My grandmother was an iron-willed woman, the feared matriarch of our New York family back in the 1950s.
When I was five years old, she invited some friends and relatives to her Bronx apartment for a party. Among the guests was a neighborhood big shot who was doing well in business. His wife was proud of their social status and let everyone at the party know it. They had a little girl
Grandmother spent a lot of time with the big shot and his family. She considered them the most
At one point during the party, I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. A minute or two later, the little girl opened the bathroom door and grandly walked in. I was still sitting down.
"Don't you know that little girls aren't supposed to come into the bathroom when a little boy is using it!?" I hollered.
The surprise of my being there, along with the indignation I had heaped upon her, stunned the little girl. Then she started to cry. She quickly closed the door, ran to the kitchen, and tearfully complained to her parents and my grandmother.
Most of the partygoers had overheard my loud remark and were greatly amused by it. But not Grandmother.
She was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. I received the longest, sharpest tongue-lashing of my young life. Grandmother yelled that I was impolite and rude and that I had insulted that nice little girl. The guests watched and winced in absolute silence. So forceful was my grandmother's personality that no one dared stand up for me.
After her harangue was over and I had been dismissed, the party continued, but the atmosphere was much more subdued.
Twenty minutes later, all that changed. Grandmother walked by the bathroom and noticed a torrent of water streaming out from under the door.
She shrieked twice—first in astonishment, then in rage. She flung open the bathroom door and saw that the sink and tub were plugged up and that the faucets were going at full blast.
Everyone knew who the culprit was. The guests quickly formed a protective barricade around me, but Grandmother was so furious that she almost got to me anyway, flailing her arms as if trying to swim over the crowd.
Several strong men eventually moved her away and calmed her down, although she sputtered and fumed for quite a while.
My grandfather took me by the hand and sat me on his lap in a chair near the window. He was a kind and gentle man, full of wisdom and patience. Rarely did he raise his voice to anyone, and never did he argue with his wife or defy her wishes.
He looked at me with much curiosity, not at all angry or upset. "Tell me," he asked, "why did you do it?"
"Well, she yelled at me for nothing," I said earnestly. "Now she's got something to yell
Grandfather didn't speak right away. He just sat there, looking at me and smiling.
"Eric," he said at last, "you are my revenge."
20世纪50年代我们家住在纽约，当时祖母是一家之主，也是一个令人敬畏的强悍女人。
我5岁那年，她邀请了一些亲戚朋友到布朗克斯的公寓里聚会。在客人中有个做生意发了财的大款，他的妻子神气地向大家炫耀他们家的社会地位。他们有个娇气的小女儿，年纪跟我差不多，脾气很蛮横。
祖母殷勤地伺候着那个大款和他的家人，她把他们看作是她的社交圈里最重要的人物，因此她不遗余力地逢迎他们。
晚会进行中，我走进了洗手间并随手把门关上。大概一两分钟后，我当时还坐在马桶上，那个小女孩推开洗手间的门，大模大样地走了进来。
“难道你不知道当一个男孩在使用洗手间的时候女孩子是不可以进来的吗！？”我生气地嚷着说。
听到我生气的吼声，她一下子惊呆了，然后“哇”的一声哭了起来。她飞快地关上门向厨房跑去，边哭边向她的父母和我的祖母告状。
大多数的客人其实都听到了我的怒骂声，他们都被逗乐了，可祖母一点都没笑。
当我从洗手间出来，祖母劈头盖脸地把我骂了一通，骂我没礼貌、少教养、冲撞了那可爱的小女孩。客人们都在静静地看着，我的祖母实在太霸道了，根本没有人敢为我说话。
等她骂完叫我滚开之后，晚会继续进行，但气氛已经大大减弱。
可二十分钟之后，一切全都变了。当祖母从洗手间走过的时候，她发现有股水流从门缝里涌出来。
她先是惊异地叫了一声，很快又愤怒地尖叫起来。她猛力地撞开洗手间的门，发现洗手盆和浴缸都被塞子塞住了，水龙头被拧到最大，水正哗啦啦地直流。
每个人都知道是谁搞的鬼，客人们马上在我周围形成了一堵人墙保护我。愤怒的祖母使劲地挥舞着双手，样子就像在人堆里游泳一样。好几次她差点够着我。
最后几个魁梧的男人才把祖母制住，把她拉开让她冷静下来，但她还是气急败坏地嚷了好一阵子。
祖父这时走了过来，牵着我的手到靠窗的一张椅子上坐下，还把我抱到他的膝盖上坐。祖父的性格好，脾气也特别好。他很少提高嗓门和别人说话，也从来没有和祖母吵架，也从来没有违背过祖母的意愿。
他很好奇地打量着我，没有半点生气或烦恼的样子，“告诉我，”他说，“你为什么要这样做呢？”
“是这样的，她先无缘无故地骂了我一顿，”我认真地说，“这回她骂我就有理由了！”
祖父没有马上说话，他只是坐在那儿，笑眯眯地看着我。
最后他终于开口说：“艾里克，我的乖孙子，你总算替爷爷出了口气！”
相关单词：currying
currying解释：加脂操作
currying例句：
He dislikes so currying favor with to him. 他讨厌对他如此巴结。 来自辞典例句
He was currying favour with Bulstrode for the sake of making himself
相关单词：stunned
stunned解释：adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词
stunned例句：
The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。
相关单词：winced
winced解释：赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )
winced例句：
He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子，疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。
相关单词：harangue
harangue解释：n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话
harangue例句：
We had to listen to a long harangue
The minister of propaganda delivered his usual harangue.宣传部长一如既往发表了他的长篇大论。
相关单词：subdued
subdued解释：adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
subdued例句：
He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
相关单词：torrent
torrent解释：n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发
torrent例句：
The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。
相关单词：shrieked
shrieked解释：v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
shrieked例句：
She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城
相关单词：astonishment
astonishment解释：n.惊奇，惊异
astonishment例句：
They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
相关单词：faucets
faucets解释：n.水龙头( faucet的名词复数 )
faucets例句：
Water faucets shall be chrome-plated type with ball valve. 水龙头外表为铬镀层。 来自互联网
The plumber came that afternoon and fixed the faucets in some minutes. 当天下午，管子工来了，几分钟内便把水龙头安装好。 来自互联网
相关单词：barricade
barricade解释：n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住
barricade例句：
The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。
相关单词：flailing
flailing解释：v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克
flailing例句：
He became moody and unreasonable, flailing out at Katherine at the slightest excuse. 他变得喜怒无常、不可理喻，为点鸡毛蒜皮的小事就殴打凯瑟琳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
His arms were flailing in all directions. 他的手臂胡乱挥舞着。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：sputtered
sputtered解释：v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出
sputtered例句：
The candle sputtered out. 蜡烛噼啪爆响着熄灭了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
The balky engine sputtered and stopped. 不听使唤的发动机劈啪作响地停了下来。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：fumed
fumed解释：愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟
fumed例句：
He fumed with rage because she did not appear. 因为她没出现，所以他大发雷霆。
He fumed and fretted and did not know what was the matter. 他烦躁，气恼，不知是怎么回事。
