The second man reached in and helped me jump to the ground.
第二个人伸手帮我跳到了地上。
He slipped the loop of rope around me and led me back to a tiny, hot room.
他解开了我身上的绳子,带我回到一个又小又热的房间。
Spike was there, in a cage, while two other dogs I’d never met paced loose outside Spike’s cage, giving it a wide berth.
斯派克就在那个房间里,他关在笼子里,而另外两只我从未见过的狗在斯派克的笼子外面,跟他之间有一定的距离,留出了足够的空间。
“Here. Wait.” The first man was at the door.
“这里,等一下。第一个人站在门口。
He reached down and unsnapped the collar, and the air that rushed at my face was like a kiss.
他俯下身,解开我的项圈,扑面而来的空气就像一个吻。
“They hate those things.” “whatever,” the second man said.
“他们讨厌这些东西。“管他呢,”第二个人说。
They shut the door behind them.
他们随手把门关上了。
One of the new dogs was an old, old female, who sniffed my nose without much interest.
其中一只新来的狗是一只很老很老的母狗,它闻了闻我,对我没有多大兴趣。
Spike was barking, making the other dog, a younger male, nervous.
斯派克的叫声让另一只年轻的公狗很紧张。
With a groan, I slid down to lie on the floor.
我呻吟了一声,倒在地板上。
A loud hiss filled my ears, and the young male began to whine.
一声响亮的嘶嘶声萦绕在我的耳朵里,那只年轻的公狗开始哀嚎。
Suddenly Spike toppled to the floor with a crash, his tongue sliding out of his mouth.
突然,斯派克砰的一声倒在了地板上,舌头从嘴里滑了出来。
I regarded him curiously, wondering what he was up to.
我好奇地打量着他,不知道他在干什么。
The old female slumped nearby, her head coming to rest against Spike’s cage in a manner I was astounded he would allow.
那只老母狗瘫倒在旁边,她的头靠在斯派克的笼子上,我很惊讶他竟然会允许她这样做。
The young male whined, and I regarded him blankly, then shut my eyes.
年轻的狗呜呜地叫着,我茫然地看着他,然后闭上了眼睛。
I felt overwhelmed with a fatigue as heavy and oppressive as when I was a small puppy and my brothers and sister would lie on top of me, crushing me.
当我还是一只小狗的时候,我的兄弟姐妹会趴在我身上,压得我喘不过气来。现在的感觉不亚于小时候的感觉,我感到深深的疲惫。
That’s what I was thinking about as I began to sink into a dark, silent sleep—being a puppy.
我小时候也会这样想,然后我就陷入了黑暗、寂静的沉睡。
Then I thought of running wild with Mother, and of Senora’s caresses, and of Coco and the Yard.
然后我想到了和妈妈一起疯跑、被夫人爱抚、可可、院子。
Unbidden, the sadness I’d felt from Senora washed through me, and I wanted to squirm up to her and lick her palms and make her happy again.
不知不觉间,我从夫人那里感受到的悲伤涌上心头,我真想蹭蹭她,舔舔她的手掌,让她高兴。
Of all the things I’d ever done, making Senora laugh seemed the most important.
在我做过的所有事情中,让夫人展露笑容似乎是最重要的。
It was, I reflected, the only thing that gave my life any purpose.
我想,这是唯一让我的生活有意义的事情。