Introduction：The narrator is a black man working atabus station magazine stand。For many years he has been waiting for the right girl to come along。When thegirl does come，he brings her home。Will they have a romantic night？
1.I have worked at this bus station magazine stand since nineteen fifty three，waiting for the right girl to come along。When I took this job，the paint on that wall over there was new it was a light green color then。The servicemen fromthe Korean War would stop and buy cigarettes，and I learned the insignia from the Army，Coast Guard，Navy，and Marines。
2.Once I was held up by a stocky white man in a brown jacket。Showed me the twoteeth he had left in his head and the barrel of a little tape-wrapped au4 at my heart。I gave him all the dough but never felt scared。Way I saw it，he was just like me，and I could die behind that counter andjust walk away inside his skin，with a few dollars to spend。We were all one thing。So I handedhim the money，feeling richer right away—three hundred twenty-three dollars—and let him get away before I called the cops。
評注：從第2段的敘述中可以看出，敘述者“我”是一個黑人。二十世紀五十年代的美國種族歧視十分嚴重，黑人處於社會的底層，受到非人的待遇。但是故事中的“我”卻對自己的黑人身份有一種良好的心態。
serviceman：n。軍人，
insignia：n。勳章
coast guard：n。海岸護衛隊
navy：n。海軍
marine：n。艦隊
hold up：攔截
stocky：adj。矮壯的
barrel：n。槍管
dough：n。<美俚>錢
scared：adj。恐懼的
counter：n。櫃台
cop：n。警官
3.Anything can happen in the bus station。In nineteen-sixties，we had what wecalled the hippies，young people in ragged get-ups。They used to sleep all overthe furniture in sleeping bags，with packs and rolled-up tents。That’s when I began to think that the right girl might come along after all，some girl who’d grown tired of the long-haired boys，and tired of the road，and walk home with meand hold my hand，and curl up with me in my bed and on my squeaky spring。I kept an eye out。One day I saw a young lady：she looked so long-tired and in needof a friend。I bought her a sandwich and coffee and a peanut-butter cup。I bought her some aspirin and a pint of milk，fingernail clippers and asouvenir shirt。