6. The King of Tap

Chapter 6 The King of Tap It took a while to convince Mom and Dad I really wanted to take tap dance lessons. When I brought it up at dinner that night, they both made sighing noises. "Remember when you wanted to take pottery?" Mom asked. "Or karate?" Dad said. "Or ice skating?" Mom added.

我花了好长时间才说服爸爸妈妈我真的想上踢踏舞课。 当我在晚餐时提起这件事时，他们都发出了叹息的声音。 “还记得你想学陶艺吗?”母亲问。 “还是空手道?”爸爸说。“或者滑冰?”妈妈补充说。

"I didn't know it would be so cold at the skating rink," I said. "Roscoe," Dad said. "You promised you would stick to those things. And you quit every time." "This time it'll be different, Dad," I said. "I promise!" "Can I take tap dancing with Roscoe?" my little sister, Hazel, asked. "They have pretend tap shoes at Toys Or Else." "We'll see," said my mom. Which is Parent for "Don't Count on It." Max, my older brother, was balancing a lima bean on his nose. "Roscoe, are you sure about tap dance?" he asked. "Totally sure," I said. "Why?" "Guys might tease you about it," Max said.

“我不知道滑冰场会这么冷，”我说。 “罗斯科，”爸爸说。“你答应过你会坚持这些事情的。 但你每次都放弃了。”“这次会不一样的，爸爸，”我说。 “我保证!”“我能和罗斯科一起跳踢踏舞吗?”我的小妹妹黑兹尔问。 “他们在‘玩具或其他’店有假踢踏舞鞋。” “等着瞧吧，”妈妈说。家长的意思是"别指望它" 麦克斯，我的哥哥，正用鼻子顶着一颗青豆。 “罗斯科，你确定要跳踢踏舞吗?”他问。 “完全肯定，”我说。“为什么?”“男人可能会取笑你，”马克斯说。

"Tease him?" said Mom. "Why?" "Because dancing is kind of a girl thing to do is all," Max said. "Gee, Mom. Do you live in a cave or what?" "Your Uncle Joe took ballet for a year while he was in college," Dad said. "To help him with his football footwork." Max made a no-way face. "Really? Like with a frilly tutu?" "I'm fairly certain there weren't any tutus involved," Dad said. "Boys do so tap-dance," I said. "Ms. Diz even showed us a DVD of a tap guy. There will probably be lots of boys in my class." Max looked up at the ceiling and groaned. Which is Brother for "You Are Such a Doofus." "Please can I do this?" I begged my parents. "I absolutely promise I won't quit this time."

“逗他?”妈妈说。“为什么?”“因为跳舞是女生的事，”马克斯说。 “哎呀,妈妈。你住在山洞里吗?”“你的乔叔叔上大学时学过一年芭蕾舞，”爸爸说。 “为了帮助他的足球步法。” 麦克斯做了个不同意的表情。“真的吗? 比如穿褶边短裙?”爸爸说:“我敢肯定，根本没有芭蕾舞短裙。” “男孩子都跳踢踏舞，”我说。 迪兹甚至给我们看了一张踢踏舞演员的DVD。 我班上可能会有很多男孩。” 马克斯抬头看着天花板，呻吟了一声。 哥的意思是"你真是个笨蛋" “我可以这样做吗?”我恳求我的父母。 “我绝对保证这次不会退出。”

Mom looked at Dad. Dad looked at Mom.

妈妈看着爸爸。爸爸看着妈妈。

My parents have entire conversations without ever opening their mouths. "I suppose you could give it a try," Mom said finally. "But I want you to stick with it, no matter what." "I will!" I cried. "I will for sure stick!" "Can I have Roscoe's tap shoes when he quits?" Hazel asked. "We'll see," said Mom.

我父母说话的时候从来不开口。 “我想你可以试一试，”妈妈最后说。 “但我希望你无论如何都能坚持下去。” “我要!”我哭了。“我一定坚持!”"罗斯科辞职后能把他的踢踏舞鞋给我吗"黑兹尔问道。 “等着瞧吧，”妈妈说。

"Don't hold your breath, Hazel," I said. "Because I am going to tap dance FOREVER!" That weekend, Mom found some tap shoes at a yard sale. They weren't all shiny and new like Emma's. But they were just as loud. I practiced tapping on the kitchen floor. (Great taps!) The living room carpet. (Crummy taps.) My bed. (No taps. But terrific bounces.) And the bathtub. You get LOUD taps out of a bathtub, let me tell you. I decided it was my favorite place to tap.

“别屏住呼吸，黑兹尔，”我说。 “因为我要永远跳踢踏舞!”那个周末，妈妈在庭院拍卖中发现了一些踢踏舞鞋。 它们不像艾玛的那样又亮又新。 但他们的声音还是一样大。 我练习敲打厨房地板。 (伟大的水龙头!)客厅的地毯。 (肮脏的龙头)。我的床上。(没有水龙头。 但反弹很厉害。)还有浴缸。 让我告诉你，浴缸里的水龙头很响。 我觉得这是我最喜欢的地方。