The Visit

1

Sunday mornings are peaceful in our house.

2

My father lets himself sleep in.

3

My mother lets herself not fix breakfast.

4

And if my brothers have been out late playing with their band, you won't even know they're around until noon.

5

Usually I?

tiptoe

?out to collect eggs while everyone else is asleep, then?

spirit

?a bowl of?

Cheerios

?back to my room to have breakfast in bed and read.

tiptoe /'t?pto/ vi.?用腳尖走

spirit /'sp?r?t/ v.?偷偷帶走

cheerio /?t??r?'o/?麥片

6

But that Sunday—after?

spending

?most of the night feeling upset or uneasy—I woke up wanting to do something?

physical

.

spend /sp?nd/ vt.?度過(guò)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

physical /?f?z?kl/ adj.?肢體活動(dòng)的

7

To shake off the confused way I was still feeling.

8

What I really needed was a good climb in my sycamore tree, but I?

settled for

?watering the lawn while I tried to think of other things.

settle for?無(wú)奈接受

9

I?

cranked

?open the?

spigot

?and admired how rich and black the dirt looked as I?

sprinkled

?

back and forth

?across the?

soil

.

crank /kr??k/ v.?轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)

spigot /'sp?ɡ?t/ n.?龍頭

sprinkle /?spr??kl/ v.?撒

back and forth?反復(fù)地

soil /s??l/ n.?土壤

10

And I was busy talking to my?

buried

?seedlings,?

coaxing

?them to?

spring up

?and?

greet

?the rising sun, when my father came outside.

buried /'berid/ adj.[地]埋藏的

coax /ko?ks/ vt.?用好話(huà)勸說(shuō)

spring up?萌芽

greet /ɡri?t/ vt.?迎接

11

His hair was damp from a shower, and he had a grocery?

sack

?rolled closed in his hand.

sack /s?k/ n.?麻袋

12

“Dad! I'm sorry if I woke you.”

13

“You didn't, sweetheart. I've?

been up

?for a while.”

be up?起床

14

“You're not going to work, are you?”

15

“No, I …” He studied me for a moment, then said, “I'm going to visit David.”

16

“Uncle David?”

17

He walked toward his truck, saying, “That's right. I …I should be back around noon.”

18

“But Dad, why today? It's Sunday.”

19

“I know, sweetheart, but it's a special Sunday.”

20

I turned off the spigot. “Why's that?”

21

“It's his fortieth birthday. I want to see him and deliver a gift,” he said as he held up the?

paper bag

.

paper bag?紙袋子

22

“Don't worry. I'll?

rustle us up

?some pancakes for lunch, all right?”

rustle up?搞到

23

“I'm coming with you,” I said, and tossed the?

hose

?aside.

hose /ho?z/ n.?水龍帶

24

I wasn't even really dressed—I'd just pulled on some?

sweats

?and sneakers, no socks—but in my mind there was no doubt.

sweats /swets/ n.?運(yùn)動(dòng)褲（sweats）

25

I was going.

26

“Why don't you stay home and enjoy the morning with your mother? I'm sure she would—”

27

I went over to the?

passenger

?side of his truck and said, “I'm coming,” then climbed inside and slammed the door back?

in place

.

passenger /?p?s?nd??r/ n.?乘客

in place?在適當(dāng)?shù)奈恢?/p>

28

“But—” he said through the driver's door.

29

“I'm coming, Dad.”

30

He studied me a moment, then said, “Okay,” and put the bag on the?

bench seat

. “Let me leave a note for your mother.”

bench seat?后座

31

While he was inside, I?

strapped

?on the?

lap belt

?and told myself that this was good.

strap /str?p/ v. (用帶子)束住

lap belt?安全腰帶

32

This was something I should've done years ago.

33

Uncle David was part of the family, part of my father, part of me.

34

It was about time I got to know him.

35

I studied the paper sack sitting next to me. 37 What was my father bringing his brother for his fortieth birthday?

36

I picked it up.

38

It wasn't a painting—it was much too?

light

?for that.

light /la?t/ adj.?輕的

39

Plus, it made a strange,?

muted

?

rattling

?noise when I shook it.

muted /?mju?t?d/ adj.?柔和的

rattling /'r?tl??/ adj.?咔嗒咔嗒的

40

I was just?

unrolling

?the top to?

peek

?inside when my father came back through the front door.

unroll /?n'rol/ vt. & vi.?展開(kāi)

peek /pi?k/ vi.?偷看

41

I dropped the sack and?

straightened up

, and when he slid behind the?

wheel

, I said, “It's okay with you, isn't it?”

wheel /wil/ n.?方向盤(pán)

straighten up?清理

42

He just looked at me, his hand on the key in the?

ignition

.

ignition /?ɡ'n???n/ n. (汽油引擎的)發(fā)火裝置

43

“I … I'm not?

ruining

?your day with him or anything, am I?”

ruin /?ru??n/ vt.?毀掉

44

He cranked the motor and said, “No, sweetheart. I'm glad you're coming.”

45

We didn't say much to each other on the drive over to Greenhaven.

46

He seemed to want to look at the scenery and I, well, I had a lot of questions, but none I wanted to ask.

47

It was nice,?

though

, riding with my father.

48

It was like the silence?

connected

?us?

in a way

?that?

explanations

?never could.

connect /k??nekt/ v. (使)連接

in a way?在某種程度上

explanation /?ekspl??ne??n/ n.?解釋

49

When we arrived at Greenhaven, my father parked the truck, but we didn't get out right away.

50

“It takes some getting used to, Julianna, but it does?

grow on

?you. They grow on you. They're all good people.”

grow on?越來(lái)越被...喜愛(ài)

51

I nodded, but felt oddly afraid.

52

“Come on, then,” he said, taking the sack from the seat. “Let's go inside.”

53

Greenhaven didn't look like any kind of hospital to me, but it didn't look quite like a house, either.

54

It was too long and?

rectangular

?for that.

rectangular /r?k't??gj?l?/ adj.?長(zhǎng)方形的

55

The walkway had a?

faded green

?

awning

?that covered it,?

faded green?湖濱綠

awning /'?n??/ n. [建]遮陽(yáng)篷

56

and?

flower beds

?alongside with?

freshly

?planted?

pansies

?that looked?

muddied

?and slightly?

askew

.

flower bed?花壇

freshly /?fr??l?/ adv.?新近

pansy /?p?nzi/ n.?三色紫羅蘭

muddy /?m?di/ adj.?泥濘的

askew /??skju?/ adj.?歪斜的

57

The grass was?

patchy

, with three deep holes dug near the building.

patchy /'p?t?i/ adj.?斑駁的

58

“The?

residents

?

tend

?the grounds,” my father said.

resident /?rez?d?nt/ n.?居民

tend /tend/ vt.?照料

59

“It's part of their?

occupational

?training?

program

, and it's?

therapeutic

. Those holes are the?

future

?homes of Peach,?

Plum

, and?

Pear

.”

occupational /?ɑ?kju?pe???nl/ adj.?職業(yè)的

program /'proɡr?m/ n.?計(jì)劃

therapeutic /?θer??pju?t?k/ adj.?對(duì)身心健康有意的

future /'fj?t??/ adj.?將來(lái)的

plum /pl?m/ n.?李子

pear /per/ n.?梨子

60

“Fruit trees?”

61

“Yes. The vote caused quite a?

commotion

.”

commotion /k?'mo??n/ n.?騷動(dòng)

62

“Among the … residents?”

63

“That's right.” He?

swung open

?one of the glass double doors and said, “Come on in.”

swing open?打開(kāi)

64

It was cool inside.

65

And it smelled of?

pine

?

cleaner

?and?

bleach

, with something?

vaguely

?

pungent

?underneath.

pine /pa?n/ n.?松樹(shù)

cleaner /'klin?/ n.?清潔器

bleach /bli?t?/ n.?漂白劑

vaguely /'veigli/ adv.?略微地

pungent /?p?nd??nt/ adj. (味道或氣味)有刺激味的

66

There wasn't a?

reception desk

?or?

waiting area

, just a large?

intersection

?with white walls and narrow wooden benches.

reception desk?接待處

waiting area?候診區(qū)

intersection /??nt?r?sek?n/ n.?十字路口

67

To the left was a big room with a television and several rows of?

plastic

?chairs, to the right were open office doors, and beside us were two pine?

armoires

.

plastic /?pl?st?k/ adj.?塑料的

armoire /ɑrm?wɑr/ n.?（法）大型衣櫥

68

One was open, with half a dozen gray sweaters hung?

neatly

?in a row.

sweater /'sw?t?/ n.?毛衣

neatly /?nitl?/ adv.?整潔地

69

“Good morning, Robert!” a woman called through one of the office doors.

70

“Good morning, Josie,” my father replied.

71

She came out to meet us, saying, “David's?

up and about

. Has been since around six. Mabel tells me it's his birthday today.”

up and about (病人病情好轉(zhuǎn))起床走動(dòng)

72

“Mabel is right again.” He turned to me and smiled.

73

“Josie, it's my pleasure to introduce my daughter, Julianna. Julianna, meet Josie Gruenmakker.”

74

“Well now, isn't this nice,” Josie said,?

clasping

?my hand.

clasp /kl?sp/ vt.?扣緊

75

“I recognize you from David's photo?

album

. You're gettin' ready to graduate into high school, isn't that right?”

album /??lb?m/ n.?相簿

76

I blinked at her, then looked at my dad.

77

I'd never really thought of it that way, but I could see that he had. “Yes, I …I suppose I am.”

78

“Josie's the?

site administrator

.”

site administrator [管理]現(xiàn)場(chǎng)管理人員

79

“And,” Josie added with a laugh, “I'm not graduatin' to nowhere! Been here seventeen years, and I'm?

staying put

.”

stay put?留在原處不動(dòng)

80

The phone rang and she hurried off, saying, “Gotta?

get that

. I'll meet up with you?

in a bit

. Check the?

rec room

, then his room. You'll find him.”

get that?明白了

in a bit?一會(huì)兒

rec room?娛樂(lè)室

81

My dad led me around a corner, and as we?

proceeded

?down a?

hallway

, the?

underlying

?pungent part of the smell got stronger.

proceed /pro??si?d/ vi.?行進(jìn)

hallway /'h?lwe/ n.?走廊

underlying /??nd?r?la???/ adj.?潛在的

82

Like the place had had years of Mystery Pissers, with no one quite?

neutralizing

?what had been tagged.

neutralize /?nu?tr?la?z/ vt.?使失效

83

Down the hall was a small person?

hunched

?in a?

wheel-chair

.

hunch /h?nt?/ vt.?彎腰駝背

wheel-chair n.?輪椅

84

At first I thought it was a child, but as we approached, I could see it was a woman.

85

She had almost no hair, and as she gave my dad a?

toothless

?smile, she grabbed his hand and spoke.

toothless /'tuθl?s/ adj.?無(wú)齒的

86

My heart?

bottomed out

.

bottom out?降到最低點(diǎn)

87

The sounds she made were?

choked

?and lost on her tongue.

choke /t?o?k/ vt. & vi. (使)窒息

88

Nothing she said was?

intelligible

, yet she looked at my father with such?

intensity

—like of course he understood what she was saying.

intelligible /?n?tel?d??bl/ adj.?可理解的

intensity /?n?tens?ti/ n.?強(qiáng)烈

89

To my complete surprise, he said, “You're absolutely right, Mabel. It is today. Which is why I'm here.”

90

He held up the grocery sack and whispered, “I've brought him a little gift.”

91

“Gwa-aaal,” she said. “How'd you know?”

92

She?

gurgled

?at him until he patted her hand and said, “I'm much too?

predictable

, I'm afraid. But he enjoys them, and…”

gurgle /'ɡ?ɡl/ vi.?作咯咯聲

predictable /pr??d?kt?bl/ adj.?可預(yù)料的

93

He noticed her?

gaze

?shift in my direction.

gaze /ɡe?z/ n.?凝視

94

“Hoo haa,” she said.

95

“This is my daughter, Julianna. Julianna, I'd like you to meet the?

extraordinary

?Miss Mabel. She can remember everyone's birthday, and she has a real?

passion

?for?

strawberry

?

milkshakes

.”

extraordinary /?k?str??rd?neri/ adj.?非凡的

passion /?p??n/ n.?酷愛(ài)

strawberry /'str?b?ri/ n.?草莓

milkshake /'m?lk?ek/ n.?奶昔

96

I managed a smile and whispered, “Nice to meet you,” but all I got in return was a suspicious scowl.

97

“Well, we're off to David's,” my father said, then shook the bag. “Don't?

spill the beans

?if he?

happens by

.”

spill the beans?〈俚〉泄露秘密

happen by?剛好出現(xiàn)

98

I followed him to a bedroom?

doorway

, where he stopped and called, “David? David, it's Robert.”

doorway /?d??rwe?/ n.?門(mén)口

99

A man appeared at the door.

100

A man I would never have?

picked out

?as my father's brother.

pick out?辨認(rèn)出

101

He was?

stocky

, with thick brown glasses, and his face looked?

puffy

?and pale.

stocky /?stɑ?ki/ adj.?健壯結(jié)實(shí)的

puffy /'p?fi/ adj.?腫脹的

102

But he threw his arms around my father's chest and cried, “Wobbad! Yaw heew!”

103

“Yes, I am, little brother.”

104

I followed them into the room and saw that the walls were covered in a?

collage

?of puzzles.

collage /k??lɑ??/ n.?拼貼畫(huà)

105

They'd been?

glued

?directly to the walls and even up on the ceiling!

glue /ɡlu?/ vt.?粘合

106

It was?

cozy

?and comfortable, and interesting.

cozy /?ko?zi/ adj.?（溫暖)舒適的

107

I felt as though I'd entered a?

quilted

?cave.

quilted /'kw?lt?d/ adj.?（家具）蓋有帶襯墊織物的

108

My father?

held his brother at arm's length

?and said, “And look who I've brought along!”

hold sb at arm's length?與某人保持距離

109

For?

a split second

?David looked almost?

frightened

, but then my father said, “It's my daughter, Julianna.”

a split second?一瞬間

frightened /'fraitnd/ adj.?害怕的

110

David's face broke into a smile. “Ju-weee-an-na!” he cried, then?

practically

?

tackled

?me with a hug.

practically /?pr?kt?kli/ adv.?幾乎

tackle /?t?kl/ vt. & vi.?擒抱

111

I thought I was going to?

suffocate

.

suffocate /?s?f?ke?t/ vi.?窒息

112

My face was buried as he squeezed the air out of me and?

rocked

?from side to side.

rock /rɑ?k/ vt. & vi. (使)來(lái)回?cái)[動(dòng)

113

Then with a giggle he let go and?

flopped into

?a chair. “Is mooy bwuf-day!”

flop into?驀地坐下

114

“I know, Uncle David. Happy birthday!”

115

He giggled again. “Fwank eoow!”

116

“We brought you a present,” my dad said as he opened the paper sack.

117

Before he had it out, before I saw the actual size, I remembered the sound it had made when I'd shaken it in the truck.

118

Of course! I thought. A puzzle.

119

Uncle David guessed it, too. “A puwwwle?”

120

“Not just a puzzle,” my dad said as he pulled it out of the sack. “A puzzle and a?

pinwheel

.”

pinwheel /'p?nwil/ n.?紙風(fēng)車(chē)

121

Dad had?

wrapped

?the puzzle box up in pretty blue paper and had taped the red-and-yellow pinwheel on as a?

bow

.

wrap /r?p/ v.?包裝

bow /ba?/ n.?蝴蝶結(jié)

122

Uncle David?

snatched

?the pinwheel right off and blew.

snatch /sn?t?/ vt.?奪得

123

First gently, then?

fiercely

, in great?

spitty

?bursts.

fiercely /?f?rsl?/ adv.?猛烈地

spit /sp?t/ n.?口水

124

“Ownge!” he cried between blows. “Ownge!”

125

Very gently Dad took it from him and smiled. “Red and yellow do make orange, don't they?”

126

David tried to grab it back, but my father said, “We'll take it outside later. The wind will blow it for you,” and?

pressed

the puzzle back in his hands.

press /pres/ v.?將......塞進(jìn)

127

As the?

wrapping paper

?fell in?

shreds

?on the floor, I leaned in to see what sort of puzzle my father had bought him and gasped.

wrapping paper n.?包裝紙

shred /?red/ n.?碎片

128

Three thousand pieces!

129

And the image was simply white clouds and blue sky.

130

No shading, no trees—nothing but the clouds and the sky.

shading /'?ed??/ n. (繪畫(huà)或物體的)陰影部分

131

My father pointed to a spot in the center of the ceiling. “I thought it would fit just right over there.”

132

Uncle David looked up and nodded, then?

lunged

?for his pinwheel and said, “Owsiiide?”

lunge /l?nd?/ vi.?撲

133

“Sure. Let's go out for a walk. Feel like going down to McElliot's for a birthday ice cream?”

134

Uncle David's head?

bobbed

?up and down. “Yaaah!”

bob /bɑ?b/ v.?點(diǎn)頭（表示尊敬、問(wèn)候或贊同）

135

We checked out through Josie, then?

headed

?down the street.

check /t?ek/ vt.?核對(duì)

head /hed/ vi.?朝…行進(jìn)

136

David can't walk very fast because his body seems to want to move?

inward

?instead of forward.

inward /??nw?rd/ adv.?向內(nèi)

137

His feet?

pigeon-toe

?and his shoulders?

hunch

?in, and he seemed to lean on my father pretty heavily as we moved along.

pigeon-toe?內(nèi)八字

138

But he kept that pinwheel in front of him, watching it spin, crying every now and then, “Owwwange, owwwange!”

139

McElliot's turned out to be a drugstore with an ice cream?

parlor

?inside.

parlor /'pɑrl?/ n. [美] (通常用來(lái)構(gòu)成合成詞)店

140

There was a red-and-white-striped awning over the ice cream?

counter

, and there were little white tables and chairs set in an area with red-and-white-striped?

wallpaper

.

counter /?ka?nt?r/ n.?柜臺(tái)

wallpaper /'w?lpep?/ n.?壁紙

141

It was very?

festive

-looking, especially for being inside a drugstore.

festive /?fest?v/ adj.?適合于節(jié)日的

142

Dad got us all?

cones

, and once we were sitting down, Dad and David did talk to each other some, but mostly David wanted to eat his chocolate?

fudge

?swirl.

cone /ko?n/ n.?蛋筒冰淇淋

fudge /f?d?/ n.?乳脂(巧克力)軟糖

143

My father smiled at me from time to time, and I smiled back, but I felt?

disconnected

.

disconnected /?d?sk?'n?kt?d/ adj.?分離的

144

How many times had the two of them come here for ice cream?

145

How many birthdays had my father celebrated with his brother like this?

146

How long had he known Mabel and Josie and the rest of the people at Greenhaven?

147

How could it be that in all these years, I'd never spent any time with my uncle?

148

It was like my father had a secret life away from me.

149

A complete family away from me.

150

I didn't like it. Didn't understand it.

151

And I was getting myself pretty?

worked up

?about it when David's cone crushed in his grip, causing his ice cream to flop onto the table.

worked up?生氣的

152

Before my dad could stop him, David picked up the ice cream and tried to?

cram

?it back onto the cone.

cram /kr?m/ vt.?塞入

153

But the cone was?

shattered

?and the ice cream fell over again, only this time it landed on the floor.

shatter /???t?r/ vi.?粉碎

154

My dad said, “Leave it, David. I'll get you a new one,” but David didn't listen.

155

His chair shot back and he dove after it.

156

“No, David! Let me get you a new one.” My dad pulled him by the arm, but David wouldn't?

budge

.

budge /b?d?/ v. (使)稍微移動(dòng)

157

He grabbed the ice cream and crammed it back onto what was left of his cone, and when the bottom part of his cone?

crumbled completely away

, he started screaming.

crumble away?化為烏有

crumble /?kr?mbl/ vt. & vi.(使)碎成細(xì)屑

158

It was awful.

159

He was like a two-hundred-pound?

infant

, throwing a?

tantrum

?on the floor.

infant /??nf?nt/ n.?嬰兒

tantrum /?t?ntr?m/ n.?發(fā)脾氣

160

He was yelling words I couldn't understand, and after a minute of trying to calm him down, my father said, “Julianna, can you get him another cone?”

161

The man behind the counter?

scooped

?as fast as he could, but in that short time David knocked over a table and two chairs with his?

flailing

?and managed to?

smear

?chocolate everywhere.

scoop /skup/ v.?用勺舀

flail /fle?l/ vt.&vi.?（尤指手臂和雙腿）亂動(dòng)

smear /sm?r/ vt.?涂上

162

The?

checkers

?and customers?

at the registers

?seemed frozen with?

terror

—like David was some sort of monster out to destroy the world.

checker /'t??k?/ n.?收銀員

at the register?在結(jié)賬臺(tái)

terror /?ter?r/ n.?恐怖

163

I gave the new cone to my father, who handed it to David, right there on the floor.

164

And while David sat there eating it, my father and I worked around him, putting everything back?

in order

?and wiping up the mess.

in order adj.?整齊

165

On the walk back to Greenhaven, David acted like nothing had happened.

166

He?

spurted

?into his pinwheel and cried, “Owwwange!” from time to time, but when my dad held open the front door, I could tell that David was tired.

spurt /sp??rt/ vi.?噴出

167

Down in his room David placed the pinwheel on his bed and picked up the puzzle box.

168

“Why don't you take a rest before you get started on it?” my dad asked.

169

David shook his head. “Naaow.”

170

“Okay, then. Let me help you set it up.” My father pulled a?

card table

?from beneath the bed, then?

swung

?the legs out and?

snapped them into place

.

card table?牌桌（打牌用的輕便小桌）

swing /sw??/ v. (使)擺動(dòng)

snap into place?卡入到位

171

After he had it shoved up against the wall near the bed, he moved a chair close to it and said, “There you are. All set up.”

172

David had the box open and was already?

sifting

?through the pieces. “Aaaas a gou wwwone, Wobbad.”

sift /s?ft/ vi.?細(xì)究

173

“I'm glad you like it. You think you might have it done by Wednesday? I can come back and glue it on the ceiling for you then if you'd like.”

174

David nodded, but he was already?

intent on

?the puzzle, carefully laying pieces on the table.

intent on?專(zhuān)心于

175

My father put his hand on his shoulder and said, “I'll see you Wednesday then, okay?”

176

He nodded.

177

“Will you say good-bye to Julianna?”

178

“Baaawye,” he said, but he didn't look up from his box of pieces.

179

“See you later, Uncle David.” I tried to sound cheerful, but I didn't?

feel that way

.

feel that way?有那樣的感覺(jué)

180

When we got back into the truck, my dad clicked on his seat belt and said, “So.”

181

I just looked at him and tried to smile.

182

“Are you as exhausted as I am?” he said.

183

I nodded. “Everything was fine—except for the ice cream.”

184

Dad chuckled. “Except for the ice cream.”

185

Then he turned serious.

186

“The trouble is, you never know what ‘the ice cream’ is going to be. Sometimes it's a fly in the room. Sometimes it's the feel of his socks. It's hard to?

predict

?everything.

predict /pr??d?kt/ vt.?預(yù)知

187

Usually getting ice cream is safe.”

188

He shook his head and closed his eyes, thinking things I couldn't imagine.

189

Finally he turned the ignition and said,

190

“David lived with your mother and me for a while. Before you kids were born. We thought it would be better for him to live with us than to be in a?

home

, but we were wrong.”

home /hom/ n.?收容所

191

“But?

overall

, everything went okay today….” He?

ground

?the?

gearshift

?into?

reverse

.

overall /?o?v?r???l/ adv.?總的來(lái)說(shuō)

grind /ɡra?nd/ v. (機(jī)器或車(chē)輛伴有噪音地)緩慢運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)

gearshift /'g?r,??ft/ n.?變速排檔

reverse /r??v??rs/ n.?倒車(chē)檔

192

“David has many, many special needs, both emotional and physical. Your mom and I couldn't handle them all.

193

Fortunately he's happy here. They have?

programs

?to teach him how to care for himself— how to dress and bathe and brush his teeth, how to act around others and communicate.

program /'progr?m/ n. [美]?課程

194

They go on outings, and he has a job doing?

mailings

?for a doctor's office….”

mail /me?l/ vi.?郵寄

195

“He does?”

196

“He goes there every morning during the week to fold?

mailings

?and fill envelopes. Greenhaven's been so good for him. He gets an?

incredible

?amount of?

individualized

?

attention

.

mailing /'mel??/ n.?〈美〉郵件

incredible /?n?kred?bl/ adj.?極好的

individualized /??nd??v?d?u?la?zd/ adj.個(gè)性化的

attention /?'t?n??n/ n.?照料

197

He has his own room, his own friends, his own life.”

198

After a minute I said, “But he's part of the family, Dad. And it just doesn't seem right that he's never been over for a visit. Not even on Christmas or?

Thanksgiving

!”

thanksgiving /?θ??ks?ɡ?v??/ n.?感恩節(jié)

199

“He doesn't want to, sweetheart.

200

One year your mother and I insisted he spend Thanksgiving with us, and it was the biggest disaster you can imagine. He broke a window out of the car, he was?

that

?upset.”

that /e?t/ adv. (非正式)很，非常

201

“But … why haven't we been visiting him? I know you have, but the rest of us. Why not?”

202

“Well, it's?

draining

. Your mother finds it incredibly?

depressing

, and I understand that. We both agreed that it was no place to take small children.”

draining /'dreini?/ adj.?使精疲力盡的

depressing /d?'pr?s??/ adj.?壓抑的

203

He?

accelerated

?onto the highway, silent behind the wheel.

accelerate /?k?sel?re?t/ vt. & vi.(使)增速

204

Finally he said, “The?

years

?just seem to?

slip away

, Julianna. One day you have a baby in your arms, and the next you realize she's very?

nearly

?a woman.”

years?歲月

slip away?悄悄溜走

nearly /'n?rli/ adv.?差不多

205

He smiled at me sadly.

206

“I love David, but he is a?

burden

, and I guess I wanted to protect you from that. But I realize now that all of this has affected you and the family.”

burden /?b??rdn/ n.?負(fù)擔(dān)

207

“But Dad, it's not—”

208

“Julianna, what I'm trying to tell you is I'm sorry. There was so much I wanted to give you. All of you. I guess I didn't

see

?until recently how little I've actually provided.”

see /si/ v.?認(rèn)識(shí)到

209

“That's not true!”

210

“Well, I think you know my heart's been in the right place, but if you?

line it up

?

objectively

, a man like, say, Mr. Loski?

adds up

?to a much better husband and father than a man like me does.

line up?排列

objectively /?b?d ? ?kt?vl?/ adv.?客觀地

add up?加起來(lái)

211

He's around more, he provides more, and he's probably a lot more fun.”

212

My dad wasn't one to?

go fishing

?for?

compliments

?or signs of appreciation, but still, I couldn't quite believe he actually thought that.

go fish?找別人去(生活用語(yǔ))

compliment /?kɑ?mpl?m?nt/ n.?恭維(話(huà))

213

“Dad, I don't care how it looks?

on paper

, I think you're the best dad ever! And when I marry somebody someday, I sure don't want him to be like Mr. Loski! I want him to be like you.”

on paper?理論上

214

He looked at me like he couldn't quite believe his ears. “

Is that so

,” he said with a grin.

Is that so?真的是這樣么?

215

“Well, I'll remind you of that as your someday?

approaches

.”

approach /??pro?t?/ vt. & vi.?接近

216

That turned the rest of the trip around.

217

We laughed and?

joked

?and talked about all kinds of things, but as we neared home, there was one thing the?

conversation

?kept turning back to.

joke /d?ok/ vi.?開(kāi)玩笑

conversation /?kɑnv?'se??n/ n.?談話(huà)

218

Pancakes.

219

My mother, though, had other plans.

220

She'd spent the morning?

scrubbing

?floors and?

nixed

?the pancakes.

scrub /skr?b/ vt.?用力擦洗

nix /n?ks/ vt. [俚]拒絕

221

“I need something with more?

staying power

. Like?

grilled

?ham-and-cheese. With onions,” she said. “Lots of onions!”

staying power?持久力

grill /ɡr?l/ vt.?烤

222

“Scrubbing floors?” my dad said. “It's Sunday, Trina. Why were you scrubbing floors?”

223

“Nervous energy.” She looked at me. “How'd it go?”

224

“Okay. I'm glad I went.”

225

She glanced at my dad and then at me.

226

“Well, good,” she sighed, then said, “I also felt like scrubbing because I got a call from Patsy.”

227

“Loski?” my dad asked. “Is something wrong?”

228

My mother pushed a few?

wisps

?of hair back and said, “No…. She called to invite us over for dinner on Friday.”

wisp /w?sp/ n.?小束

229

We blinked at her a moment; then I asked, “All of us?”

230

“Yes.”

231

I could see what my dad was thinking: Why? All these years of living across the street, and we'd never been invited over. Why now?

232

My mom could see it, too.

233

She sighed and said,

234

“Robert, I don't exactly know why, but she was?

insistent

. She was?

practically

?

in tears

, saying how sorry she was that she'd never invited us before and how she'd really like to get to know us better.”

insistent /?n?s?st?nt/ adj.?堅(jiān)持的

practically /?pr?kt?kli/ adv.?幾乎

in tears?哭

235

“What did you tell her?”

236

“I couldn't very well say no. She was being so nice, and Chet has really done a lot….” She shrugged and said, “I said we'd go. It's set for six o'clock Friday night.”

237

“Really?” I asked.

238

She shrugged again. “I think it might be nice. A little strange, but nice.”

239

“Well, okay then,” my dad said. “I won't?

schedule

?any?

overtime

?for Friday. What about the boys?”

schedule /?sked?u?l/ vt.?安排

overtime /?o?v?rta?m/ n.?加班

240

“There's no?

gig

?on the calendar, and they're not scheduled to work, but I haven't talked to them about it yet.”

gig /ɡ?ɡ/ n.?演出

241

“Are you sure they want us all over there?” my dad asked.

242

My mom nodded. “She insists.”

243

I could tell

?the whole idea of dinner at the Loskis' was making my dad pretty uncomfortable, but we could both see that something about this invitation?

meant a lot

?to my mother.

I could tell?我看得出來(lái)

meant a lot?意義重大

244

“All right then,” he said, and got to work slicing cheese and onions.

245

For the rest of the afternoon, I sort of?

lazed

?around, reading and?

daydreaming

.

laze /lez/ vt.?懶散

daydream /'dedrim/ vi.?做白日夢(mèng)

246

And at school the next day, I couldn't seem to concentrate.

247

My thoughts kept turning back to David.

248

I wondered what my grandparents had been like, and what they'd?

gone through

, having a son like him.

go through?經(jīng)受

249

I daydreamed a lot about the sycamore tree, too, which at first I thought was because I was feeling?

melancholy

.

melancholy /'m?l?nkɑli/ adj.?憂(yōu)郁的

250

But then I remembered how my mother had called the sycamore a testimony to endurance. It had survived being damaged as a?

sapling

. It had grown.

sapling /'s?pl??/ n.?幼樹(shù)

251

Other people thought it was ugly, but I never had. Maybe it was all how you looked at it. Maybe there were things I saw as ugly that other people thought were beautiful.

252

Like Shelly Stalls. A perfect example!

253

To me there was absolutely nothing to?

recommend

?her, but the rest of the world seemed to think she was?

the cat's meow

.

recommend /?rek??mend/ vt.?贊許某人[某事物]

the cat's meow?棒極了

254

Me-ow.

255

Anyway, I sort of drifted through the week like that. Until Thursday.

256

Thursday our social studies class went to the library to do research for our famous historical figure report.

257

I'd chosen Susan B. Anthony and her fight for the?

right to vote

, and I was in the middle of tracking down some books when Darla Tressler?

flagged

?me from the end of a?

stack

.

right to vote?投票權(quán)

flag /fl?ɡ/ v.?引起對(duì)......的注意

stack /st?k/ n. (圖書(shū)館的)藏書(shū)架

258

Darla was in a few of my?

classes

, but we weren't really friends, so I looked behind me to see who else she might be flagging.

class /kl?s/ n. (某一科目的)課程

259

“Come here!” she?

mouthed

,?

frantically

?waving me over.

mouth /ma?θ/ v.?用口型默示

frantically /?fr?nt?kl?/ adv.?瘋狂地

260

So I hurried over.

261

She pointed through the column of books and whispered, “Listen!”

262

It was Garrett's voice. And then Bryce's.

263

And they were talking about … me. About my chickens. And salmonella poisoning.

264

And how Bryce had been throwing away my eggs. And about me fixing up our yard.

265

Bryce was sounding like he felt really bad, but then suddenly my blood ran cold.

266

He was talking about David!

267

And then Garrett laughed and said, “A retard? Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it? You know… about Juli?”

268

For a second, there was silence.

269

And at that moment I was sure they must be able to hear my heart pounding in my chest, but then Bryce laughed and said, “Oh, right.”

270

I positively crumbled onto the floor.

271

And in a flash the voices were gone.

272

Darla checked around the corner, then sat beside me, saying, “Oh, Jules, I'm so, so sorry. I thought he was about to?

confess

?that he's been?

crushing on

?you.”

confess /k?n?fes/ vi.?坦白

crush on?暗戀

273

“What? Darla, Bryce does not have a crush on me.”

274

“Where have you been? Haven't you noticed the way he's been looking at you? That boy is lost in Loveland.”

275

“Oh, obviously! You just heard him, Darla!”

276

“Yeah, but yesterday, yesterday I caught him staring at you and he said there was a bee in your hair. A bee, girl. Is that the?

lamest

?

cover-up

?you've ever heard or what?”

lame /le?m/ adj.?站不住腳的

cover-up /?k?v???p/ n.?掩飾

277

“Darla, the way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bee in my hair.”

278

“Oh, you think you're that sweet, huh? Just attract bees like honey? Well, honey, the only bee you're attracting around here is B-r-y-c-e.

279

Cute, yeah. But after what I just heard, I'd?

stomp

?and?

grind

, girl. Stomp and grind.”

stomp /stɑmp/ vt.?跺腳

grind /ɡra?nd/ vi.?磨碎

280

She got up to go but turned and said, “Don't worry. I won't?

jabber

.”

jabber /?d??b?r/ vi.?吱吱喳喳地叫

281

I just shook my head and forgot about Darla.

282

How wrong could a person be.

283

It was what Bryce and Garrett had said that I couldn't forget.

284

How could they be so?

cruel

? And so stupid? Is this what my father had gone through growing up?

cruel /?kru??l/ adj.?殘忍的

285

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

286

What right did Bryce have to make fun of my uncle? How dare he!

287

I felt fire burn in my cheeks and a cold, hard?

knot

?tighten in my heart.

knot /nɑ?t/ vi.?打結(jié)

288

And in a flash I knew—I?

was through with

?Bryce Loski.

be through with?結(jié)束

289

He could keep his brilliant blue eyes.

290

He could keep his two-faced smile and… and my kiss.

291

That's right!

292

He could keep that, too.

293

I was never, ever going to talk to him again!

294

I stormed back to the section of books on Susan B. Anthony, found two that would work, and then went back to my table.

295

But as I was collecting my things to check out of the library, I remembered.

296

The next day we were going to the Loskis' house for dinner.

297

I?

zipped

?up my backpack and threw it on my shoulder.

zip /z?p/ vt.?拉上或拉開(kāi)拉鏈

298

Surely after what had happened, I had the right to vote against going!

299

Didn't I?

300