Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 They sped through the Lower Nine and crossed the St. Claude Avenue Bridge. They drove past the bakery where Mom had worked before Cleo was born. She'd learned how to make Barry's favorite caramel cake there. Mom's dream was to open her own bakery. They didn't have the money for that now. But one day, Mom always said. One day. She said those words so often they had become the Tucker family motto. One day Barry's dad would have a deal with a record label.

第六章他们快速穿过下九洞，穿过圣。 克劳德大道大桥。他们开车经过克莱奥出生前妈妈工作过的面包店。 她在那里学会了怎么做巴里最喜欢的焦糖蛋糕。 妈妈的梦想是开一家自己的面包店。 他们现在没钱买了。 但是有一天，妈妈总是说。 一天。她经常说这句话，这句话已经成为塔克家的座右铭。 总有一天巴瑞的爸爸会和唱片公司签约。

One day they'd get rid of their dented old Honda and buy a nice new car. Maybe even one day Barry wouldn't be so scared of Abe Mackay and his friends. One day. They drove a few more blocks, and then Dad pulled up in front of Lightning's, the club where he and his band played most Thursday nights. The owner, Dave Rivet, was one of Dad's closest friends. Barry had known him since before he could walk. "Why are we stopping?" Barry asked. "Dad wants to make sure Uncle Dave is leaving," Mom said. Uncle Dave had spotted their car through the window. He came outside and hustled over to them, his big belly shaking. Uncle Dave had a smile that made you feel like he'd been waiting his whole life to see you. Dad stuck his arm out the window. Uncle Dave shook Dad's hand and blew a kiss to Mom. He peered into the backseat. "Hey there, Barry! Hello there, princess!" he boomed, his words stretched out by his thick drawl.

总有一天，他们会扔掉那辆有凹痕的老本田，买一辆漂亮的新车。 也许有一天巴里不会那么害怕亚伯·麦凯和他的朋友们。 一天。他们又开了几个街区，然后爸爸把车停在闪电俱乐部前，他和他的乐队大多数周四晚上都在那里演出。 店主戴夫·里维特是爸爸最亲密的朋友之一。 巴里在他会走路之前就认识他了。 “我们为什么要停下来?”巴里问。 “爸爸想确定戴夫叔叔要走了，”妈妈说。 戴夫叔叔透过窗户看到了他们的车。 他走了出来，冲到他们身边，他的大肚子在颤抖。 戴夫叔叔的笑容让你觉得他这辈子都在等着见你。 爸爸把胳膊伸出窗外。 戴夫叔叔握了握爸爸的手，给妈妈一个飞吻。 他往后座里看了看。 “嘿，巴里!”公爵小姐，你好!”他用低沉的声调说，他的话被拉长了。

"Grab your bag," Dad said. "We'll make room for you." Uncle Dave peered at the little space between Barry and Cleo and laughed. "You gonna tie me to the roof?" he asked. But Dad's expression was serious. "They're telling everyone to leave," he said. "That means you too." "Someone needs to keep an eye on our city!" Uncle Dave said. "I'm keeping the club open so folks have a place to go." "I don't like it," Dad said. "This place will be fine," Uncle Dave said. "And so will I." Barry could tell that Uncle Dave wasn't changing his mind. Dad grabbed Uncle Dave's hand again. "You take care," Dad said. "And if you change your mind, I'm right here," Uncle Dave said. "I already told some folks, 'Don't go to the Superdome. Just come to Lightning's.' I have my generator and about a million hot dogs." "We'll keep that in mind," Dad said.

“拿上你的包，”爸爸说。 “我们会给你腾地方的。” 戴夫叔叔凝视着巴里和克莱奥之间的小空间，笑了起来。 “你要把我绑在屋顶上吗?”他问。 但爸爸的表情很严肃。 “他们让所有人离开，”他说。 “这也意味着你。”“需要有人来照看我们的城市!”戴夫叔叔说。 “我让俱乐部继续营业，这样人们就有地方去了。” “我不喜欢它，”爸爸说。 “这个地方会很好，”戴夫叔叔说。 “我也会的。”巴里看得出戴夫叔叔没有改变主意。 爸爸又抓住戴夫叔叔的手。 “你保重，”爸爸说。 “如果你改变主意了，我就在这里，”戴夫叔叔说。 “我已经告诉过一些人，‘不要去超级圆顶体育场。 来闪电酒吧吧。”我有我的发电机和大约一百万个热狗。” “我们会记住的，”爸爸说。

Uncle Dave put his hands on Dad's shoulders. "And I better see you this Thursday for the show!" Dad laughed and started up the engine. "Let's hope!" "Isn't it a bad idea for him to stay?" Barry asked once they'd driven away. "This neighborhood doesn't usually get flooded," Dad said. "It's a bit higher than the rest of the city." "And let's face it: If anyone can keep a hurricane away, it's Dave," Mom said. They sped toward Interstate 10, but the closer they got, the heavier the traffic became. Soon their car was standing still. Barry opened his window and stuck his head out. The line of cars and trucks stretched as far as he could see. The hot and sticky air stunk of car exhaust. Dad clicked on the radio and punched the buttons until he found a traffic report. The news was terrible: Cars were backed up for hundreds of miles on roads leading out of the city. "This will take all day," Mom said softly, reaching into the cooler and taking out a

戴夫叔叔把手放在爸爸的肩膀上。 “我最好这个星期四在演出上见到你!”爸爸笑着发动了引擎。 “我们希望!”“让他留下来不是个坏主意吗?”他们开车离开后，巴里问道。 “这个社区通常不会被洪水淹没，”爸爸说。 “这比城市其他地方要高一些。” “让我们面对现实吧:如果有人能让飓风远离，那就是戴夫，”妈妈说。 他们加速驶向10号州际公路，但越靠近，交通就越拥挤。 很快他们的车就停了下来。 巴里打开窗户，探出头来。 汽车和卡车排成的队伍一直延伸到他所能看到的地方。 又热又粘的空气散发着汽车尾气的臭味。 爸爸点开收音机，不停地按按钮，直到他发现了交通报告。 消息很糟糕:汽车在通往城外的道路上堵了数百英里。 “这要花一整天的时间，”妈妈轻轻地说，把手伸进冷藏箱，拿出一根

blueberry muffin. Dad patted her leg. Cleo fussed, and Barry tried to distract her with one of his stories. An hour went by, and the car didn't budge. Dad had to turn off the air conditioner so the engine wouldn't overheat. Cleo whined and moaned and finally fell asleep.

蓝莓松饼。爸爸拍了拍她的腿。 克莱奥心烦意乱，巴里试图用他的故事来分散她的注意力。 一个小时过去了，车还是纹丝不动。 爸爸不得不关掉空调，这样发动机就不会过热。 克莱奥呻吟着，最后睡着了。