The Seal in the River

　　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!