The Hotel

My father was a traveling salesman for a long time. In those days, there were quite a few traveling salesmen. They sold tools, encyclopedias, records, and even chocolate! My father sold small tools and toolboxes. He traveled to small towns and villages in the Midwest. Sometimes, he would have to drive for hundreds of miles! He’d show people the latest products and how they worked.

我父亲长期是一名旅行推销员。在那些日子里很少有旅行推销员。 他们卖工具、百科全书、唱片，甚至巧克力！我父亲卖小工具和工具箱。 他走遍了中西部的小镇和村庄。 有时候，他得开几百英里！ 他会向人们展示最新的产品及其工作原理。

He told me that, on the whole, he was pretty successful. He loved meeting new people each day, and he enjoyed his work very much. One time, my father entered a very small town as it was getting dark. He noticed that the town had only one street, with a few small stores.

他告诉我，总的来说，他很成功。 他每天都喜欢结识新朋友，他非常喜欢自己的工作。 有一次，天快黑了，我父亲走进一个很小的小镇。 他注意到小镇只有一条街道，只有几家小店。

He went into the only store with a light on to ask for directions to a hotel. " Good evening, sir, ” my father began. “ Evenin’ to you! ” replied the storekeeper. " I’m looking for a hotel. ” “ Well, you just found it. ” " Is this a hotel? I didn’t see any signs, ” asked my dad. “ Yep. Mine is the only one. Do you need a room?”

他走进唯一一家开着灯的商店，询问去酒店的方向。 “晚上好，先生，”父亲开始说道。“晚上好！”店主回答。 ”我在找酒店。” “好的，你刚刚找到了。” “这是酒店吗？我没有看到任何迹象，”爸爸问。“是的。只有我的。你需要房间吗？”

" Sure. ” “ Come this way, ” said the man. The hotel manager led the way to a small, dark room in the corner. " Do you have anything bigger?” asked my dad. “ Nope. In fact, this is the only room we have. ”

“当然。” “这边来，”那人说。 酒店经理带路来到角落里的一间小而黑暗的房间。 “你有更大的吗？”我爸爸问。“没有。事实上，这是我们唯一的房间。”

" I’ll take it then, ” my dad replied. Later that evening, my dad realized that he hadn’t had a meal all day. So he made his way back to the hotel manager. “ Do you serve dinner?” he asked. " Yep, in the other room. ” “ What time?” “ Come when you like, ” said the hotel manager.

“我会接受的，”我爸爸回答。那天晚上晚些时候，我父亲意识到他一整天都没吃饭。 于是他回到了酒店经理那里。“你们供应晚餐吗？”他问。 ”是的，在另一个房间。”“什么时候？”“你喜欢的时候来，”酒店经理说。

After my dad unpacked, he made his way to the “ other room, ” which was supposed to be the dining room. To my father’s surprise, the hotel manager was also the waiter! He asked, “ Will you have sausage on toast?” ” No, I never eat sausage, ” replied my dad. “ In that case, ” said the waiter, “ dinner is over. ”

我爸爸打开行李后，他走向了“另一个房间”，那应该是餐厅。 令我父亲惊讶的是，酒店经理也是服务员！ 他问：“你要烤香肠吗？” “不，我从不吃香肠。“那样的话，”服务员说，“晚餐就到此结束了。”