My grandmother was an iron-willed woman, the feared matriarch of our New York family back in the 1950s.

When I was five years old, she invited some friends and relatives to her Bronx apartment for a party. Among the guests was a neighborhood big shot who was doing well in business. His wife was proud of their social status and let everyone at the party know it. They had a little girl about my age who was spoiled and very much used to getting her own way.

Grandmother spent a lot of time with the big shot and his family. She considered them the most important members of her social circle and worked hard at currying their favor.

20世紀50年代我們家住在紐約，當時祖母是一家之主，也是一個令人敬畏的強悍女人。

我5歲那年，她邀請了一些親戚朋友到布朗克斯的公寓里聚會。在客人中有個做生意發了財的大款，他的妻子神氣地向大家炫耀他們家的社會地位。他們有個嬌氣的小女兒，年紀跟我差不多，脾氣很蠻橫。

祖母殷勤地伺候著那個大款和他的家人，她把他們看作是她的社交圈里最重要的人物，因此她不遺余力地逢迎他們。