24 Consequently, he was going to be expelled from the university. (Para. 6)
Meaning: As a consequence, the university was going to dismiss him from the school.
25 To my disgust, he seemed resigned to his fate. I knew there was hope, so I led him to the college secretary for reconsideration. (Para. 6)
Meaning: What upset me was that he seemed to accept his fate. As I knew there was stil a hope, I took him to the col ege secretary to see whether the decision could be changed.
26 “You are going to graduate with a BA in political science from UPenn and
proceed to the College of Law,” I told him, lodging an appeal on his behalf, which was approved. (Para. 7)
Meaning beyond words: What she did for her boyfriend indicated their relationship had
come to a new stage. Besides encouraging him to consult with the col ege secretary and submitting the appeal on his behalf, she also planned for his future career. She told him he had to continue his studies at law school.
Note: Besides a noun, “proceed to” can also be fol owed by a verb phrase. For example: Having said how much she liked my idea, she then proceeded to make critical comments *about it. 说完她是多么喜欢我的点子，她接着就提出了批评性的意见。
27 Butch was granted reconsideration. And, once we became steadies, he coordinated his studies and social life, passing all of his classes. He eventually studied law. (Para. 7)
Meaning beyond words: Here we see the turning point of the relationship between the two. Her suggestions did work well with Butch since he was granted reconsideration. As soon as they became steady lovers, Butch balanced his studies and social life and passed every course. Final y, he studied law as had been planned.
Note: Steady can also be used as a noun, as is in the text. It’s an old-fashioned American way to describe a boyfriend or girlfriend that someone has been having a romantic relationship with.
28 Despite Butch’s somewhat wild character, at his core, he is always a perfect gentleman and deserves a lot of credit for that. (Para. 8)
Meaning: In spite of Butch’s a little wild character, he was always a perfect gentleman in
essence, for which he should be given recognition.
29 True, he’d sometimes take the liberty of displaying his love by planting a kiss on my lips right in front of my astonished friends who watched and disapproved. (Para. 8)
Meaning: Without my permission, sometimes he would press a kiss on my lips to show his love in front of my friends, who were astonished and resented what he did.
Note: “Plant a kiss” is a figurative use of the word plant, which means an intimate and publicly demonstrative kiss showing his love to all who are watching.
30 But the truth is we had a pure and responsible relationship for seven full years. Sitting by the palm trees, hand in hand, we would listen to romantic songs, watch the sunset, and weave dreams of being together with children of our own, forever. (Para. 8)
Meaning beyond words: Butch showed much respect for her conservative perception of
love. For seven years, they just enjoyed their romance in a traditional way.
31 Two years passed in a blur. One day, Butch took me by surprise as he knelt down and proposed marriage holding a dozen red roses! (Para. 9)
Meaning: Two years passed so quickly that I didn’t real y remember everything clearly. One day, I was startled when Butch, holding a dozen red roses, knelt down to propose marriage.
Note: propose to sb. = propose marriage to sb.
32 Filled with deep emotion, I confessed my love for him, “How roooomaaaantic!!” (Para. 9)
Meaning: I admitted my love for him with deep affection. It was super romantic! Meaning beyond words: She was so happy and thril ed to accept Butch’s marriage proposal that she said the word romantic in a slow and exaggerated way.
Note: In informal writing, people would emphasize something in a similar way. For example:
*Thank you soooooo much! 真是太太太感谢您了！
33 Then my brain woke up from fantasy land. I cried out, “Good heavens. No! We’re
too young to tie the knot. We haven’t even graduated from college yet!” I really loved him but was pessimistic about our chances for success.(Para. 9)
Meaning beyond words: Al of a sudden, she woke up from the romantic scene. Though she already accepted love from Butch and confessed her love for him, she was not sure whether they would get married and have a happy ending as they were stil col ege students.
Note: It isn’t clear whether this expression tie the knot derives from an actual knot used in
marriage ceremonies or whether the knot is merely symbolic of a lasting unity. Knots have
a place in many cultures and usually symbolize unbreakable pledges. Actual knots have
certainly been used in marriage ceremonies for some time. The word knot, although not in
the phrase tie the knot, has been associated with marriage since at least the 13th century.
34 We married five years later. (Para 10)
Meaning beyond words: Though she was pessimistic about their chance for success of love, she accepted Butch’s proposal. They got married five years later, which il ustrates their deep and true love for each other.
35 Our faithful journey of love and learning took us down rocky roads of hardship and on smooth easy-going highways. (Para. 11)
Meaning: Our devoted and faithful love guided us both in times of happiness and also in
times of hardship.
Note: The word rocky comes from the noun rock combining with -y. A rocky road refers to
a road ful of rocks, uneven or not flat. Words of this group include: muddy, stony, grassy, snowy, rainy, etc.
36 It is a long, romantic, sometimes crazy, love story that sums up a 29-year long honeymoon together as a couple who are still madly in love with each other. (Para. 11)
Meaning beyond words: She felt very proud of her long-lasting romantic, sometimes even crazy love, which was just like a 29-year long honeymoon for her and her husband.
37 Our love commenced with a casual attraction but bloomed into a mature love and rich life. (Para. 11)
Meaning beyond words: Completely beyond her expectation, love came to her as she started with a casual date but ended up growing into a mature love and rich life.
Note: We usually use commence doing sth. or commence with sth. Also, in the US, the official col ege/university graduation ceremony is cal ed “commencement”. The word refers to the completion of one’s education and the beginning of one’s new adult life. Note: The phrase “bloomed into a mature love and rich life” in the text is used figuratively,
meaning their love was just like blossoms on a tree.