That was when Grandma realized that her bees had helped with her garden all summer.
"So that"s why my little garden had such a big crop!" she exclam1ed.
From that Time on, Grandma always believed that since Grandpa couldn"t be there to help her that summer, he had sent the bees to take his place and make Grandma"s little garden grow and grow…
早在我出生以前,奶奶和爷爷搬到碧奇乌大道住。他们膝下养有四个小女儿。女孩们睡在阁楼的-张大羽毛床上。那里冬夜酷寒。奶奶得在床脚下垫热砖给女儿们取暖。大萧条时期,工作很难找,爷爷什么苦工都做。在周曰他挖沟渠,周末和奶奶在花园里挖挖锄锄,种点自己的粮食。
碧奇乌大道的房子有个大前院,院子里种着浓荫遮蔽的大树和果树。院中央的是个水泵,小女孩们就在这里泵水用来做饭、打扫卫生、灌溉花园。奶奶和爷爷在院子的一边种上番茄、豆子、南瓜、黄瓜、辣椒和草莓,供应这个大家庭的吃用。在另一边,他们围着圣母的雕像种了玫瑰、天笠葵、丁香和蝴蝶花。
人人都辛勤地耕种花园,使它日渐丰实。整个夏天,我们一家人吃着花园种出的食物,欣赏着花园里的美丽花朵。奶奶还把做好的草莓酱、番茄、豆子、辣椒、梨子和桃子装进罐子里,使它们的美味能保持一整个漫长的冬天。
多年过去,孩子们长大,孙子孙女们也来到了世上。奶奶和爷爷仍然每年春天都耕种花园。人人都能分享花园种出的好东西,也总能带上一些回家里。
孙子孙女们长大了,爷爷、奶奶年迈古稀。维护花园花去他们更多的精力,所以他们缩小了些花园的面积。但里面种出来的食物还足够吃,花朵也还招人喜爱。
等到爷爷八十九岁的那个夏天,他只能坐在草地的椅子上,看蔬菜长大,玫瑰开花。夏曰渐渐消逝,爷爷在丰收前就去世了。对奶奶来说,这是个寂寞的冬天。她坐在窗边,望着外边的院子,考虑着来年春天还要不要耕种花园。只靠她自己来打理太难了些。当春天来到时,她只稍微种了一点。
初夏的一天,阳光灿烂,奶奶听到前院传来一阵骚动声,她看出窗外,看到可怕的一幕。两棵大树上满满缀着大团大团的蜜蜂。空中还飞舞着成千上万只,多不胜数的蜂群一直排到树梢上!嗡嗡声不绝于耳。奶奶看见这些蜜蜂先后钻进一棵树上高高的树洞中。很快,所有的蜜蜂都搬进新家,消失了。
奶奶不禁发愁起来。她是否该请人清走这些蜜蜂呢?但是她根本支付不起费用。于是她决定等一等,再想想办法。
随后几天,蜜蜂忙碌个不停。奶奶总能看到有一些蜂儿从高高的树洞里嗡嗡地飞进飞出。不久,她看出蜜蜂并无妨碍,于是自顾自地干活,不再理会它们。
那年夏天,奶奶的小花园硕果累累。邻居们都驻足羡慕里面生长丰盛的蔬菜,纳罕怎么自己花园的长势就没有这么喜人。没关系,因为奶奶有好多可以送人。登门来访的人当然都有花园里的美味来招待。
一天,奶奶的弟弟法兰克从亚利桑那州前来拜访。奶奶给他做了一顿香喷喷的午饭,有南瓜饼,有自制的苹果酱,她还把蜜蜂的故事告诉了法兰克。
法兰克说:"在亚利桑那,农夫们常常雇请养蜂人在农田附近搭蜂箱。蜜蜂授粉有助于庄稼成长。"
奶奶才意识到,原来是这些蜜蜂在夏季助成了花园的丰收。
"所以我的小花园才有了大丰收!"她大声地说道。
从那时开始,奶奶便相信是因为爷爷那年夏天没能亲自帮她,才派了蜜蜂到这里,让奶奶的小花园欣欣向荣。
A Coke and a Smile
可乐与微笑
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.
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.
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.
Thirsty?" Grampy asked, never removing the pipe from his mouth.
" Yes," was my reply." How would you like to run over to the gas station there and get yourself a bottle of Coke?"
I couldn"t believe my ears. Had I heard right? Was he talking to me? On my family"s modest income, Coke was not a part of our budget or diet. A few tantalizing sips was all I had ever had, and certainly never my own bottle.
" Okay," I replied shyly, already wondering how I would get across the street. Surely Grampy was going to come with me.
Grampy stretched his long leg out straight and reached his huge hand deep into the pocket. I could hear the familiar jangling of the loose change he always carried. Opening his fist, he exposed a mound of silver coins. There must have been a million dollars there. He instructed me to pick out a dime. After he deposited the rest of the change back into his pocket, he stood up.
"Okay," he said, helping me down the stairs and to the curb, " I"m going to stay here and keep an ear out for the babies. I"ll tell you when it"s safe to cross. You go over to the Coke machine, get your Coke and come back out. Wait for me to tell you when it"s safe to cross back."
My heart pounded. I clutched my dime tightly in my sweaty palm. Excitement took my breath away.
Grampy held my hand tightly. Together we looked up the street and down, and back up again. He stepped off the curb and told me it was safe to cross. He let go of my hand and I ran. I ran faster than I had ever run before. The street seemed wide. I wondered if I would make it to the other side. Reaching the other side, I turned to find Grampy. There he was, standing exactly where I had left him, smiling proudly. I waved.
" Go on, hurry up," he yelled.
My heart pounded wildly as I walked inside the dark garage.I had been inside the garage before with my father. My surroundings were familiar. I heard the Coca-Cola machine motor humming even before I saw it. I walked directly to the big old red-and-white dispenser. I knew where to insert my dime. I had seen it done before and had fantasized about this moment many times.
The big old monster greedily accepted my dime, and I heard the bottles shift. On tiptoes I reached up and opened the heavy door. There they were: one neat row of thick green bottles, necks staring directly at me, and ice cold from the refrigeration. I held the door open with my shoulder and grabbed one. With a quick yank, I pulled it free from its bondage. Another one immediately took its place. The bottle was cold in my sweaty hands. I will never forget the feeling of the cool glass on my skin. With two hands, I positioned the bottleneck under the heavy brass opener that was bolted to the wall. The cap dropped into an old wooden box, and I reached in to retrieve it. I was cold and bent in the middle, but I knew I needed to have this souvenir. Coke in hand, I proudly marched back out into the early evening dusk. Grampy was waiting patiently. He smiled.
Stop right there," he yelled. One or two cars sped by me, and once again, Grampy stepped off the curb." Come on, now," he said, " run." I did. Cool brown foam sprayed my hands." Don"t ever do that alone," he warned.I held the Coke bottle tightly, fearful he would make me pour it into a cup, ruining this dream come true. He didn"t. One long swallow of the cold beverage cooled my sweating body. I don"t think I ever felt so proud.