For years I dreamed of having the sort of massive oak slab that would dominate a room—no more child's desk in a trailer laundry-closet, no more cramped kneehole in a rented house.

多年，一直梦想那种巨大的厚橡木板做的书桌，占据书最显要的位置——必窝在拖车屋的洗衣台上，必在租的子里憋屈着膝盖。