6. Mud Puddles for Mom

Chapter 6 Mud Puddles for Mom "Where did they come from?" Brian asked. "We used to play with them in the tub when we were little," Bradley said. "I think Mom kept them up in the attic." Brian stared at his brother. "You think she really is a…" "Yes, I do," Bradley said. "And it's your fault!" "What did I do?" Brian asked.

第六章给妈妈的泥坑“它们是从哪儿来的？”布莱恩问。 布拉德利说：“我们小时候经常在浴缸里和它们一起玩。 “我想妈妈把它们放在阁楼上了。” 布莱恩盯着他的弟弟。 “你认为她真的是一个……”“是的，我认为，”布拉德利说。 “这是你的错！”“我做了什么？”布莱恩问。

"Oh, nothing, only getting Mom hypnotized," Bradley said. "But then she got un-hypnotized!" Brian argued. "Can I help it if Hypo messed up?" Josh poked his head into the bathroom. "Showers, you guys," he said. "I want this bathroom in ten minutes. And leave it clean!" A half hour later the family was in the car heading for town. Their dad was taking them to a restaurant called Lily's Pad. It was on the Indian River at the end of Oak Street. The three boys were sitting in the backseat. Their mom turned around. "You boys look nice," she said. "Thanks for getting ready so quackly." Brian burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" his mother asked. "You said quackly, Mom, instead of quickly," Brian said. "Did I?" their mom said. "How strange." Mr. Pinto glanced up at the sky. "I don't like the look of those clouds," he said. "I'll bet it rains before we get home." "Oh, too bad," his wife said. "I wanted to sit out on the duck."

“哦，没什么，只是把妈妈催眠了，”布拉德利说。 “但后来她被催眠了！”布莱恩说。 “如果Hypo搞砸了，我能控制吗？”乔希把头伸进浴室。 “洗澡，伙计们，”他说。 “我要在十分钟内收拾好浴室。 保持干净！”半小时后，一家人坐上了开往镇上的车。 他们的爸爸带他们去了一家叫莉莉的餐厅。 它在橡树街尽头的印第安河边。 三个男孩坐在后座上。 他们的妈妈转过身来。“你们看起来不错，”她说。 “谢谢你准备得这么快。” 布莱恩突然大笑起来。“什么事这么好笑？”他妈妈问。 “妈妈，你说的是快，而不是快，”布赖恩说。 “是吗？”他们的妈妈说。“多么奇怪。” 平托先生抬头看了看天空。 “我不喜欢那些云的样子，”他说。 “我敢打赌在我们到家之前就下雨了。” “哦，太糟糕了，”他的妻子说。 “我想坐在鸭子上。”

"You want to sit on the deck, hon," her husband said. "Not on the duck." "Oh, yes, silly me," Mrs. Pinto said. "Here we are," Mr. Pinto said a few minutes later. He parked at the end of Oak Street. The restaurant was straight ahead, near the riverbank. A wooden deck faced the water. There were tables and chairs on the deck, but no people. "How lovely!" their mother said. "There are ducks on the river! I love watching them swim!" Brian grinned. "Me too, Mom!" he said. "I think ducks are just wonderful!" "Oh, brother," Bradley muttered. The Pinto family stepped inside the restaurant. A sign just inside the door read: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Bradley noticed that there were a lot of families already eating. A man wearing a white shirt and a tie approached them. "May I seat you for lunch?" he asked. "Yes, please," Bradley's mom said. "By the windows, please."

“亲爱的，你想坐在甲板上吗？”她丈夫说。 “不是在鸭子上。”“哦，是的，我真傻，”平托太太说。 “我们到了，”平托先生几分钟后说。 他把车停在橡树街的尽头。 餐馆就在正前方，靠近河岸。 一个面向水面的木制甲板。 甲板上有桌椅，但没有人。 “多可爱啊！”他们的妈妈说。 “河上有鸭子！”我喜欢看他们游泳！”布莱恩笑了。 “我也是，妈妈！”他说。“我觉得鸭子太棒了！”“哦，兄弟，”布拉德利喃喃地说。 平托一家走进了餐厅。 门里面的牌子上写着：母亲节快乐！布拉德利注意到有很多家庭已经在吃饭了。 一个穿白衬衫打领带的男人向他们走来。 “我可以让你坐下吃午饭吗？”他问。 “好的，谢谢，”布拉德利的妈妈说。 “请靠窗。”

The man bowed. "Right this way, folks!" He took them to a booth with a view of the river. He placed five menus on the table. "Happy Mother's Day. Your server today will be Mandy." "Oh, look," Bradley's mother said. "Aren't the ducks cute? Let's save some fries so we can feed them after lunch." "What will you have, boys?" their father asked. "A rare cheeseburger," Josh said. "With fries and pickles." "Me too!" said Brian. "Only I want mine well done. Rare burgers are gross, with all that blood left on your plate." "Well, talking about blood is even grosser," Josh said. "Cool it, boys," their father said. Bradley chose his favorite, macaroni and cheese. A young woman wearing an apron walked up to their table. "Hi, I'm Mandy," she said. "Have you had a chance to look at your menus?" "Yes, thank you," Mrs. Pinto said. "Boys, why don't you order?" Bradley, Brian, and Josh placed their orders.

那人鞠了一躬。“请这边走，伙计们！”他把他们带到一个可以看到河的摊位。 他在桌上放了五份菜单。 “母亲节快乐。”你们今天的服务员是曼迪。” “哦，看，”布拉德利的妈妈说。 “鸭子是不是很可爱？”我们留些薯条，午饭后喂它们吧。” “孩子们，你们要点什么？”父亲问。 “一个不熟的芝士汉堡，”乔希说。 “配薯条和泡菜。”“我也是！”布赖恩说。 “我只要我的烤熟就行。 半熟的汉堡很恶心，盘子里还有那么多血。” “嗯，谈论血就更恶心了，”乔希说。 “冷静点，孩子们，”他们的父亲说。 布拉德利选择了他最喜欢的通心粉和奶酪。 一位系着围裙的年轻女子向他们的桌子走来。 “嗨，我是曼迪，”她说。 “您看了菜单了吗？”“是的，谢谢你，”平托太太说。 “孩子们，你们为什么不点菜呢？”布拉德利、布莱恩和乔希下了订单。

"Can we have Cokes, Mom?" Josh asked. "No, three milks," their mother told Mandy. "And I'll have the vegetable plate and a large glass of water. In fact, bring us a pitcher of water. A large one!" Brian kicked Bradley under the table. When Bradley looked at him, Brian grinned. Bradley ignored him. His father ordered clam chowder and a fish dinner. "May we go out on the deck to feed the ducks?" Brian asked when Mandy brought their food. "After we eat," their father said. He glanced out the window. "Here comes the rain!" They all ate. Thunder and lightning boomed and flashed. "We're gonna get soaked when we leave," Josh said. "So what's a little water?" their mother said. "I love getting wet in the rain. It'll be fun!" Bradley stared at his mother. He couldn't believe his ears. Was this the same mother who never let Bradley or Brian play outside in the rain?

“我们可以喝可乐吗，妈妈？”杰克问。 “不，三杯牛奶，”他们的母亲告诉曼迪。 “我要一盘蔬菜和一大杯水。 事实上，给我们拿一壶水来。 一个大的！”布莱恩在桌子底下踢布拉德利。 当布拉德利看着他时，布莱恩咧嘴一笑。 布拉德利没有理睬他。他父亲点了蛤蜊杂烩汤和一份鱼晚餐。 “我们可以到甲板上去喂鸭子吗？”当曼迪给他们带来食物时，布莱恩问。 “等我们吃完饭，”他们的父亲说。 他朝窗外看了一眼。 “雨来了！”他们都吃了。 雷声和闪电轰隆作响。 “我们走的时候会浑身湿透的，”乔希说。 “那么，一点水算什么呢？”他们的妈妈说。 “我喜欢在雨中淋湿。 会很有趣的！”布拉德利盯着他的母亲。 他简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。 是那个不让布拉德利和布莱恩在雨中玩耍的妈妈吗？

After lunch, the Pinto family went out onto the deck with their leftover fries. The rain had let up, and the ducks were hungry. Bradley watched his mother feed the ducks. She was talking softly to them, too. Bradley couldn't make out the words, but they didn't sound like English. They sounded like… duck noises! When the fries were gone, the family hurried toward the car. Bradley noticed a big puddle on the driveway. When they were little, he and Brian would've jumped right in and splashed each other. "Window seat!" Josh yelled, and ran toward the car. Brian ran after him. "Other window seat!" he called over his shoulder. Bradley turned around to wait for his mother. His mouth fell open. She was standing in the middle of the puddle, splashing muddy water in all directions.

午饭后，平托一家带着剩下的薯条走到甲板上。 雨停了，鸭子饿了。 布拉德利看着妈妈喂鸭子。 她也在轻声地对他们说话。 布拉德利听不清这些单词，但听起来不像英语。 听起来像是……鸭子的叫声！薯条吃完后，一家人匆匆走向汽车。 布拉德利注意到车道上有一个大水坑。 当他们还小的时候，他和布莱恩会跳进水里互相泼水。 “靠窗的座位!”乔希大叫一声，朝汽车跑去。 布莱恩跟在他后面。“另一个靠窗的座位！”他回过头喊道。 布拉德利转过身去等他的妈妈。 他的嘴张得大大的。她站在水坑中央，把泥水溅得到处都是。