. 

 

'This young lady, this bright young lady, with the bright red hair.' His voice rolled through the auditorium⁷ in sonorous⁸（响亮的） phrases, as I sank lower in my seat. Over to my left, at the door of the auditorium（礼堂，会堂）, was a seating arrangement for the 'elderly.'And there sat Molly, age 61, and Job, age 47, with all of the grandparents. My heart ached when I looked at them, wishing with all my heart that I were, truly, their grandchild.

 

As the speaker continued with his speech, he reached a point where he had an uncontrollable urge to introduce 'all the wonderful people, who have made this day possible!'

 

'All the siblings⁹ of the graduates, please, stand.'I slipped lower in my seat, glancing hurriedly around, hoping to remain invisible.

 

'Now, all the parents, please stand.' Dear Lord, I thought, I'm sure my father can't stand, even if he wanted to. I didn't bother to look around.

 

'Now the grandparents...' I closed my eyes, dreading¹⁰ the hopelessness of my situation. I had no grandparent to stand proudly for me. I finally opened my eyes, and there they were, Job and Molly, standing¹¹ proudly with all the other grandparents. Job looked over at me, his eyes beaming like diamonds.

 

'I'm so proud of you,' he smiled as he mouthed the words that I will never forget. I knew that he stood there, not out of duty, but because of his love for me!

点击收听单词发音