10. Dancing Girls

Chapter 10 Dancing Girls At our next lesson, Miss Trixie said we could borrow her "Mice and Elephants" music CD for the talent show. We decided that Emma would dance the mouse part for the talent show. And I would be the elephant. Because I am a talented stomper. Every chance I got, I practiced my stomping. I practiced stomping so much that Dad said maybe he would have to send my tap shoes on a

下节课，特里克茜小姐说我们可以借她的《老鼠与大象》音乐CD参加才艺表演。 我们决定让艾玛在才艺表演中跳老鼠的部分。 我就是那头大象。 因为我是一个天才的跺脚者。 一有机会，我就练习跺脚。 我经常练习跺脚，爸爸说也许他得把我的踢踏舞鞋寄给

long vacation to somewhere very far away. I practiced so much that when the morning of the talent show came, I wasn't even hardly nervous. On the playground that morning, Emma and I worked on our dance. Even though our tap shoes were in our cubbies, we hummed the music while we tapped on the blacktop near the basketball court. Gus watched us while he swung from the monkey bars. When we were done, he yelled, "Way to go! Do it again, guys!" We tapped again. "Mrs. Herman is going to love this," Emma said. "I can't wait until she sees us!" Some other kids gathered to watch.

去很远的地方度个长假。 我练习得如此之多，以至于当才艺表演的早晨到来时，我几乎不紧张。 那天早上，我和艾玛在操场上练习舞蹈。 尽管我们的踢踏舞鞋放在小隔间里，我们还是一边在篮球场附近的柏油路上敲打，一边哼着音乐。 格斯一边在单杠上荡秋千，一边看着我们。 当我们结束时，他喊道:“干得好!再来一次，伙计们!”我们又敲了一下。 “赫尔曼夫人一定会喜欢的，”艾玛说。 “我等不及让她看到我们了!”其他一些孩子聚集在一起观看。

It was kind of fun, having an audience. We tapped and stomped and twinkled. When one of us had a solo part, the other one stood and watched. You could tell whose turn it was from the sound of the music. My elephant part was loud and stompy.

有观众在挺有意思的。 我们轻叩、跺脚、闪烁。 当我们其中一人独唱时，另一个就站在一旁观看。 从音乐的声音你就能知道该轮到谁了。 我的大象部分又吵又臭。

Emma's mouse part was quiet and twinkly. "Look at the two little dancing girls!" someone yelled. Two older boys were staring at us. And laughing. In that special mean way only big boys know how to do. "No, wait! One of the girls is a guy!" said the biggest big boy. "Twinkle-toes over there? No way! That is a girl for sure!" said the other one.

艾玛的老鼠部分安静而闪亮。 “看那两个跳舞的小女孩!”有人喊道。 两个大一点的男孩盯着我们看。 和笑。用那种特别的方式，只有大男孩才知道怎么做。 “不,等等!其中一个女孩是男孩!”最大的男孩说。 “那边的闪光脚趾?”没门!那肯定是个女孩!”另一个说。

Gus jumped off the monkey bars. "Of course he's a guy!" he yelled back. "He has short hair and his name is Roscoe. DUH." The boys just laughed and walked off. It was nice to have Gus defend me. But suddenly I felt exactly like I had those first few minutes at Miss Trixie's. When I'd realized I was a guy surrounded by a gigantic roomful of tapping people who were definitely not guys. Ms. Diz walked over. "Roscoe," she said, "I hope you'll ignore those comments. You understand that tap dance is for girls and boys, right?" "I guess," I said quietly. Emma was watching me with her worried face.

格斯从单杠上跳了下来。 “他当然是个男的!”他喊道。 “他留着短发，名字叫罗斯科。 咄。”男孩们只是笑着走开了。 有格斯为我辩护真好。 但突然间，我感觉就像在翠茜小姐家刚开始的那几分钟。 当我意识到我是一个男人被一大屋子的跳舞的人包围，而这些人绝对不是男人。 迪兹女士走了过来。“罗斯科，”她说，“我希望你不要理会那些评论。 你知道踢踏舞是男孩和女孩的，对吧?”“我想是的，”我平静地说。 艾玛忧心忡忡地看着我。

"I'm kind of pooped out from practicing," I said. "I think I'll go swing for a while, Emma." I headed for the swings. It was one thing to get teased by Wyatt. He makes fun of everybody. But those big guys would be in the audience that afternoon. Along with lots of other big guys. Maybe even bigger guys. I started swinging. And thought. I swung higher and higher. I liked being an elephant. But I didn't like getting teased.

“我练得有点累了，”我说。 “我想我要去荡秋千一会儿，艾玛。” 我朝秋千走去。被怀亚特取笑是一回事。 他取笑每个人。 但那天下午那些大家伙会在观众席上。 还有很多其他大人物。 也许是更大的家伙。我开始荡秋千。 和思想。我荡得越来越高。 我喜欢当一头大象。 但我不喜欢被取笑。