Chapter 2 Chapter two

I remember very well that Saturday morning, the main street in the town had a rare traffic rush, and our large Lincoln sedan slowly passed the parked cars on both sides of the street, which had just been paved with asphalt.The limousine gradually approached the public square, and we heard the drums and horns of the band. The town of Bran, with a population of just over 5,000, was founded in 1781. It is a typical small settlement in New England, and it looks almost like a Hollywood film set.The town's two-lane main street, lined with maple trees, has three white-spired churches, a small restaurant, a hardware store, an old red-brick building shared by the police station and town hall, a Farm Association Hall, two gas stations, and a branch of a bank.Since I left home in 1967 to go to university abroad, there have been no new buildings in the so-called commercial area in the center of the town. Four years ago, a fire destroyed my favorite childhood place, the Peggy Public Library. After leveling the ground, only a large cornerstone remained, and now it is covered with weeds.The spacious Georgian building at that time was built by the most successful townsman and industrialist in Burland, James.It was completed by a generous bequest from Colonel Page, who also left the town a sum sufficient to keep the library stocked to a brim.Unfortunately, during the years when this majestic building was under construction, or during the years it served the townspeople of Bran after it was completed, none of the mayors thought of trying to get insurance for the most beautiful building in the town. , the town has tried several times, but has been unable to raise the necessary funds for reconstruction.Opposite the library ruins is the townspeople's public square lined with benches. In the northwest corner of the public square stands a bandstand, covered in a freshly painted light blue.

Whoa, Rick yelled as he leaned against the front windshield, Dad, look at this big crowd!Are they all waiting for us here?If this is the case, can I sit in the car and wait for you two? I pointed to the banner hanging above the main street in front of me, welcoming the Harding family back to their hometown, Brantown. We are proud of you!strips of cloth.Rick, did you see that?Those invited to the welcome party include you too! My son tugged on his baseball cap and pouted.Why include me?I didn't do anything. Well, you're part of the Harding family, right? right. Then you are in too.You are with us.

A uniformed policeman standing near the sidewalk in a public square started flailing his arms wildly as soon as he spotted our car.He gestured toward an empty parking space, which must be the one he had reserved for us.We stepped out of the car, and in the face of thunderous applause and cheers, the policeman raised his arms as a sign of protection.welcome.Can I trouble the three of you to hold each other's hands and follow me up to the bandstand?Please don't stop to say hello to old friends on the way to the stage, otherwise we won't be able to reach the bandstand before the sun goes down.There will be a lot of time to catch up on the past later, but at this moment, everyone just wants to see you on stage.He said loudly and nodded towards the bandstand.The townspeople sat close together on the freshly cut grass in the public square, and many had to stand up to make room for us to pass. Nevertheless, with the assistance of the police, we finally reached the edge of the bandstand. Before the stairs, we were greeted by a smiling man with a bunch of white hair.

John, welcome, welcome, he yelled, over the orchestra playing "Cheers, cheers, come together!" "Music.I'm Steve.marcos.Don't know if you remember me, but Steve, of course I remember you.Chief of General Affairs in our class, sophomore and junior left field I heard you now have your own law firm, right in Concord.You look great, and your appearance hasn't changed at all, except for this white lock. I said and rubbed his hair. On the bandstand, several folded chairs were arranged in a semicircle, and other guests were seated.Steve walked us to our seats and introduced Sally, Rick, and me to the three town councilmen, the fire chief, the police chief, the high school principal, and the pastors of the three churches.In my young memory, I didn't know any of these people, except for one of the town councilors, Thomas.Duffy, he's a retired judge, a good friend of my father's.

John, he said in the bass voice I can remember, it is my only regret that your mother and father were not able to attend this special event today. So do I, Mr. Judge.You look so good! So do you, boy, so do you. Steve stopped in front of the next chair, but did not introduce much, but asked with a slight smile: John, do you remember this lady? I get closer.She was a petite woman, wearing an elegant printed summer dress, her silver hair was tightly combed into a bun, and she had a small white cloth bag on her lap.She looked up at me through rimless glasses, her expression was almost shy, her lower lip trembled slightly, and she stretched out her hands towards me whimpering.

Miss Ray, I gasp, is that you? She closed her eyes and nodded.I crouched down and hugged my first grade teacher, grateful for this special person who instilled in me a love of books that taught me every step of the way to success .I kissed her lightly on the cheek and said: This really makes today a special day! Miss Rae nodded, tears running down her wrinkled face.After I introduced Sally to her, she nodded at Rick and asked, John, is this your son? Yes, sir, his name is Rick.I will be in third grade this fall.Rick, she said in a steady voice, covering my son's with her tiny hands.I hope you are as proud of your father as we all are.We knew from an early age that he would one day make a difference.

Rick finally managed to talk, so he asked: Did you really teach my dad in first grade? Of course it is true.Almost thirty years ago. Was he smart as a child? Miss Rae nodded.If I had a way back then, I would have let him skip directly to the third grade.He has a good brain! I feel a hand on my shoulder.Sorry, I have to interrupt you for a while, Steve said apologetically, everyone is ready to start the welcome party.John, you and Sally and Rick take the three empty chairs in the middle, and we'll start right away. First, there was a standing chorus of "The Star Spangled Banner," accompanied by the Bran Middle School band in the brown and white uniforms I'm familiar with.Then a priest led the crowd to pray briefly, and then a plump woman sang Barbara.Streisand's famous song "Memories", I held the hands of my wife and children tightly, and thanked God again and again for giving me all the good luck.

Judge Duffy got up slowly, walked to the microphone when no one introduced him, raised the position of the microphone slightly, cleared his throat, and said: Ladies and gentlemen of Bran, in our ancient town In the history of , today is really a special page. Everyone gathered here to praise the children of this town, because he has achieved such achievements in just a few years.It is with immense pride that I tell you that I am Priscilla and Leland.A friend of the Hardings.I remember how proud his dad was when John was born, I met him outside the bank and he stuffed a cigar in my shirt pocket.In the years that followed, Leland's pride in his son only increased.John was a star shortstop in the Browns Little League, a member of the National Honors Student Council, and went on to graduate from Browns High School with A's in all subjects.He also served as the captain of the football and baseball teams in junior high school, and was a forward for the state basketball team.In addition, his hitting and fielding performances on the baseball team were a sensation that year, earning him a college scholarship, and when he went to Arizona State University, he participated in a baseball training program that was probably one of the best in the country.By his senior year, John had hit more than 400 hits and made major league scouts coveted. Unfortunately, his knee cartilage ruptured and his dream of entering the major leagues had to end.

It was obvious that the main street lanes were closed to traffic as soon as the pageant began, but I was amazed at the behavior of the crowd as I sat listening to Judge Duffy.Except for the occasional cry of a baby, almost everyone listened intently to every word the judge said.I don't know whether they were fascinated by the judge's eloquence or my record. Still without referring to any cheat sheet, the judge continued: John.Harding's baseball dream was shattered, which made him very disappointed. However, he still graduated with top grades in 1971 and was recruited by a high-tech company in California. Today, less than two decades later, He's in the big leagues at the mall!As most of you probably already know, our venerable boy was recently elected general manager and CEO of a computer company, probably the largest in new england, with annual turnover in excess of a billion In case everyone forgets about high school math, let me explain here, this is one million yuan multiplied by a thousand times, everyone!From the local "Concord Monitor", "Manchester Trade Union Leader", to the national "Wall Street Journal", "USA Today" and "Forbes" magazines, etc., John's management model and personality traits All highly praised.If you've seen him on national television lately and had a good time, you can't help but appreciate and value this promising young man.However, what I am most proud of is that when John came to the East Coast to take over the company, he chose our town of Bran as his home.There are many high-end luxury communities around Concord, and he could have chosen any one to settle down, but he chose Brantown.He came home again, to the land where he had spent so many happy years, and to the people who still remembered him and loved him!

Amidst the growing applause, Judge Duffy turned to me, smiled, reached into his coat pocket, and took out a large bronze medal hanging from a wide red ribbon.John.Harding, he said in the loudest of his court voices, will you come forward and accept this little souvenir?It represents what these kind people want to express to you. The medallion was at least three inches in diameter.The judge brought it close to his eyes and said: "There are a few lines on the medal, dedicated to my dear boy, John.Harding.Brantown is truly proud of you.On the other side of the medal is the town's coat of arms, and next to it is the state motto of the state: give me liberty or give me death!He held the medal above his head, the crowd cheered loudly, and then he turned around, wrapped the red ribbon around my neck, and hugged me.Then, he limped slowly back to his seat.

The crowd rose to their feet and applauded, and the orchestra broke into "The Impossible Dream."I turn to Sally.She was crying and Rick stood and clapped his hands.I just stood in front of the mic until the music died down and the crowd quieted down. Friends, neighbors, I spoke, tucking the medal under my sweater so it wouldn't hit the microphone.From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for hosting this warm, special, and loving event for me and my family.I am also deeply sorry that even though our family has been living here for nearly two months, due to my busy schedule in Concord and taking over the leadership role of Millennium Infinity, I have not had time to visit each of the previous years. Many old friends, please forgive me for this.I will improve this as soon as possible.Soon, the Harding family will hold a barbecue party, so that all the barbecue parties in the town will come to our house, and all friends who are present must come! I waited until the cheers died down and spoke again.One of the things that has amazed me since my return is how many friends never leave Brantown.You were born and raised here, studied here, got married, and now raise your children here.What a wise choice!You all have good eyesight.I can't think of a better place to live a happy and peaceful life than here, right in the heart of New Hampshire. Like Judge Duffy, I wish my mother and father were here to share such a special moment with you, but I believe they are watching us now, and I am sure that without their love and teaching, my The achievements are probably lackluster.Today is undoubtedly the climax of my life. Then, just two weeks after the event, my life went from its peak to its abyss of misery and despair.Sally and Rick took the Everett Highway south to Manchester to go shopping. In the northbound lane, an old Ford pick-up truck had a punctured left front tire. station wagon.Sally and Rick died instantly I don't remember how long I stared at the rain-covered windows in the study, then I turned around to face the desk and the Curt 45.I opened the lower right drawer again, took out the box of ammunition, and placed it next to the pistol.Then I toppled the box until rows of ugly brass bullets rolled toward me.That's it.I want to die.I want to die.I want to stop the pain in my heart. There is no medicine in the world that can relieve my pain.Without Sally and Rick, life felt like a punishment I no longer had to endure.I took the empty magazine out of the pistol and started loading it.Very simple.Finally, I am ready.I pushed the magazine back into the gun.Hurry up!Forget it!Let it be over!I raised the gun and aimed it at my forehead. Dear God, I whimpered, please forgive me! There was an angel at this time, yes, an angel saved my life!