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A few months after we'd sold the motel, Mother arrived home with a used typewriter. It skipped between certain letters and the keyboard was soft. At dinner that night I pronounced the machine a “piece of junk.”
我们卖了汽车旅馆没几个月，妈搬回来一台旧打字机。这架打字机有时要跳字，键盘也很松。那天吃晚饭时，我把这台机器说成是“废物一件”。
“That's all we can afford,” Mother said. “It's good enough to learn on.” And from that day on, as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes were done, Mother would disappear into her sewing room to practice. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight.
“我们只买得起这样旧的，”妈说。“学打字用是够可以的了。”从那天起，餐桌一收拾，盘子一洗，妈马上到她的缝纫间去练习。有几天，那缓慢的嗒、嗒、嗒的声音一直持续到午夜。
It was nearly Christmas when I heard Mother got a job at the radio station. I was not the least bit surprised, or impressed. But she was ecstatic.
临近圣诞节的时候，我听说妈在电台找到一份工作。我一点也不惊奇，也不觉得有什么特别，但妈却欣喜万分。
Monday, after her first day at work, I could see that the excitement was gone. Mother looked tired and drawn. I responded by ignoring her.
星期一，妈第一天上班回来，我发觉妈的高兴劲儿已经烟消云散。妈绷着脸，看上去很疲劳，我没对她作任何表示。
Tuesday, Dad made dinner and cleaned the kitchen. Mother stayed in her sewing room, practicing. “Is Mother all right?” I asked Dad.
星期二，爹做晚饭，收拾厨房。妈呆在缝纫间练习打字。“妈还好吗？”我问爸爸。
“She's having a little trouble with her typing,” he said. “She needs to practice. I think she'd appreciate it if we all helped out a bit more.”
“妈打字碰到点困难，”他说，“她需要练习。我想，如果我们在家里多帮一点忙，她会很感激的。”
“I already do a lot,” I said, immediately on guard.
“我已经做得不少了，”我马上警觉起来，说道。
“I know you do,” Dad said evenly. “And you may have to do more. You might just remember that she is working primarily so you can go to college.”
“我知道你做得不少，”爹心平气和地说。“说不定你还得再多干一点。你要记住，她现在工作主要是为了能供你上大学。”
I honestly didn't care. I wished she would just forget the whole thing.
老实说，上不上大学我并不在乎。我真希望妈妈一点也不要把这事放在心上。
