Sally was going to get permission to stay with us a little and one Thursday she came finally with a sack¹ full of clothes and a paper bag of sweetbread her mama sent. And would 've stayed too except when the dark came her father, whose eyes were little from crying, knocked on the door and said please come back, this is the last time. And she said Daddy and went home.

　　Then we didn't need to worry. Until one day Sally's father catches her talking to a boy and the next day she doesn't come to school. And the next. Until the way Sally tells it, he just went crazy, he just forget he was her father between the buckle² and the belt.

　　萨莉得到了允许讲和我们住一阵子，星期四她终于来了，带着一布袋衣服和一纸袋她妈妈拿的甜面包。本来他可以住住下来的，可天黑的时候她爸爸来了，眼睛哭肿了，变得很小，他敲打着门说请回来吧。这是最后一次。她应了一声爸爸，就回家了。

　　然后我们就不用担心了。直到有一天，萨莉的爸爸抓到她和一个男孩说话，第二天她没有来上学。第三天也没有。直到后来萨莉说起来，他简直就是疯了，解开了皮带的他，忘记了他是她的父亲。