The day my son Laurie started kindergarten he renounced corduroy overalls with bibs and began wearing blue jeans with a belt; I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that an era of my life was ended, my sweet-voiced nursery-school tot replaced by a long-trousered, swaggering character who forgot to stop at the corner and wave good-bye to me.
这是我儿子劳里上幼儿园的第一天。他正式告别了灯芯绒背带裤扎围嘴的行头，换上了蓝色牛仔裤系腰带的装束。早上，我看着他和隔壁的小姐姐一起出门。在我看来，这一幕明明就是宣告我生命中的一个时代的结束。我那嗓音甜美的托儿所小家伙将被一个穿着长长的裤子，走起路来大摇大摆的小屁孩取代。而就在刚刚，这个小屁孩甚至忘记了在路的拐角处停下来跟我挥手告别。
He came home the same way, the front door slamming open, his cap on the floor, and the voice suddenly become raucous shouting, “Isn’t anybody here?” At lunch he spoke insolently to his father and spilled his baby sister’s milk. “How was school today?” I asked, elaborately casual. “All right,” he said. “Did you learn anything?” his father asked. Laurie regarded his father coldly. “I didn’t learn nothing,” he said. “Anything,” I said. “Didn’t learn anything”
他回到家时跟以前没什么两样——砰地一声打开前门，帽子扔在地板上，声音刺耳地喊道：“家里有人吗？”午餐时，他无礼地对爸爸说着话，还弄洒了小妹妹的奶瓶。“今天在幼儿园过得怎么样？”我问道，故意装出很随意的语气。“挺好的，”他说。 “你学到了什么吗？”爸爸问道。劳里冷冷地注视着爸爸，回答说：“我并不是什么都没学到。”“那学到了什么？”我接着问道。“什么也没学到。”
“The teacher spanked a boy, though,” Laurie said, addressing his bread and butter. “For being fresh,” he added, with his mouth full. “What did he do?” I asked. “Who was it?” Laurie thought. “It was Charles,” he said. “He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully fresh.” “What did he do?” I asked again, but Laurie slid off his chair, took a cookie, and left, while his father was still saying, “See here, young man.”
“老师打了一个男孩的屁股，”劳里说，说话时嘴里还吃着面包和黄油。“因为他很淘气，”他补充说，嘴巴里塞得满满的。“他做了什么？”我问，“他是谁？”劳里想了想，说：“他叫查尔斯，特别淘气。老师打了他的屁股，然后让他罚站。他太不懂事了。”“他做了什么？”我再次问道。但此时劳里已经从椅子上滑下来，拿了一块饼干，跑掉了。根本没有理睬他爸爸对他说：“小子，先回来回答你妈妈的问题！”
The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, “Well, Charles was bad again today.” He grinned enormously and said, “Today Charles hit the teacher.” “Good heavens,” I said. “I suppose he got spanked again?” “He sure did,” Laurie said. “Why did Charles hit the teacher?” I asked. “Because she tried to make him colour with red crayons,” Laurie said. “Charles wanted to colour with green crayons so he hit the teacher and she spanked him and said nobody play with Charles but everybody did.”
第二天午餐时，劳里一坐下就开始说：“嗯，今天查尔斯又犯错了。”他边说边咧着嘴笑，“今天查尔斯把老师打了。”“天哪，”我说。“我猜他又被打屁股了吧？”“肯定啊，”劳里说。“查尔斯为什么打老师？”我问道。“因为老师想让他用红色蜡笔涂色，”劳里说，“而查尔斯却想用绿色蜡笔涂色，所以他打了老师，然后他就被老师打屁股了。老师还对全班说谁也不许跟他玩，但没人听老师的。”
The third day—it was Wednesday of the first week—Charles bounced a see-saw on to the head of a little girl and made her bleed, and the teacher made him stay inside all during recess. Thursday Charles had to stand in a corner during story time because he kept pounding his feet on the floor. Friday Charles was deprived of blackboard privileges because he threw chalk.
第三天，也就是劳里上幼儿园第一个星期的星期三，查尔斯用跷跷板磕到了一个女孩的头，而且女孩的头流血了。老师罚他下课后不许离开教室。星期四，查尔斯在故事时间被老师罚站，因为他不停地跺地板。星期五，查尔斯被罚不许使用黑板，因为他乱扔粉笔。
“What are they going to do about Charles, do you suppose?” Laurie’s father asked him. Laurie shrugged elaborately. “Throw him out of school, I guess,” he said. Wednesday and Thursday were routine; Charles yelled during story hour and hit a boy in the stomach and made him cry. On Friday Charles stayed after school again and so did all the other children.
“你觉得幼儿园会怎么处理查尔斯？”爸爸问劳里。劳里故作事故地耸了耸肩，说：“我猜他会被开除”。第二个星期的星期三和星期四跟平常一样——查尔斯在故事时间大喊大叫；打了一个男孩的肚子，还把他打哭了。星期五，查尔斯被罚放学后不许回家，而且全班都得跟他一起受罚。
With the third week of kindergarten Charles was an institution in our family; the baby was being a Charles when she cried all afternoon; Laurie did a Charles when he filled his wagon full of mud and pulled it through the kitchen; even my husband, when he caught his elbow in the telephone cord and pulled telephone, ashtray, and a bowl of flowers off the table, said, after the first minute, “Looks like Charles.”
从第三个星期开始，“查尔斯”已经成为我们家一项不成文的“制度”——整个下午，婴儿都在哭闹，跟查尔斯一样；劳里把他的玩具货车装满泥巴在厨房里拖来拖去，跟查尔斯一样；甚至连孩子爸爸都用肘部挂住电话线，然后把桌子上的电话、烟灰缸和一盆花一起拉扯到地板上，就在那一刹，他看上去跟查尔斯一模一样。
During the third and fourth weeks it looked like a reformation in Charles; Laurie reported grimly at lunch on Charles in the third week, “Charles was so good today the teacher gave him an apple.” “What?” I said, and my husband added warily, “You mean Charles?” “Charles,” Laurie said. “He gave the crayons around and he picked up the books afterward and the teacher said he was her helper.” “What happened?” I asked incredulously. “He was her helper, that’s all,” Laurie said, and shrugged.
第三和第四个星期，查尔斯似乎有些洗心革面。第三个星期的一天，午餐时劳里一脸严肃地汇报了查尔斯的近况：“查尔斯今天的表现非常好，老师还奖励了他一个苹果。”“什么？”我说。然后，孩子爸爸小心翼翼地补充说：“你是说查尔斯吗？”“是查尔斯没错，”劳里回答说。“他帮老师分发了蜡笔，还帮老师把书本收了上来。老师夸他是个好帮手。”“发生了什么？”我怀疑地问道。“他成了老师的帮手，就是这样。”劳里回答说，然后耸了耸肩。
“Can this be true, about Charles?” I asked my husband that night. “Can something like this happen?” “Wait and see,” my husband said cynically. “When you’ve got a Charles to deal with, this may mean he’s only plotting.” He seemed to be right. Within a week, everything was back to normal and Charles was his usual, terrible self.
“对于查尔斯来说，这可能是真的吗？”那天晚上我问孩子爸爸，“这样的事情可能发生吗？”“那就拭目以待吧。”他冷笑地说道，“当你要对付一个像查尔斯这样的孩子时，这可能意味着他只是在策划更多的捣蛋行动。”他似乎是正确的。仅仅不到一个星期，一切又都恢复正常了，查尔斯依旧是那个可怕的熊孩子。
“The Parent meeting’s next week,” I told my husband one evening. “I’m going to find Charles’s mother there.” “Ask her what happened to Charles,” my husband said. “I’d like to know.” “I’d like to know myself,” I said.
“下周开家长会。”一天晚上我告诉孩子爸爸说，“我要在家长会上见见查尔斯的母亲。”“问问她查尔斯身上究竟发生了什么，”孩子爸爸说，“我想知道怎么回事。”“嗯，我也想知道。”我说。
My husband came to the door with me that evening as I set out for the parent meeting. “Invite her over for a cup of tea after the meeting,” he said. “I want to get a look at her.” “If only she’s there,” I said prayerfully. “She’ll be there,” my husband said. “I don’t see how they could hold a Parent meeting without Charles’s mother.” At the meeting I sat restlessly, scanning each comfortable matronly face, trying to determine which one hid the secret of Charles.
家长会那天晚上，我要出发时孩子爸爸陪我一起来到了门口。“家长会结束后邀她出来喝杯茶，”他说，“我想见见她。”“嗯，只要她到场，”我虔诚地说。“她肯定去，”孩子爸爸说，“我想象不到，如果查尔斯母亲不到场，他们怎么开这个家长会。”家长会上，我焦躁不安地坐在那里，用目光扫视着每一个放松且安详的面孔，试图找出哪一个面孔背后隐藏着查尔斯的秘密。
None of them looked to me haggard enough. No one stood up in the meeting and apologized for the way her son had been acting. No one mentioned Charles. After the meeting I identified and sought out Laurie’s kindergarten teacher. She had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate cake; I had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of marshmallow cake.
我们没有从任何一张脸上发现足够的证据。也没有人站起来为她儿子的行为道歉。甚至没有人提到查尔斯。家长会结束后，我找到了劳里的幼儿园老师。她手里拿着一个盘子，里有放着一杯茶和一块巧克力蛋糕；我手里的盘子里有一杯茶和一块棉花糖蛋糕。
We manoeuvred up to one another cautiously, and smiled. “I’ve been so anxious to meet you,” I said. “I’m Laurie’s mother.” “We’re all so interested in Laurie,” she said. “Well, he certainly likes kindergarten,” I said. “He talks about it all the time.” “We had a little trouble adjusting, the first week or so,” she said primly, “but now he’s a fine little helper. With occasional lapses, of course.” “Laurie usually adjusts very quickly,” I said. “I suppose sometimes it’s Charles’s influence.” “Charles?” “Yes,” I said, laughing, “you must have your hands full in that kindergarten, with Charles.” “Charles?” she said. “We don’t have any Charles in the kindergarten.”
我们小心翼翼地微笑着朝着彼此走去。“我一直都很想见到您，”我说。“我是劳里的母亲。”“我们都对劳里很感兴趣。”她说。“嗯，他确实很喜欢幼儿园，”我说，“他总是在跟我们说幼儿园的事情。”“孩子刚上幼儿园一个星期前后，肯定需要多花些精力调整，”她说，“但现在他已经成了一个很好的小帮手。当然，偶尔也会犯些小错误。”“劳里通常会很快调整过来的，”我说，“我想有时候他可能是受到查尔斯的影响了。”“查尔斯？”“是的，”我笑着说，“您肯定在幼儿园被查尔斯这孩子搞得手忙脚乱吧。”“查尔斯？”她说，“我们幼儿园没有查尔斯这个孩子啊！”