Emily

Emily. Written by Katherine Follett. Illustrated by John Kastner.

埃米莉。 凯瑟琳·福利特 撰文。 约翰·卡斯特纳 绘图。

I sat motionless in the passenger seat, feeling trapped in my tight seatbelt while mom sang along with her tapes and pointed at everything she spotted on the roadside. She even read the signs aloud, as if I couldn't comprehend them on my own. Crawford, 50 kilometers. There it is, baby, that's the town we're headed to. How many miles is fifty kilometers, Mary?" I don't know. I sulked, folding my arms. Oh, Mary, please don't be moody. Not today. I told Harry all about how polite and intelligent and cheerful you are, she said.

我一动不动坐在副驾驶座，被紧绷的安全带勒得难受，妈妈却跟着磁带唱歌，还指着路边她看见的每一样东西。 她还大声念出路牌，好像我自己看不懂似的。 克劳福德，还有50公里。 看呀宝贝，那就是我们要去的小镇。 玛丽，五十公里等于多少英里呀？ 我不知道。 我绷着脸，抱起了胳膊。 哦玛丽，别闹脾气啦。 今天可不许这样。 我跟哈利说过好多次，你又有礼貌又聪明，还特别开朗，她说道。

Harry was my mother's new boyfriend. Her significant other, she called him. She'd met him at a business meeting when her company bought the company Harry worked for. And since then, she'd been driving over the border to Canada every weekend to see him, leaving me at dad's. Don't get me wrong, I loved staying with dad, but I missed my mom weekends. We used to make popcorn and watch late -night TV, then sleep in and eat cold breakfast cereal together. Now, when she came to pick me up on Sunday afternoons, she always looked glowing and energetic, and much happier than she ever looked after a weekend spent with me. Last Monday, she said something about her and Harry getting married, and that this trip might be the time when he pops the question. The only obstacle before him was meeting me. I'll be sugar and spice and everything nice, I promise, I said sarcastically, staring out at the Canadian countryside. It pretty much resembled the American countryside, only it was more Canadian, somehow. Bigger and emptier, just as I imagined Harry, bigger than Dad, with an enormous head with Lots of empty space inside.

哈利是我妈妈的新男朋友。 妈妈说，他是自己的人生伴侣。 妈妈的公司收购了哈利工作的公司，他俩就是在商务会议上认识的。 从那以后，她每个周末都开车跨境去加拿大看哈利，把我留在爸爸家。 别误会哦，我很喜欢待在爸爸那里，但我想念和妈妈一起过的周末。 以前我们总一起做爆米花，熬夜看电视，第二天睡懒觉，再一起吃冰麦片当早餐。 现在，她周日下午来接我的时候，总是容光焕发精力充沛，比从前跟我过周末的时候开心多了。 上周一，她说她和哈利快要结婚了，这次去说不定哈利就要求婚了。 他现在就只剩见我这道坎了。 我保证会装成甜美乖巧的好孩子哦，我语带讽刺地说，眼睛望着窗外的加拿大乡村。 这里的风光和美国乡村差不多，可不知道为什么，就是更有加拿大的味儿。 更辽阔也更空旷，就像我想象中的哈利——比爸爸块头大，脑袋大大的，里面却空落落的。

The landscape started to get more hilly, with houses and buildings visible. Mom exited off the highway and drove into a town that looked like any boring American town. No guys in flannel logging shirts or those big ridiculous hats with earflaps. Mom seemed to get fidgety and excited, singing even more loudly as we drove through the neighborhoods. She pulled into the driveway of a gray, two -story house with a big front porch. Please be cooperative, Mom said, drawing me toward her to plant a big kiss on my forehead before getting out of the car. Onto the porch of the house stepped a man. A man who was kind of slight, with wire -rimmed glasses and thinning hair. Mom sprinted up the steps and flung her arms around him, kissing him hello, and he said something I didn't hear. Not yet, my mother replied. I got out of the car and stood by it for a second. Come on, Mary, Mom said, motioning me forward. I went onto the porch and shook Harry's hand, not wanting to admit to myself that he sort

风景渐渐变得多丘陵，已经能看见房屋和建筑了。 妈妈驶出高速公路，开进了一个小镇，这个小镇和所有无聊的美国小镇没两样。 根本没有穿法兰绒伐木衫的男人，也看不到那种带耳罩的滑稽大帽子。 妈妈变得坐立不安又兴奋，我们开车穿过社区的时候，她唱得更大声了。 她把车开进了一栋灰色两层小楼的车道，这栋房子带着一个大大的前廊。 乖一点配合哦，妈妈说着，把我拉过去在我额头亲了一大口，随后下了车。 一个男人走到了房子的门廊上。 这个男人身形有点瘦小，戴细框眼镜，头发已经稀疏了。 妈妈冲上台阶，张开胳膊抱住他，打招呼的时候吻了他，他说了句什么我没听清。 还没呢，妈妈回答道。 我下了车，在车边站了一小会儿。 快来呀玛丽，妈妈说着，招手叫我过去。 我走上门廊和哈利握了手，我都不想承认，他其实有

Emily, he called into the house. No one had told me about meeting anyone else. I looked to my mom, who smiled nervously. I thought maybe Emily was a new puppy Harry had bought to make me like him. But then a girl stepped from behind the door. She was about my height, with brown hair and the same neat little nose as Harry. There was a tense moment when we all stood still, Mom and Harry waiting while Emily stood with both arms behind her back, holding one elbow with the opposite hand. From the look on Emily's face, I knew that Harry had given her exactly the same speech that my mother had given me. He hoped she would be nice and get along so the two of them could continue being happy together. I wasn't sure about the idea of Mom and Harry getting married. But Emily and I were in the same boat. There was no reason for us not to be friends. I smiled at her, and when she looked up, she smiled back. Want to come up and see my room? She asked, releasing her hands from behind her back. Sure, I said, and I could hear Harry and Mom sigh with relief. Emily smiled again, taking my hand and leading me inside the house.

埃米莉，他朝屋里喊了一声。 之前没人告诉我，我还要见另外一个人。 我看向妈妈，她紧张地笑了笑。 我还以为埃米莉是哈利买来哄我开心的新小狗呢。 可接着，一个女孩从门后走了出来。 她和我差不多高，棕色头发，长着和哈利一样小巧整齐的鼻子。 有一阵紧张的沉默，我们全都站着不动，妈妈和哈利在一旁等着，埃米莉双手背在身后，一只手握着另一只手肘。 我从埃米莉的表情就能看出来，哈利肯定也给她说了和我妈妈一模一样的话。 他希望她乖乖的，和我好好相处，这样他和我妈妈就能一直幸福下去了。 我其实也拿不准妈妈和哈利结婚这件事是好是坏。 但埃米莉和我处境相同。 我们没有理由不成为朋友呀。 我对她笑了笑，她抬头看到我，也笑着回应了我。 要不要上去看看我的房间？ 她问道，把双手从背后放了下来。 好呀，我说道，我能听到哈利和妈妈都松了一口气。 埃米莉又笑了，她拉起我的手，带我走进了屋子。