第6章 我的旅伴
- 愛在塵埃堆積的角落(英文愛藏雙語系列)
- 吳文智 方雪梅
- 1995字
- 2013-08-02 22:14:23
I’ve spent most of my career as a traveling salesman, and I know that there’s nothing lonelier than a bunch of salesmen eating their meals in a motel coffee shop.
One year, my five-year-old daughter pressed a gift into my hands. The wrapping paper was all twisted, and it was bound together into a shapeless mass by at least a mile of tape. I gave her a big hug and sloppy kiss—the kind that all daddies give—and proceeded to unwrap the little package she had bestowed on me. The contents hidden within felt kind of soft, and I was very careful not to cause any damage. With excitement radiating from her face, little brown-eyed Jeanine stood attentively beside me in her too-small pajamas while I completed the process of unraveling my surprise. A pair of black, beady eyes peeked out from their papery hiding place, then a yellow beak, a red bow tie, and orange feet. It was a stuffed toy penguin that stood about five inches tall. Attached to its right wing with still wet paste was a tiny, wooden sign, and a hand-painted declaration, “I Love My Dad!” Beneath it was a hand-drawn heart, colored with crayon. Tears welled up in my eyes and immediately I gave it a special place on my dresser.
Seldom did much time pass before I had to leave on another business trip. One morning when I was packing, I tossed the penguin in my suitcase. That night when I called home, Jeanine was very upset that the penguin had disappeared. “Honey, it’s here with me,” I explained. “I brought it along.” After that day, she always helped me pack, and saw to it that the penguin went in along with my socks and shaving kit. Many years have gone by since then, and that little penguin has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles all across America and over to Europe. And we have made many friends along the way.
In Albuquerque, I checked into a hotel, dumped out my bag and dashed to a meeting. When I returned, I found the bed turned down and the penguin propped up on the pillow. In Boston, upon returning to my room one evening, somebody had perched it in an empty drinking glass on the nightstand—it never did stand up that well.
Tile next morning I left it sitting in a chair. Again that night it was in the glass. Once, at New York’s Kennedy airport, a customs inspector coolly asked that I open my bag. And right there, on top, was my little pal. Holding it up, the agent quipped, “That’s about the most valuable thing I have seen in all my years on the job. Thank God we don’t charge tax on love.”
Late one night, after driving over a hundred miles from my previous hotel, I unpacked my luggage only to discover that the penguin was missing. Frantically, I phoned the hotel. The clerk was incredulous and a bit aloof. He laughed, saying it hadn’t been reported. Nonetheless, a half an hour later, he called back to say that my penguin had been found. The time was late, but not that late. I got back in my car and drove the couple of hours to retrieve my two-toned touring buddy, arriving near midnight. The penguin was waiting at the front desk. In the lobby, tired business travelers looked on at the reunion—I think with a touch of envy. A few of them came out to shake my hand. One man told me that he had even volunteered to deliver it to me the very next day.
Jeanine is in college now and I don’t travel as much anymore. The penguin spends most of its time sitting on my dresser—a reminder that love is the best traveling companion. All those years on the road, it was the one thing I never left home without.
我的絕大部分工作都是做駐外銷售人員。當一幫銷售員在汽車旅館的咖啡店里吃飯時,我知道沒有什么比這更孤獨了。
那年,五歲的女兒往我手中塞了一件用皺巴巴的包裝紙包好的禮物,還用一條至少約1英里長的帶子纏得一團糟。就像許多爸爸那樣,我擁抱了她,并深深地吻了她一下,接著打開了包裝。里面的東西很柔軟,我非常小心,怕把它弄壞。簡妮穿著小小的睡衣站在旁邊,眨著那雙棕色的眼睛注視著我,滿臉興奮。我充滿新奇地打開禮物。一雙黑色的,圓鼓鼓的眼睛從包裝紙里露了出來,接著就是黃色的鳥嘴,紅色蝴蝶結和橘黃色的腳。原來是一只大約5英寸高的企鵝。右翅膀上貼著一個膠水還沒干的小木簽,上面是手寫的字:“我愛我的爸爸!”字下方是一顆用蠟筆涂了色的心。我的眼睛濕潤了,我立刻將這個小企鵝放在我柜子里的一個特別的地方。
準備我的下次出差,中間只有很少的時間。一天早上當我包東西時,我把企鵝扔進了箱子里。那天晚上,我給家里打電話,簡妮正因為企鵝消失了而傷心,我趕快解釋:“寶貝,小企鵝在爸爸這呢,我讓它守在我身邊。”那天之后,簡妮常常幫我收拾行李,每次都記得把企鵝和我的襪子還有剃須用品放在一起。從那之后的許多年里,小企鵝伴隨我穿越了幾十萬英里從美國到歐洲。這一路,我也認識了許多朋友。
在阿爾布科克,我住進一個旅館,把行李倒了出來,就沖出去趕一個會議。當我回來時,我發現床已經收拾好了,企鵝靠在我的枕邊。在波士頓,一天夜里,我回到房間,有人把企鵝放在床頭柜的一個空玻璃杯里,它從來沒站得這么穩。
第二天早上,我把企鵝放在椅子上。晚上它卻又進了玻璃杯。有一次,在紐約的肯尼迪機場,一個海關巡視員漠然地要求我打開包。剛一打開,就看見我的小伙伴在最上面。巡視員拿起來,笑著說,“這是我的工作生涯中見到過的最珍貴的東西了。感謝上帝,對愛征稅是無理的。”
一個很深的夜晚,從我先前的那個旅館離開后駕車走了一百英里,我打開行李,卻發現企鵝不見了。我瘋狂地給飯店打電話。辦事員很懷疑還帶有一點冷漠。他笑著說沒有人上報。即使這樣,半小時后,他還是打電話給我說,企鵝找到了,時間已經很晚了,但不遲。我開車返回,幾小時后,我重新拿到了我的有兩種顏色的旅行密友,到達時已是半夜。企鵝在前臺的桌上等著。有幾個疲勞的出差人員在大廳里看著這場團聚,我想還有一絲嫉妒。有幾個人過來跟我握手。其中一個說他本來主動要求第二天給我送過來。
如今,簡妮已經上大學了,而我出差的次數也少了。多數時候,企鵝都在我的柜子里靜靜地呆著。提醒我,愛是最好的旅途伙伴。在外出差的這些年中,企鵝是我每次都要隨身攜帶的東西。
記憶填空
1. The contents hidden felt kind of soft, and I was very careful to cause any damage. With excitement radiating her face, little brown-eyed Jeanine stood attentively me in her too-small pajamas while I completed the process unraveling my surprise.
2. Tile next morning I it sitting in a chair. Again that night it was in the . Once, at New York’s Kennedy airport, a customs inspector coolly that I open my bag. And right there, on top, was my little . Holding it up, the agent quipped,“That’s about the most valuable thing I have in all my years on the job. Thank God we don’t tax on love.”
佳句翻譯
1. 簡妮穿著小小的睡衣站在旁邊,眨著那雙棕色的眼睛注視著我,滿臉興奮。
2. 從那之后的許多年里,小企鵝伴隨我穿越了幾十萬英里從美國到歐洲。
3. 多數時候,企鵝都在我的柜子里靜靜地呆著。
短語應用
1. …and it was bound together into a shapeless mass by at least a mile of tape.
at least:至少
2. Many years have gone by since then…
since then:從那時以來