可乐与微笑

可乐与微笑 可乐与微笑 A Coke and a Smile 我现在知道～35年前那个炎 热夏夜和我坐在破旧的木楼梯 I know now that the man who sat with me 上的老人并不高大～但对一个5on the old wooden stairs that hot summer 岁的孩子来说～他却是一个巨night over thirty-five years ago was not a 人。我们并排坐着～看着太阳落tall man. But to a five-year-old, he was a 在繁忙的街对面那个老德克萨giant. We sat side by side, watching the sun 克加油站的背后。除非有大人或go down behind the old Texaco service 至少一个哥哥或姐姐陪着～我从station across the busy street. A street 未被允许穿过那条街。 that I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult, or at the very least, an older sibling. Cherry-scented smoke from Grampy's pipe 从祖父烟斗里喷出的白色烟kept the hungry mosquitoes at bay while 雾在我们脑袋周围上下旋绕～它gray, wispy swirls danced around our heads. 们散发的樱桃香味使贪婪的蚊Now and again, he blew a smoke ring and 子不敢靠近。他不时地喷出一串laughed as I tried to target the hole with 烟圈～在我试着将手指插入烟圈my finger. I, clad in a cool summer nightie, 时他放声大笑。我穿着凉爽的小and Grampy, his sleeveless T-shirt, sat 睡衣～祖父穿着他的无袖T恤～watching the traffic. We counted cars and 坐在那儿观看繁忙的交通。我们tried to guess the color of the next one to 数着过往的车辆～并猜想着下一turn the corner. 辆拐过街角的汽车的颜色。 Once again, I was caught in the middle of 我又一次陷于两头都够不上circumstances. The fourth born of six 的中间境遇～作为6个孩子中的children, it was not uncommon that I was 老四～很多事情对于我来说不是either too young or too old for something. 因为年龄太小～就是太大而不合This night I was both. While my two baby 适。那天夜里就是这样。我的两brothers slept inside the house, my three 个小兄弟在屋里睡觉～我的另外older siblings played with friends around 3个长兄和姐姐在拐角与小伙伴the corner, where I was not allowed to go. 们玩～而我是不允许去那里的。I stayed with Grampy, and that was okay with 我与祖父呆在一起～这也挺好～me. I was where I wanted to be. My 正是我想呆的地方。在父母和祖grandfather was baby-sitting while my 母外出时～祖父就在家看孩子。 mother, father and grandmother went out. Thirsty?" Grampy asked, never removing the "渴吗,"祖父烟斗不离口地 pipe from his mouth. 问我。 " Yes," was my reply." How would you like "是的。"我回答说。"跑到街对to run over to the gas station there and get 面的加油站去给你自己买瓶可yourself a bottle of Coke?" 乐怎么样," I couldn't believe my ears. Had I heard 我简直不敢相信自己的耳right? Was he talking to me? On my family's 朵～我没有听错吧?他是在跟我modest income, Coke was not a part of our 说话吗,就我们家微薄的收入budget or diet. A few tantalizing sips was 来说～可乐不是我们家庭开销的all I had ever had, and certainly never my 一部分。我只是迫不及待地啜过 几小口～从来没有自己喝过一own bottle. 瓶。 " Okay," I replied shyly, already wondering how I would get across the street. Surely "好的。"我害羞地回答说～已Grampy was going to come with me. 经在想着该怎样穿过马路～祖父 当然会跟我一块。 Grampy stretched his long leg out straight 祖父将他的长腿伸直～把他的and reached his huge hand deep into the 大手伸进口袋。我能听到零钱相pocket. I could hear the familiar jangling 碰而发出的熟悉的丁当声～他总of the loose change he always carried. 是把这些零钱带在身上。他张开Opening his fist, he exposed a mound of 手～露出了一堆宝贝似的银币。silver coins. There must have been a million 那里面一定有100万美元:他让dollars there. He instructed me to pick out 我拿出一个1角的硬币。把零钱a dime. After he deposited the rest of the 放回口袋后～他站了起来。 change back into his pocket, he stood up. "好吧～"他说～帮着我下楼 " Okay," he said, helping me down the stairs 梯到马路沿儿那儿去～"我站在and to the curb, " I'm going to stay here and 这儿～听着屋里的两个孩子有没keep an ear out for the babies. I'll tell you 有动静～什么时候穿过马路安when it's safe to cross. You go over to the 全～我会告诉你的。你到对面的Coke machine, get your Coke and come back 可乐机那儿买到你的可乐后再out. Wait for me to tell you when it's safe 走回来。等着我告诉你什么时候to cross back." 过马路安全。" My heart pounded. I clutched my dime 我的心砰砰地跳着～紧紧地tightly in my sweaty palm. Excitement took 用汗手攥着那枚1角的硬币～兴my breath away. 奋地喘不上气来。 Grampy held my hand tightly. Together we 祖父紧紧地拉着我的手～我looked up the street and down, and back up 们一块看了看大街的前后左右。again. He stepped off the curb and told me 他走下马路沿儿～告诉我现在可it was safe to cross. He let go of my hand 以过去了。他放开我的手～我跑and I ran. I ran faster than I had ever run 了起来。我从没有跑得这么快before. The street seemed wide. I wondered 过。街道似乎很宽～我怀疑自己if I would make it to the other side. 是否能跑到对面。跑到对面后～Reaching the other side, I turned to find 我回头寻找祖父～他正站在我离Grampy. There he was, standing exactly where 开他的地方～为我自豪地微笑I had left him, smiling proudly. I waved. 着。我朝他挥了挥手。 " Go on, hurry up," he yelled. "接着走～快点。"他喊道。 My heart pounded wildly as I walked inside 我的心砰砰乱跳着走进昏the dark garage.I had been inside the garage 暗的修车站。我以前曾和父亲一before with my father. My surroundings were 块来过这里～对周围的一切都很familiar. I heard the Coca-Cola machine 熟悉。甚至在看见可口可乐机之motor humming even before I saw it. I walked 前就听到了其马达发出的嗡嗡directly to the big old red-and-white 声。我径直走向那台红白相间的dispenser. I knew where to insert my dime. 巨大的老自动售货机。我知道该I had seen it done before and had fantasized 往哪儿插硬币～我曾看人做过并 曾多次幻想有一天我也能亲身about this moment many times. 试一试。 The big old monster greedily accepted my dime, and I heard the bottles shift. On 那个老巨人贪婪地吞下我的tiptoes I reached up and opened the heavy 硬币～我听见了瓶子移动的声door. There they were: one neat row of thick 音。我踮起脚尖伸手摸索着打开green bottles, necks staring directly at me, 了它厚重的门。它们就在那儿!and ice cold from the refrigeration. I held 一排整齐的深绿色瓶子～瓶颈一the door open with my shoulder and grabbed 个挨一个地凝视着我～冰箱里散one. With a quick yank, I pulled it free from 发出冰冷的气息。我用肩膀顶着its bondage. Another one immediately took 门～伸手抓住一个～迅速一拉～its place. The bottle was cold in my sweaty 将它从捆绑中拉了出来～另一个hands. I will never forget the feeling of the 立即占据了它的位置。瓶子在我cool glass on my skin. With two hands, I 汗浸浸的手中显得格外冰凉～我positioned the bottleneck under the heavy 永远忘不了冰凉的瓶子接触我brass opener that was bolted to the wall. The 皮肤时的感觉。我两手抓住瓶cap dropped into an old wooden box, and I 子～将瓶颈放在固定的墙上的厚 reached in to retrieve it. I was cold and 铜开瓶器下～瓶盖立即掉在一个bent in the middle, but I knew I needed to 老木箱里～我伸手将它捡了出have this souvenir. Coke in hand, I proudly 来～感觉好凉～中间已经弯曲～marched back out into the early evening 但我知道我需要拥有这个纪念dusk. Grampy was waiting patiently. He 品。手拿可乐～我自豪地走回到smiled. 外面～已是黄昏时分。祖父正耐 心地等待着～并面带微笑。 " Stop right there," he yelled. One or two "停在那儿～"一两辆车在我面cars sped by me, and once again, Grampy 前飞驶而过～祖父再次走下马路stepped off the curb." Come on, now," he 沿儿～"现在过来～"他说～"跑said, " run." I did. Cool brown foam sprayed 过来:"我跑了起来～冰凉的棕my hands." Don't ever do that alone," he 色泡沫溅在我的手上。"别再一warned.I held the Coke bottle tightly, 个人独自过马路:"他警告我。 我紧紧地抱着可乐瓶～生怕他让fearful he would make me pour it into a cup, ruining this dream come true. He didn't. One 我把可乐倒在杯子里～毁掉我的long swallow of the cold beverage cooled my 梦想。他没有。我咕噜噜长长地sweating body. I don't think I ever felt so 吞下一口冰凉的可乐～冒汗的身 体顿觉清爽无比。我认为自己再proud. 也没有过当时那样的自豪。By Jacqueline M. Hickey