47 THE DINNER

CHAPTER 47 THE DINNER Mr. Shareef hopped out of the truck with his arms full of shopping bags. He limped toward the farmhouse, dragging his leg in the usual way. And then he fell. Roz ran over and found the man sprawled on the driveway, groceries scattered around him. "Are you okay?" she said, pulling him to his feet. "I'm fine," he grumbled. Roz started picking up the groceries and said, "Let me help you inside." A minute later the two of them were stepping into the house. Jackets and hats hung from pegs on the wall. Shoes were lined up beneath a bench. The man peeled off his boots and hollered, "Kids, it's time to cook dinner!" Footsteps pounded across the ceiling and the children came flying down the staircase with their dog. "Is Roz having dinner with us?" said Jaya.

第四十七章晚餐谢里夫先生跳下卡车，怀里抱满了购物袋。 他像往常一样拖着腿，一瘸一拐地向农舍走去。 然后他摔倒了。罗兹跑了过去，发现那个人躺在车道上，周围散落着杂货。 “你还好吗？”她说着，把他拉了起来。 “我很好，”他嘟囔着。罗兹开始收拾东西，说：“让我帮你进去。” 一分钟后，他们俩走进了房子。 夹克和帽子挂在墙上的钉子上。 鞋子在长凳下面一字排开。 那人脱下靴子，喊道：“孩子们，该做晚饭了！”天花板上传来沉重的脚步声，孩子们带着狗从楼梯上飞奔而下。 “罗兹和我们一起吃晚饭吗？”

"Roz doesn't eat!" said Jad. "I know that! But she could sit with us." "How about it, Roz?" said Mr. Shareef. "Care to join us for dinner?" The robot stared at the family. The family smiled at the robot. "What would you like me to do?" said Roz. In a very proper voice, Jad said, "I would greatly enjoy the pleasure of your company for dinner." In a very improper voice, Jaya said, "I order you to stay for dinner!" The children didn't wait for a response. They snatched the groceries from Roz and scampered off. Oscar ran after them, barking, "Is that food? It smells like food! I want food!" The wooden floor creaked as Roz followed Mr. Shareef through the living room. A comfy chair and a sofa faced a darkened electronic screen. Above the fireplace hung a painting of a familiar old barn. Doorways led to other rooms. Roz glanced into Mr. Shareef's office and saw a portrait of his family, including his wife. Mrs. Shareef was pretty, with dark, curly hair and a bright smile. It was the same smile Roz saw on the children.

“罗兹不吃东西！”杰德说。 “我知道！”但她可以和我们坐在一起。” “怎么样，罗兹？”谢里夫先生说。 “愿意和我们一起吃晚饭吗？”机器人盯着这家人。 全家人对着机器人微笑。 “你想让我做什么？”罗兹说。 杰德用一种非常得体的声音说：“如果你能和我共进晚餐，我将非常高兴。” 贾亚用一种很不礼貌的声音说：“我命令你留下来吃晚饭！”孩子们不等回答。 他们从罗兹手里抢过食品杂货就跑掉了。 奥斯卡跟在他们后面，叫着：“那是食物吗？ 闻起来像食物！我要吃的！”罗兹跟着沙里夫穿过客厅，木地板吱吱作响。 一张舒适的椅子和一张沙发正对着昏暗的电子屏幕。 壁炉上方挂着一幅画，画的是一个熟悉的旧谷仓。 门道通向其他房间。 罗兹瞥了一眼谢里夫的办公室，看到了他家人的肖像，其中包括他的妻子。 沙里夫太太很漂亮，深色的卷发，笑容灿烂。 罗兹在孩子们身上也看到了同样的笑容。

"Look, Jaya's crying like a baby!" came Jad's giggly voice from the kitchen. When Roz walked in, the girl was chopping an onion with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Roz, I order you to chop this onion for me," said Jaya, wiping her eyes. The robot picked up a knife and in a flash the onion was perfectly chopped and dumped into a bowl. Clearly, Roz was designed to chop onions. "Roz, I order you to take the night off!" Mr. Shareef laughed. "The kids and I want to cook. We enjoy it!" More vegetables were chopped, skillets started sizzling, delicious aromas swirled together, and before long a magnificent meal was set on the dinner table. Oscar positioned himself below, to catch food scraps, and everyone else took a seat. Mr. Shareef turned to his daughter. "Would you like to say grace?" The girl lowered her head. "Thank you, God, for this yummy food we're about to gobble down, amen." "Thank you, Jaya," said Mr. Shareef with a wink. "And thank you, Roz, for everything you've done this

“看，Jaya哭得像个婴儿！”从厨房传来Jad咯咯的声音。 当罗兹走进来的时候，那个女孩正在切洋葱，眼泪顺着脸颊流下来。 “罗兹，我命令你帮我切洋葱。”贾雅擦着眼睛说。 机器人拿起一把刀，一瞬间，洋葱被切得很好，倒进了碗里。 显然，罗兹是用来切洋葱的。 “罗兹，我命令你今晚休息！”谢里夫笑了。 “孩子们和我想做饭。 我们乐在其中！”更多的蔬菜被切碎，煎锅开始滋滋作响，美味的香气交织在一起，不一会儿，一顿丰盛的大餐就摆上了餐桌。 奥斯卡站在下面，抓住食物残渣，其他人都坐下了。 谢里夫转向他的女儿。 “你愿意做祷告吗？”女孩低下了头。 “感谢你，上帝，为我们即将狼吞虎咽的美味食物，阿门。” “谢谢你，贾亚。”谢里夫先生眨眨眼说。 “谢谢你，罗兹，谢谢你所做的一切

past year. I had my doubts, but now I can't imagine what we'd do without you." The children looked at each other. Then the family grabbed their knives and forks and dug into dinner. A colorful, leafy salad. A plate of sautéed asparagus. Creamy mashed potatoes and buttered bread and tall glasses of milk. The meal was beautiful. But as Roz scanned the table, her eyes kept returning to the roasted chicken. It was about the size of Brightbill. Suddenly, the robot was full of questions. Do chickens live happy lives? Did this chicken know it would be eaten? Were humans bad for eating animals? No, thought Roz, humans are simply following their instincts, like all creatures, like Roz herself. At least the Shareefs honored this animal by giving thanks, and by turning it into a beautiful, nourishing

过去的一年。我曾经怀疑过，但现在我无法想象没有你我们该怎么办。” 孩子们面面相觑。 然后一家人拿起刀叉开始吃晚饭。 五颜六色的绿叶沙拉。一盘烤过的芦笋。 奶油土豆泥，黄油面包和一大杯牛奶。 这顿饭很好吃。但当罗兹扫视桌子时，她的目光不断回到烤鸡上。 它和布莱特比尔差不多大。 突然，机器人充满了疑问。 鸡过着快乐的生活吗？ 这只鸡知道它会被吃掉吗？ 人类吃动物不好吗？ 不，罗兹想，人类只是跟着本能走，就像所有生物一样，就像罗兹自己一样。 至少Shareefs通过感恩来纪念这种动物，并把它变成一个美丽的，滋养的

meal. After he'd finished eating, Mr. Shareef stepped out of the room, and he returned a moment later carrying a violin and a bow. "Growing up, I dreamed of being a musician," he said, thumping back into his chair. He tuned the instrument, put it under his chin, and started to play. His bow glided back and forth, his fingers danced across the strings, and a lovely old folk song filled the room. Mr. Shareef tapped his foot as the notes rang out, soft and then loud, slow and then fast. The song ended with a flourish, and the music faded to silence. Then he rested the violin on his knee. "This instrument has been in our family for a very long time," he said, "since the days when Cyrus Shareef first built the farm." Cyrus Shareef. Roz knew that name. She unsnapped a pocket on her tool belt and pulled out the small journal. "I discovered this in the old barn," she said, handing it over. The children huddled around their father as he took the journal. They read their ancestor's name on the cover. Then they carefully opened it and turned the

一餐。吃完饭后，沙里夫走出房间，过了一会儿，他拿着一把小提琴和一把弓回来了。 “从小到大，我一直梦想成为一名音乐家，”他说着，重重地坐在椅子上。 他调音，把它放在下巴下，开始演奏。 他的琴弓前后滑动，手指在琴弦上舞动，一曲可爱的古老民歌充满了整个房间。 随着音符响起，谢里夫用脚轻敲，先是柔和，然后是响亮，先是缓慢，然后是快速。 这首歌以欢快的旋律结束，音乐渐渐沉寂下来。 然后他把小提琴放在膝盖上。 “这把乐器在我们家已经有很长一段时间了，”他说，“从赛勒斯·沙里夫（Cyrus Shareef）第一次建造农场开始。” 塞勒斯Shareef。罗兹知道这个名字。 她打开工具腰带上的一个口袋，拿出那本小日记本。 “我在旧谷仓里发现了这个，”她说着，把它递了过来。 父亲拿日记时，孩子们围在他身边。 他们在封面上看到了他们祖先的名字。 然后他们小心翼翼地打开它，转了转

brittle pages. "I've never seen this journal before," said Mr. Shareef. "It's a piece of our family history. Kids, look at how they used to milk cows.…" Roz left the Shareefs like that, examining the journal, learning about their family's history. But what about their family's future? Their lives were difficult. They needed help. And Roz was about to run away forever. As she marched back to the barn that night, the robot felt something like worry and confusion and guilt.

脆弱的页面。“我以前从未见过这本日记，”谢里夫说。 “这是我们家族历史的一部分。 孩子们，看看他们以前是怎么挤牛奶的。罗兹就这样离开了沙里夫一家，一边看日记，一边了解他们家族的历史。 但是他们家庭的未来呢？ 他们的生活很艰难。 他们需要帮助。而罗兹就要永远地逃跑了。 那天晚上，当她大步走回谷仓时，机器人感到了担心、困惑和内疚。