People liked to hear him talk, and I loved the evenings when guests visited. We would sit on the floor around a long plastic sheet which my mother laid with food, and eat with our right hand as is our custom, balling together rice and meat. As darkness fell we sat by the light of oil lamps, batting away the flies as our silhouettes made dancing shadows on the walls. In the summer months there would often be thunder and lightning crashing outside and I would crawl closer to my father’s knee.

人們喜歡聽他講話，而我喜歡有客人到訪的夜晚。我們會(huì)圍著一個(gè)長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的塑料板坐在地上，母親在板子上放著食物，用右手吃飯是我們的傳統(tǒng)，把米飯和肉揉成一團(tuán)。當(dāng)夜幕降臨，我們坐在煤油燈旁。我們驅(qū)趕蒼蠅，而我們的輪廓在墻上形成舞動(dòng)的影子。在夏季的月份，屋外經(jīng)常猛地電閃雷鳴，而我會(huì)爬向父親的膝蓋。