Passage II

My real mother had quit school to go to work and help out at home. She was 19 when I was born, a tall tomboy with flyaway (散漫) blond hair and the wide shoulders， narrow hips and long legs of an athlete-which she was. In the grimmest circumstances my mother could always find a bit of fun, and she had a great shout of a laugh that explored like firecrackers (鞭炮) . A neighbor often told me, “I love to hear your mother laugh. ” That neighbor lived two houses away. Other mothers called their children home in a shaky soprano(女高音) . My mother put two fingers to her lips and produced a whistle that could be heard, the next street.