The Best Mother

最棒的媽媽

(By Liddell Sharen)

Terri Wilson stomped her foot. She was the only student left in the schoolyard. And it was raining. Finally, her mother's car turned into the parking lot.

特麗ⷥ聧ˆ𞩁œ使勁跺著腳。校園裏隻剩下她一個學生了。天還在下著雨。終於，她媽媽的車轉進了停車場。

You're late! Terri said as she got in the car.

“你來晚了！”特麗邊上車邊說。

Sorry. I had to take Snowball to the veterinarian for his shots, her mother said. "I almost didn't come. I thought you'd be walking home. Then I remembered you wouldn't wear your raincoat this morning."

“對不起。我得帶雪球去獸醫那兒打針，”她媽媽解釋說，“我差點就不來了。我以為你會自己走回家呢。後來想起來你今天早上出門時不願意穿雨衣。”

Terri scowled . No one in sixth grade wore raincoats!

特麗皺了皺眉頭。六年級生中才沒人穿雨衣呢！

Their small white dog pawed at her knee. "Snowball! Get down! Bad dog! You're getting hair all over me."

他們家的小白狗把爪子搭在她的膝蓋上。“雪球！下去！你這隻臭狗！你弄得我渾身都是狗毛。”

Terri, he's just glad to see you.

“特麗，它隻是很高興看見你。”

Terri sighed and patted the trembling animal. "Sorry, boy. I didn't mean to yell."

特麗歎了口氣，輕輕拍了拍嚇得瑟瑟發抖的小狗。“對不起，小家夥。我不是故意朝你吼的。”

Mrs. Wilson stopped the car in the driveway. Terri helped carry the groceries into the kitchen. Grumbling to herself, she pulled a carton of milk, some cans of apple juice, and a box of oatmeal from a bag. Why couldn't her mother buy chocolate milk and carbonated drinks and sugar- frosted puffs like Mrs. Hanson bought for Laurie?

威爾遜太太把車停在了家門口的車道上。特麗幫忙把買的食品拿進廚房。她一邊從袋子裏拽出一盒牛奶、幾罐蘋果汁和一盒燕麥片，一邊嘀嘀咕咕地發著牢騷。她的媽媽怎麽就不能像漢森太太給勞麗買東西那樣，買些巧克力牛奶、碳酸飲料還有糖霜泡芙呢？

Her two older brothers trooped into the kitchen. "We're starving. Is there anything to eat?"

她的兩個哥哥一起走進廚房。“我們餓死了。有沒有吃的啊？”

Mrs. Wilson pointed to the fruit bowl and the boys grabbed the last two apples. Half a dozen oranges remained in the bowl. Terri clenched her fists. She hated peeling oranges. Wishing she were an only child like Jill MacDonald, she stomped off to her room.

威爾遜太太指了指果盤，兩個男孩搶走了最後兩個蘋果。果盤裏就剩下六個橙子了。特麗氣得攥緊了拳頭。她討厭剝橙子皮。她使勁跺著腳，回到了自己的房間。她多麽希望自己和吉爾ⷩ𚥥…‹唐納一樣是家裏的獨生女啊！

Where was her tape player? She pawed aimlessly through the scattered piles of papers, books, and tapes littering her floor. Her mother refused to clean her bedroom; she said eleven-year-olds should be responsible for their own things. Terri snorted. Susan Brown was twelve, and her mother still picked up for her.

她的錄音機在哪兒呢？她像一隻無頭蒼蠅似的在地板上左一堆右一堆的紙啊、書啊、磁帶裏翻找起來。她的媽媽拒絕為她打掃房間，說11歲大的孩子應該自己負責自己的事情了。特麗不屑地哼了一聲。蘇珊ⷥ𘃦œ—都12歲了，她媽媽還幫她收拾房間呢。

That evening Terri turned her basket of clean clothes upside down. The only pajamas she could find were the red flannel ones. She loved the soft feel of the material, but she hated the bright color. She called down the hall. "Did you do a wash today?"

那天晚上，特麗把她那一籃幹淨衣服翻了個底朝天，可是隻找到了那套紅色法蘭絨睡衣。她很喜歡法蘭絨那種柔軟的感覺，但她不喜歡那種鮮亮的顏色。她朝樓下客廳喊道：“你今天洗衣服了嗎？”

Yes.

“洗了啊。”

Did you wash my blue pajamas?

“那你洗我的藍色睡衣了嗎？”

I don't think so. In fact, I don't think I washed anything of yours. Did you put your clothes in the hamper ?

“好像沒洗。實際上，我洗的衣服裏沒有一件是你的。你把衣服放到洗衣籃裏了嗎？”

"

特麗氣得咬牙切齒。她討厭把髒衣服拿到雜物間，放到那隻醜得要命的洗衣籃裏。媽媽為什麽就不能幫她收一下要洗的衣服呢？不管怎麽說，她一天至少要路過特麗的房間50次。阿曼達ⷥᦘŽ斯的媽媽總是確保阿曼達最喜歡的衣服是幹淨的。有一次阿曼達連續兩個星期每天都穿同一條紫色的緊身褲。她說她媽媽每天晚上幫她把褲子洗好，準備好第二天給她穿。

Terri ground her teeth. She hated carrying her dirty clothes to the stupid hamper in the utility room. Why couldn't her mother gather up her laundry? After all, she walked by Terri's room at least fifty times a day. Amanda Cummings' mother always made sure her favorite clothes were clean. Once Amanda wore the same purple capris every day for two weeks. She said her mom washed it every night and had it ready for her to wear the next day.

特麗套上紅色睡衣，然後依偎在她的泰迪熊巴斯特旁邊。媽媽得再把巴斯特可憐的胳膊縫一下了，她一邊想著，一邊閉上了眼睛。過了一會兒，她聽到一陣聲響，是有人在用吸塵器。她睜開一隻眼睛，然後迅速坐直了身子。是蘇珊ⷥ𘃦œ—的媽媽，她怎麽深更半夜打掃臥室啊？

" "

特麗看了看房間四周，困惑不已。布朗太太把她的所有衣服和玩具都收拾好了，還把她的書和磁帶整整齊齊地擺在了書架上。

Terri pulled on the red pajamas and snuggled up to Buster, her teddy bear. Mom will have to sew his poor arm on again, she thought, closing her eyes. Moments later, she heard a noise. Someone was vacuuming . She opened one eye, then bolted upright. There was Susan Brown's mother,cleaning the bedroom in the middle of the night?

“這破玩意兒我可縫不了！”布朗太太喊道。她拎著大熊巴斯特的一隻破耳朵，在她腦袋邊晃來晃去。“咱們把它扔掉算了！”

"

“我可不能把巴斯特扔掉。他是我的朋友。我六個月大的時候他就跟著我了。”

Terri looked around the room, confused. Mrs. Brown had picked up all her clothes and toys and lined her shelves with books and tapes.

“那他陪你的時間也夠長的了。沒有這件垃圾陪著你，你會睡得更好。還有記住，雪球必須待在它的狗屋裏。如果我在你床上發現一根白色的狗毛，我就馬上把這根狗毛和雪球一起送到動物收容所去。”布朗太太很不屑地說完這番話，然後消失在一道光裏。

I can't sew this threadbare thing! yelled Mrs. Brown. She was swinging Buster Bear around her head by one ragged ear. "We'll just have to throw it away!"

“特麗，我有份禮物給你。”阿曼達ⷥᦘŽ斯的媽媽出現了，手裏拿了一條出自名設計師之手的牛仔褲。特麗高興地歡呼起來。她想抱抱卡明斯太太，可這個女人一下子把她推開了。“小心點兒！你會把我的衣服弄皺的！”

I can't throw out Buster. He's my friend. I've had him since I was six months old.

褲子很合身，但穿著感覺有點不對勁。“唔，卡明斯太太，褲子有點兒硬。”

Then you've had him long enough. You'll sleep much better without this piece of rubbish. And remember, Snowball stays in his doghouse. If I find one white hair on your bed, it's off to the pound with him. Mrs. Brown sniffed and disappeared in a flash of light.

“對啊，那當然。那才是最新流行款式啊。”

Terri, I have a present for you. Amanda Cummings' mother appeared, holding a pair of designer jeans. Terri whooped with delight. She tried to hug Mrs. Cummings, but the woman pushed her away. Be careful! You'll wrinkle my blouse!"

“但我隻喜歡柔軟的衣服。你就不能像我媽媽那樣，在我穿新衣服之前把它們放到洗衣機裏轉幾次嗎？”

The pants fit perfectly, but they didn't feel right. "Uh, Mrs. Cummings, they're stiff ."

“當然不行。要是像你這樣買回來之後馬上就把衣服毀了，那我們買最新款的衣服還有什麽意義啊？你一回到家就要換衣服，這樣才不會把牛仔褲弄壞。”

Well, of course. That's the very latest fashion.

特麗痛苦地點了點頭。她討厭放學回家後就換衣服。然後她又聽見吉爾ⷩ𚥥…‹唐納的媽媽叫她吃晚飯。而卡明斯太太拿著牛仔褲消失不見了。

But I like only soft clothes. Couldn't you do what my mother does and run them through the washing machine a few times before I start to wear them?

特麗低頭看了看，發現自己坐在了餐桌前。她看見自己的盤子裏擺著加味烤土豆，澆了令人厭惡的芝士醬的西蘭花，還有雞排。麥克唐納太太問她哪裏不對勁。

Certainly not. What's the point of buying the newest styles if you're going to ruin them right away? As soon as you get home, change clothes so you don't ruin those jeans.

“我哥哥和我都不喜歡吃加味烤土豆，所以我媽媽不做。我們也不喜歡芝士醬，所以她給我們做的西蘭花什麽也不放。”

Terri nodded miserably . She hated changing clothes after school. Then she heard Jill MacDonald's mother call her to supper. Holding the jeans, Mrs. Cummings vanished.

麥克唐納太太豎起眉毛，說：“但是，我先生和我都喜歡加味烤土豆和芝士醬。我可不打算為了伺候一個小孩而改變我們的飲食習慣。你要是不想吃桌上的這些東西，可以離開餐桌。”

Terri looked down and found herself at the kitchen table. She saw scalloped potatoes, broccoli with a yucky cheese sauce, and a chicken cutlet on her plate. Mrs. MacDonald asked her what was wrong.

突然，漢森太太出現在了廚房裏。她端出糖霜泡芙和蘇打水當早餐。太美味了！特麗吃了兩大碗麥片粥，喝了三大杯飲料。但是後來，在體育課上，她都沒法跑完接力賽了。她雙腿發顫，胃裏感到一陣陣惡心。她哼哼起來。

My brothers and I don't like scalloped potatoes, so my mom doesn't make them. We don't like cheese sauce either, so she just gives us plain broccoli.

“特麗，寶貝兒！醒醒！”

Mrs. MacDonald raised an eyebrow. "Well, my husband and I like scalloped potatoes and cheese sauce. I'm not going to change our diet just to accommodate one child. You may leave the table if you don't wish to eat what is being served."

特麗睜開眼睛。雪球趴在她胸口上舔她的臉，而大熊巴斯特則躺在她的枕頭上。

Suddenly, Mrs. Hanson was in the kitchen. For breakfast she put out frosted puffs and soda. They tasted terrific. Terri had two big bowls of the cereal and three tall glasses of the drink. But, later, at gym class, she couldn't finish the relay race. Her legs felt wobbly and her stomach was queasy . She groaned .

她媽媽站在床邊，俯下身來。“我剛才聽見你大聲叫喚。你是不是做夢了？”

Terri, honey! Wake up!

特麗打了個寒顫。“更像是個噩夢。”

Terri opened her eyes. Snowball was standing on her chest, licking her face, and Buster Bear was lying on her pillow.

“要不要我給你倒點熱牛奶？”

Her mother leaned over the bed. "I heard you call out. Were you having a dream?"

特麗搖搖頭。她起身摟著媽媽。“你能不能就陪我待一分鍾？”

Terri shuddered . "It was more like a nightmare."

威爾遜太太微微一笑，坐下來，雙手摟著她的女兒。“真好啊。最近我還一直以為，你們都已經長大了，都不想再要我抱了呢。”

Shall I make you some warm milk?

“哦，媽媽！不管我長多大，我都需要你的擁抱。你是世界上最棒的媽媽！”

Terri shook her head. She reached up and hugged her mother. "Could you just stay with me for a minute?"

Mrs. Wilson smiled and sat down, her arms around her daughter. "This is nice. Lately, I've been thinking you were all grown-up and didn't want hugs anymore."

Oh, Mom! I'll never be so grown-up that I won't need hugs from you. You're the best mother in the world.

本文到此結束，希望對大家有所幫助呢。