"You don't know?" she said.

"Well, when I was in jail I wrote to my wife," he said. "I told her that I was going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn't stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could jus forget me. I'd understand. Get a new guy , I said -- she's a wonderful woman, really something -- and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me. And she didn't没写信. Not for three and a half years."

"And you're going home now, not knowing?"

"Yeah," he said shyly. "Well, last week, when I was sure the parole was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick, just Before Jacksonville, and there's a big oak tree just as you come into town, I told her that if she didn't have a new guy and if she'd take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I'd get off （+车）and come home. If she didn't want me, forget it -- no handkerchief, and I'd go on through（+城镇）."

"Wow," the girl exclaimed. "Wow."

She told the others, and soon all of them were in it（it=story）, caught up in the approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children -- the woman handsome in a plain way, the children still unformed in the much-handled snapshots.

Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over(=occupy) window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as it fortifying himself against still another disappointment.

jail 监狱管理者 jail-keeper
n. prison 监狱
guy
n. (AmE sl.) man; fellow 人；家伙
yeah
ad. (AmE) yes
parole
n. conditional release from prison 假释
oak
n. 橡树
wow
interj. an expression of surprise 哇，呀
exclaim 声称claim
vt. Cry out suddenly because of surprise, anger, pain, etc. 惊叫，叫喊说
approach
n. coming near or nearer 接近，临近
unformed half-formed well-formed
a. immature 发育未全的
handle
vt. touch, feel or use (sth) with the hand(s) 触，摸，抚弄
snapshot =shot
n. 快照
tighten
v. make strong （使）变紧；（使）绷紧