3.6 【暖心双语美文】《电话情缘》熟悉的陌生人 “Information Please”

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Reading makes a full man

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighbourhood. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with great fascination when my mother talked to it. Then, I discovered that somewhere inside this wonderful device lived an amazing person – her name was “Information Please” ，and there was nothing she did not know. “Information Please” could, for example, supply anybody’s number and the correct time and date.

小时候，父亲是小区里最早一户给家里装电话的人。那时我尚幼小，还够不着电话机，但常听见母亲对着它讲话，那聊天听得我入迷。后来，我发现这个神奇的装置里竟然住着一个令人惊奇的人——她的名字叫做“Information Please”，她简直无所不知。比如说吧，她能马上给出任何人的电话，说出正确的时间和日期。

My first experience with this genie-in-a-bottle came one day when I was home alone. I whacked my finger with a toy hammer while playing. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give me sympathy. I walked aimlessly around in the house, sucking my throbbing finger. But suddenly I saw it hanging there...

我第一次与这位“瓶中精灵” 打交道是在某一天当我独自在家时，那天我用玩具锤不慎砸伤了手指，痛的撕心裂肺，但家里空无一人，谁也不会可怜我，大哭大喊也无济于事。我在房间里团团转，吮吸着阵阵抽痛的手指，突然间，我看到了那个挂在那儿的东西……

‘The telephone!’ Quickly, I dragged the foot stool from the parlour to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. “Information Please” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two later, a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

电话！我迅速把脚凳从客厅拖到了楼梯口。踩着它爬上去，摘下听筒，把它举到耳边：“Information Please” ，我对着比我头还高的送话口说道，一两声嘟嘟的连线音后，一个小而清澈的声音说话了。

“Information” She said. “I hurt my finger…” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. “Isn’t your mother home?” came the question. “Nobody is home but me” I blubbered.  “I hit my finger with a hammer and it hurts.” “Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice.

“请讲” ，她说。“我弄伤了我的手指…” 我对着电话嚎啕大哭，突然间有了能倾听我的人，眼泪适时般决堤似地涌了出来。“你妈妈在家吗？” 她问，“没人呢，就我在家。” 我哭得更厉害了。“我用锤子把手指砸伤了，疼极了！” “你能打开冰块盒吗？”她问。我说我能。“ 那就弄下一小块冰，然后敷在手指头上。” 那个声音说。

Her tip worked so well, so after that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me how to spell the word ‘Fix’. She explained why my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in a park, would only eat fruit and nuts, and not candy.

她这招真管用。打那以后。我不管遇到什么事都给“Information Please”打电话。我请教她地理知识，她告诉我费城在哪里。她还辅导我数学，她教我拼写英文单词“Fix”, 她解释给我听，为什么我那只从花园里逮回来的小宠物花栗鼠只吃水果和坚果，不吃糖。

When Petey, our pet canary died I was left inconsolable, so I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She must have sensed my intense sorrow, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.

当我们家的宠物金丝雀Perey死的时候，我无以为慰。于是我又给“Information Please” 打电话，告诉了她这件伤心事。她一定是觉察到了我深深的悲伤，因为她的回答轻柔平静：“保罗，永远记得，它们有一个别的世界去歌唱。” 莫名地，我释然了一些。

When I was nine years old, we moved to another city, Boston. I missed my friend “Information Please” very much. But “Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back in my old home and I somehow never thought of trying out the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. The memory of the sense of security I had as a child whenever I talked with “Information Please” however, never really left me.   I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

我九岁那年，举家迁往另一个城市，波士顿。我非常舍不得我的“电话天使”朋友，但她永远住在老家的那个老旧的木盒里。家里客厅桌上又装了一部高高的、锃亮的新电话，也是奇怪，我连碰一下的念头都没有。记忆中，一个孩子与电话精灵随时随地聊天的那种安全感从未离去。我感激她在那个少不更事的孩子身上付出的时间、耐心、体贴和善良。

One day, years later，on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now.Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, Information please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. “Information.” I heard myself saying: “Could you please tell me how to spell the word ‘fix’?” There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.”

多年以后，在我西去上学的路上，飞机在西雅图降落，中间有半小时的转机时间。我给住在那儿的姐姐打了15分钟电话。然后，完全无意识般地，我拨通了家乡小镇的接线员电话，“你好，接线员。” 奇迹般地，我又听到了那个小而清澈的声音。我听见自己脱口而出：“您能告诉我怎么拼写fix吗？” 一段极长的沉寂过后，电话里传来了温柔的回答，“我想你的手指现在一定好了吧？”

I laughed, “So it’s really still you!?” “Yes.” She said. “I wonder if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look so much forward to your calls.” I told her how often I had thought of her over the years. We talked for over an hour.  By the end of our nostalgic conversation, I asked if I could call her again some times. “Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally.”

我笑了，“那么，真的是你！？” “是我。”她说

“我不知道，你是否明白你的电话对我的生活多么重要，我没有孩子，那时候，我常常盼着你的来电。” 我也告诉她，这些年我也一直在挂念着她。我们聊了差不多一个小时，结束这场叙旧之后，我问她以后是否可以再给她打电话。“没问题，” 她说，“找萨莉就好”。

A month later I called again. But another, strange voice answered. “Information.” I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” the voice said. “Yes” I answered. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Sally became very ill, she died three weeks ago. But did you say your name was Paul? Sally left a message for you. Her note I have here says: “Tell Paul I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”  I thanked her very much and hung up.

一个月后，我打去电话，但是听到了另一个陌生的声音：“接线员，请讲。” 我说，我找萨莉。“你是她朋友吗？” 对方问。“是的” 我回答道。“非常抱歉地告知您，萨莉病重了，三周前她去世了。你是叫保罗吗？萨莉给你留下了一条信息，她留了一张纸条，我念给你听：“ 告诉保罗，我仍然相信，我们可以在别的世界里歌唱。他懂的。” 我谢过了她，挂上了电话。