书城外语摇响青春的风铃
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第18章 长大成人 (2)

Not until its engine died did I realize what had made the car so special. While most of my friends invested in car stereos that could rattle windows a block away, I stuck with the old original radio that barely picked up two stations on a good night. Mostly, we just left it turned off. There were no bored silences or demands that I buy a better radio, though. We filled the musical voice by arguing about girls, making up silly songs about one another, or telling stories.

But the moments that truly stand out were more sober. I’ll never forget the silence as we drove home from the play-off game in which our team was eliminated. Nor the nights when Chalie talked about his parents’ financial troubles, Tom spoke sadly of his father’s absence, and Eric told us of his dream of playing professional hockey.

Since we graduated from high school, my friends and I have spread out across the country and grown into adults. Yet I’ve never forgotten my youthful emotions that day when the mechanic delivered his sad verdict. In that old car of mine, we had stockpiled memories like firewood, knowing that someday, somewhere we would gather as grey-haired man to relight the blaze of our friendship.

是的,我承认,我的第一辆汽车要被拖到旧货市场时,我坐在方向盘前哭了。你会说不就是一辆有玻璃有轮子的车吗,不至于那么难过吧,而我永远也不会为那天的失态辩解。一个年轻人的第一辆车,更多的是年轻自由的纪念碑,而不是简单意义上的交通工具,至少对于我来说是这样的。

一切都开始于两年前:我刚过完16岁生日,父母就把家里那辆红色的旧车淘汰给了我。没过多久,我就和这辆车成了最好的朋友。我们会在任何时间、任何地方让想搭车的人搭乘。而且我们驾着这辆车,冒了很多次险。

有些冒险是令人毛骨悚然的。最有名的一次是在一个下午,放学后我召集了10个朋友坐上我的车,其中包括埃里克,他宁愿选择坐到后备箱里,也不愿被落下。我们只是开着车四处逛,无所不谈,感觉很不错。尽管我的时速只有20英里,还是与一辆校车相撞了,那辆车上坐满了七岁的小学生。我首先想到的就是后备箱里的埃里克。我跑过去,打开后备箱,发现他一动不动地躺在那儿,我上气不接下气。他睁开眼睛,大笑道:“你是世界上最糟糕的司机。”

在围观者的注视中,我们十个疯狂的高二学生,一个接一个地从我的车里爬出来。尽管有一个小女孩因为要上厕所急哭了,但所幸校车上没有人受伤。在那些小男孩们看来,我简直是英雄。他们充满崇拜地围着我,就连警察也看着我们笑了。

我的父母当然是火冒三丈,决定对我实施惩罚:用我暑假打工的工资支付汽车的修理费。为了减轻财政压力,我坚持要求修车的师傅使用旧的零件。所以,当车修好的时候,我那辆红色的小轿车就有了绿色的车头,黄色的挡板,和蓝色的门。我并不在意这些。尽管那车远远谈不上漂亮,但它却属于我。

那年夏天,学校刚一放假,我就感到自己的自由空间更大了。一天,我们开车去了河塘,我和朋友曾骑自行车去过那里。我们沿着池边小路走去,对一个废弃的火车站探索不休。我们不用再像小孩儿一样向教练借车去参加垒球比赛,现在,我们可以开着我的车,像大人一样。我们戴着太阳镜,朝窗外吐着瓜子皮,那种畅快的感觉就像已经赢了比赛一样 。

一天晚上,我在上班的餐厅里洗盘子时,朋友把我的车轮胎卸了下来,就那样把车扔在水泥停车场上,开不了了。我认为对付这种恶作剧的最好方法就是装作不知道,所以那天我走回了家。第二天早上,我发现我的车停放在家门前,上边还盖了一层两英寸厚的刮胡膏。

我的朋友一个接一个地拿到了驾照,并买了新车。但是试过几天新车之后,我们总会回到我的旧车上,即便在当时,我也想不出其中的原因。除了各部位的颜色不同以外,我的车没有什么吸引人的地方。它看上去仍然是经济适用型的家庭用车,跑得也不快,最高时速只有55英里。而且,它当然也不舒适——没有空调,在炎热的天气里我们光着的腿会粘在座位上。

直到它的发动机彻底坏掉,我才意识到它的不同之处。我朋友的车子里大都安装了音响,那声音几乎能把玻璃震掉。而我的车里只有一台老式的收音机,信号好的时候也只能收到两个频道。通常时间,它都是关着的,我们用谈论女孩子,互相编唱着一些傻呼呼的歌,或是讲故事替代了听音乐。

但是那些特别的瞬间真的令我们难以忘怀。我不会忘记我们队在季后赛中被淘汰时,开车回家途中大家的沉默无语;不会忘记查理谈论他父母经济困难的那些夜晚;不会忘记汤姆悲伤地谈起他爸爸的离家出走;也不会忘记埃里克讲述当职业曲棍球手的梦想。

高中毕业后,我便和朋友们分开了。我们都已长大成人,朋友遍布全国各地。但是我仍然不能忘记修理工告诉我车要报废的那天,我年轻的情感是怎样的。在我的旧车里,积聚着我们的回忆,就像火柴一样,我知道当我们头发花白时,在某一天、某个地方我们还会聚在一起 ,重新点燃友谊之火。

记忆填空

1. It had all started two years : Soon after my 16th birthday, my parents the old red family car and passed it to me. Before long, that car and I had the best of friends. We gave to just about anyone who asked, anytime, anywhere, and all sorts of adventures.

2. As far as the little were concerned, I was a . They crowed around me in admiration. Even the officers managed to smile.

3. Since we graduated from high , my friends and I spread out across the country and grown adults.

佳句翻译

1. 一个年轻人的第一辆车,更多的是年轻自由的纪念碑,而不是简单意义上的交通工具,至少对于我来说是这样的。

2. 尽管那车远远谈不上漂亮,但它却属于我。

3. 在我的旧车里,积聚着我们的回忆,就像火柴一样,我知道当我们头发花白时,在某一天、某个地方我们还会聚在一起 ,重新点燃友谊之火。

短语应用

1. You can tell me a car is only so much glass and steel, but I’ll never apologize for losing my cool that day.

apologize for:因……道歉

2. One famous afternoon after school, I piled ten friends into the car, including Eric, who opted to ride in the trunk rather than be left behind.

rather than:并非,而不是