51 THE STATION MANAGER

CHAPTER 51 THE STATION MANAGER Akiko Fuji tapped her computer to make a video call. After a few electronic tones, a man's face appeared on the screen. He was sitting at a table. Behind him were kitchen cabinets and a refrigerator. Above his image on the screen was his name. Leo Larson. "Hi, honey," said Akiko. "Sorry I missed you earlier," said Leo in a weary voice. "I was picking the kids up from school." Akiko nodded and said, "How are they?" "They're constantly arguing." "Well, I'm glad to hear everything's normal." "I wouldn't say everything's normal," said Leo. "The kids miss you. So do I." "I miss you too," said Akiko.

第五十一章电台经理富士明子用电脑打了一个视频电话。 几声电子音后，一个男人的脸出现在屏幕上。 他坐在一张桌子旁。 他身后是橱柜和冰箱。 屏幕上他的形象上方是他的名字。 利奥拉尔森。“嗨，亲爱的，”明子说。 “对不起，我之前错过了你。”利奥用疲惫的声音说。 “我在接孩子放学。” 明子点点头说：“他们怎么样了？”“他们经常争吵。” “嗯，我很高兴听到一切都很正常。” “我不会说一切都很正常，”里奥说。 “孩子们想念你。我也是。” “我也想你，”明子说。

There was a lull in the conversation, and then Leo grumbled, "I really hate that mining station." "Please don't worry," said Akiko. "I'm perfectly safe here. I've got an excellent crew, and the robots do all the dangerous work." "I'm not worried about your safety," said Leo. "I'm worried about our family. How long are we going to live apart like this?" Akiko opened her mouth to speak, but then came the sound of scampering footsteps, and a young girl popped on-screen and climbed into Leo's lap. "Hi, Mommy!" said the girl. "Hello, sweetie!" said Akiko, smiling. "Mommy, I'm ready for our camping trip. I've been reading about which wild plants are safe to eat and which are poisonous." Akiko scratched her head. "Listen, sweetie, I'm

谈话停顿了一会儿，然后里奥抱怨道：“我真的很讨厌那个采矿站。” “请不要担心，”明子说。 “我在这里很安全。我有一支优秀的团队，所有危险的工作都由机器人来做。” “我不担心你的安全，”利奥说。 “我担心我们的家人。 我们要像这样分开住多久？”明子张开嘴想说话，但突然传来一阵奔跑的脚步声，一个年轻女孩突然出现在屏幕上，爬上了里奥的腿。 “嗨，妈妈！”女孩说。 “你好，亲爱的！”明子微笑着说。 “妈妈，我准备好去露营了。 我一直在读关于哪些野生植物可以安全食用，哪些有毒的书。” 明子挠了挠头。“听着，亲爱的，我

sorry, but I have to stay here a little longer than I'd expected. We'll go camping soon, though, I promise." The girl frowned. "You said that last time." "I'll make it up to you," said Akiko. "In a couple of months, we'll go to the mountains and you can tell us about all the different plants. How's that sound?" The girl didn't answer. She just hopped off her father's lap and stomped off-screen. "She'll be okay," said Leo. "But while you're halfway around the world, our kids are growing up." Akiko sighed. "I know. When I get home, I'll request a job at headquarters." A timer started beeping, and Leo glanced back at the kitchen. "Dinner's ready. I should go." The call ended. Akiko stared at the blank screen. Then she put her head in her hands and cried. Between sniffles, she spoke aloud to herself. "What am I doing? I don't even like this job anymore." Akiko sat there a while longer, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Then she stood and walked back across the control room and into the elevator. She pressed a button and the doors closed. Once the station manager was gone, Roz crawled out from under the table and exited onto the balcony.

对不起，我得在这里多待一会儿。 不过我保证，我们很快就会去露营的。” 女孩皱起眉头。“你上次也是这么说的。” “我会补偿你的，”明子说。 “几个月后，我们会去山上，你可以告诉我们所有不同的植物。 听起来怎么样？”女孩没有回答。 她只是从她父亲的腿上跳下来，跺着脚离开了屏幕。 “她会没事的，”利奥说。 “但当你在地球的另一端时，我们的孩子正在长大。” 作者叹了口气。“我知道。等我回家了，我要向总部申请一份工作。” 计时器开始发出哔哔声，利奥回头看了一眼厨房。 “晚饭准备好了。我该走了。” 电话结束了。明子盯着空白的屏幕。 然后她双手抱头哭了起来。 她一边抽泣，一边大声自言自语。 “我在干什么？”我甚至不再喜欢这份工作了。” 明子又坐了一会儿，擦着脸颊上的泪水。 然后她站起来，穿过控制室走进电梯。 她按下按钮，门就关上了。 电台经理一走，罗兹就从桌子底下爬出来，上了阳台。