I brought a picture with me that I had at home, of a girl in a swing with a castle and pretty blue bubbles in the background, to hang in my room, but that nurse here said the girl was naked from the waist up and not appropriate. You know, I've had that picture for fifty years and I never knew she was naked. If you ask me, I don't think the old men they've got here can see well enough to notice that she's bare-breasted. But, this is a Methodist home, so she's in the closet with my gallstones.
The narrator brings a cherished picture of a girl in a swing to her new living situation, only to be told by a nurse that it's inappropriate due to the girl's nudity. Despite having owned the picture for fifty years without realizing the girl was bare-chested, she reflects on how the residents, particularly the older men, likely wouldn't even notice. This reveals a clash between personal sentiment and institutional rules.
The speaker's humorous observation about the situation highlights the absurdity of the nurse's concerns while showcasing her resilience in adapting to the constraints of the Methodist home. She decides to store the picture away with her gallstones, illustrating her acceptance of the reality without losing her sense of identity and humor.
