提要:

成長中的男生，正逐漸蛻變成男人，開始注重外表，也格外在意「面子」問題。但真正的男子漢，絕非外表裝酷就行了；而是言出必行、拿得起放得下，特別重要的就是孝順。

「若能在家孝父母，此即名為勝福田」耐心聽從父母，才是真「酷」，才是真的男子漢。

The Board Meeting had come to an end. Chairman Bob started to stand up and jostled the table, spilling his coffee over his notes.  "How embarrassing.  I am getting so clumsy in my old age." Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments.

It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Then he began to tell us of his childhood.  "I grew up in San Pedro.  My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea.  He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea.  He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family.  Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home."

He looked at us and said, "I wish you could have met my Dad.  He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch.  When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean.  

Frank's voice dropped a bit.  "When the weather was bad he would drive me to school.  He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business.  That truck was older than he was.  It would wheeze and rattle down the road.  You could hear it coming for blocks.  As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear.

Half the time, he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch a cloud of smoke.  He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching.  Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy.

It was so embarrassing for me.  Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

He paused and then went on, "I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss.  When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile.  He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, ''No, Dad.'' It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face."

I said, "Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss.  I'm too old for any kind of kiss."

"My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up.  I had never seen him cry.  He turned and looked out the windshield."

"You're right," he said.  "You are a big boy....a man.  I won't kiss you anymore."

Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke.  "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back.  It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in, but not Dad.  He had a big family to feed.

They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out.  He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats."

Frank continued,  " you don't know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face.... to smell the ocean on him....to feel his arm around my neck."

If you are lucky enough to still have your Dad or Mom around, go and see them as soon as possible.  Tell them how much you love and appreciate them, and let them know how important they are in your life.

解說: 

會議接近尾聲、董事長鮑伯站起來時，碰了桌子一下，咖啡灑滿他的筆記，「真尷尬，老傢伙就會變得如此笨拙。」在場的人都笑了，接著，大家開始分享彼此「尷尬的時刻」。

輪到原本靜靜地聽別人的法蘭克時，他談到自己的童年，「我從小在聖佩卓海邊長大，我的爸爸是一位漁夫，他非常熱愛大海，他有自己的小船，但靠海為生實在很辛苦。他辛勤的勞動，直到捕到足以養家的收穫，而且不只養我們家，也要照顧爺爺奶奶，還有其他還沒離開家的兄弟姐妹。」

法蘭克看著眾人說，「希望你們能見到我爸，他是一個大塊頭，他強壯到可以徒手把漁獲拉上岸，當你靠近他，聞得到海洋的氣息。」

「天氣不好的時候，他會開車送我去上學，」法蘭克的聲音低了一些，「他運送捕到的魚，也是用這個比他年紀還大的舊卡車。這卡車的喘息般的嘎嘎作響，幾條街以外都聽得到。爸爸會開車直奔向學校，我總希望當時能縮小，在座位上消失。」

「大部分的時候，爸爸會把老爺車停在學校正門口，在一團煙霧、眾目睽睽中，俯身在我臉上用力親一個，並告訴我，『做個好孩子』！

這讓我覺得很難為情，我十二歲了，爸爸還當眾親我說再見！」

法蘭克停頓了一下，然後接著說，「我還記得那天，我決定不再接受這種對孩童的吻別。當我們到了學校停下來的時候，爸爸用他一貫的燦爛的笑容開始向我俯下身時，我對他說，『不，爸爸，我長大了，別再親我了。』」

「爸爸看著我良久，眼睛開始充滿淚水，我從來沒有見過他哭，他轉過身、看著擋風玻璃說：『你說得對，你是個大孩子了，一個男人了，我不會再親你了。』」

法蘭克臉上出現古怪的表情，眼淚開始湧上來，「之後沒多久，爸爸出海後就再也沒有回來，那天幾乎所有的漁船都不出海，但是爸爸有一大家子人要養。」

「他們發現他的船漂流時，一半魚網在船舷外。他一定是遇到了暴風，試圖挽救魚網……」

法蘭克繼續說，「如果爸爸可以再親我，讓我感覺到他粗糙的臉、聞他身上海洋的氣味，我願意放棄一切來換。」

如果你夠幸運，爸爸媽媽還在身邊，趕快告訴他們，你是多麼的愛與感激他們，並讓他們知道，在你的生命中，他們是多麼重要。

找出隱藏的字        Finding Words

 M S U T O W A R D A A G B

P U R P O S E F G P P D R

D O O H D L I H C P P O F

B F L U F I S H E R M A N

E M B A R R A S S E P H F

R O U G H X N S T C C R A

A D N U O R A Z A I I O M

S C L U M S Y Q Y A A U I

E S I R P R U S R T T G L

D T G A W P L X G E E H Y

H A R O U N D S H R I N K

※「找字遊戲」之中， 有些字沒按照傳統英文字「由左到右」的規矩，所以有的字由右到左，有的字上下排列。

你至少可以找到十個字，這些字都在內文中找得到。 而且還藏了一些早就學過的字。

for blocks

「blocks」是木塊、石塊、積木。在都市中，方方正正的商業辦公大樓，遠眺也非常像積木塊。美語中常以幾個「blocks」做為衡量距離的參考，兩個「blocks」中間會有一條街道巷弄，所以文中翻譯為「幾條街」。

You could hear it coming for blocks. （幾條街之外你都聽得到它來了）以法蘭克覺得老爺卡車吵得有點丟人，所以想縮在椅子上消失。

funny look

「funny look」是滑稽可笑的樣子，通常是搞笑、逗樂的，但不全然，有時候是「古怪」的意思。

文中的法蘭克「 got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes......」（臉上出現古怪的表情，眼淚開始湧上來……）他有古怪的表情，因為想到爸爸出海就沒有再回來。

Jostled

「jostle」是「推 擠、撞」。例如：「We were jostled by the crowd of comics festival.」 （我們與逛動漫展的群眾摩肩擦踵。）

文中的董事長鮑伯「站起來時，碰灑桌上的咖啡……」是擬人化的形容董事長與桌子「摩肩擦踵」了。

「jostle」也是「奪、競爭」的意思。 例如：「The candidates jostled each other to win the election.」（互相競爭的候選人，都想在選舉中勝出。）

解答:

你至少可以找到embarrass；childhood；toward；shrink；appreciate；rough；surprise；around；fisherman；clumsy等十個字。這些字都可以在內文之中找到。

※ 若只找十個字還考不倒你的同學，還有其他的字可以繼續找，例如第二行可以找到purpose（目的），第三列可找到family（家庭）