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"All right," she said, releasing her daughter at last. "Who's hungry?"
“好吧，”她说，终于放开了女儿。“有人是饿了吗?”
James was already taking plates from the cupboard, distributing napkins, lifting the lid of the top box in a whiff of meat-scented steam.
詹姆斯已经在从碗柜里拿盘子了，分发餐巾纸，在一股肉香味的蒸汽中提起顶盒的盖子。
Marilyn put a slice of pepperoni pizza on each of their plates, and Nath, with a deep, contented sigh, began to eat.
玛丽琳在每个盘子上都放了一片意大利辣香肠比萨饼，纳心满意足地长叹一声，开始吃起来。
His mother was home, and tomorrow there would be hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, hamburgers and hot dogs for supper, strawberry shortcake for dessert.
妈妈在家，明天早餐有煮熟的鸡蛋，晚餐吃汉堡和热狗，甜点吃草莓酥饼。
Across the table, Lydia stared down at her portion in silence, at the red circles dotting the surface, at the long thin threads of cheese tying it back to the box.
在桌子对面，莉迪亚低头默默地看着自己的那份，看着点缀在盒子表面的红色圆圈，以及把它绑回盒子里的又长又细的奶酪丝。
Nath was only half-right: the next day there were hot dogs and hamburgers, but no eggs, no shortcake.
纳只说对了一半：第二天有热狗和汉堡包，但没有鸡蛋和酥饼。
James grilled the meat himself, charring it slightly, but the family, determined to celebrate, ate it anyway.
詹姆斯亲自烤肉，但只是稍微烤了一下，这家人决定庆祝一下，还是把它吃了。
In fact, Marilyn would refuse to cook at all after her return, each morning popping frozen waffles into the toaster, each evening heating a frozen potpie or opening a can of Spaghettios.
事实上，在她回来后，玛丽琳会完全拒绝烹饪，每天早上把冷冻华夫饼放进烤面包机，每天晚上加热一个冰冻的馅饼或打开一罐意大利面。
She had other things on her mind. Math, she thought that Fourth of July; she will need math, this daughter of mine.
她在想别的事情。她想着七月四日的数学考试；想着莉迪亚也需要学数学。
"How many buns inside the bag?" she asked, and Lydia tapped each with her finger, counting up.
“袋子里有几个面包?”她问。莉迪亚掰着手指数着。
"How many hot dogs are on the grill? How many won’t have buns?"
“烤架上有多少热狗?有多少人不吃小面包?”
At each right answer, her mother smoothed her hair and cuddled her against her thigh.
每每回答正确，母亲就会抚平她的头发，把她抱在大腿上。
All day Lydia added up.
莉迪亚一整天都在算数。
If everybody ate one hot dog, how many would be left over for tomorrow?
如果每个人都吃一个热狗，明天还剩下多少?
If she and Nath got five sparklers each, how many would they have all together?
如果她和纳每人有五个烟花，一共有多少个?
By the time dark fell and fireworks blossomed in the sky, she counted ten kisses from her mother, five caresses, three times her mother called her my smart girl.
夜幕降临，烟花在天空绽放，她数了一下，母亲给了她十个吻，五次爱抚，三次称她为“聪明的女孩”。
Every time she answered a question, a dimple appeared in her mother’s cheek like a little fingerprint.
她每回答一个问题，母亲脸上就会出现一个酒窝，就像一个小小的指纹。
"Another," she begged, every time her mother stopped. "Mama, ask me another."
每当母亲停下来时，她就央求道：“再来一次，妈妈，再问我一个。”
"If that's really what you want," her mother said, and Lydia nodded.
“如果那真是你想要的，”母亲说道，莉迪亚点点头。
"Tomorrow," Marilyn said, "I'll buy you a book and we'll read it together."
玛丽琳说：“明天我给你买本书，我们一起看。”
Instead of just one book, Marilyn bought a stack: The Science of Air. Why There Is Weather. Fun with Chemistry.
玛丽琳不只买了一本书，而是一摞：《空气科学》、《为什么会有天气》、《有趣的化学》。
At night, after she tucked Nath in, she perched on the edge of Lydia’s bed and lifted one from the top.
晚上，她给纳盖好被子，然后坐在莉迪亚的床边，从床上取下一本。
Lydia huddled against her, listening to the deep, underground drum of her mother’s heartbeat.
莉迪亚紧靠着她，听着她母亲低沉的心跳。
When her mother breathed in, she breathed in. When her mother breathed out, she breathed out.
母亲吸气时，她也吸气。母亲呼气时，她也呼气。
Her mother's voice seemed to come from within her own head.
母亲的声音就好像是从她自己的脑袋里发出来的。
"Air is everywhere," her mother read. “Air hovers all around you. Though you can‘t see it, it is still there. Everywhere you go, air is there.”
母亲读到：“空气无处不在。空气在你周围盘旋。虽然你看不见它，但它仍然在那里。无论你走到哪里，空气都在。”
Lydia snuggled deeper into her mother's arms, and by the time they reached the last page, she was almost asleep.
莉迪亚紧紧依偎在母亲怀里，读到最后一页时，她几乎睡着了。
"Read me another," she murmured, and when Marilyn, thrilled, whispered, "Tomorrow, all right?"
她低声说：“再给我读一篇吧。”玛丽琳兴奋地低声说道：“明天继续好吗?”
Lydia nodded so hard her ears rang. That most important word: tomorrow. Every day Lydia cherished it.
莉迪亚拼命点头，她的耳朵都震聋了。最重要的一个字就是明天。莉迪亚每天都很珍惜。
Tomorrow I’ll take you to the museum to look at the dinosaur bones. Tomorrow we’ll learn about trees. Tomorrow we’ll study the moon.
明天我带你去博物馆看恐龙骨头。明天我们将学习关于树的知识。明天我们将研究月球。
Every night a small promise extracted from her mother: that she would be there in the morning.
每天晚上，她都会从母亲那里得到一个小小的承诺：她早上会在。
And in return, Lydia kept her own promise: she did everything her mother asked.
作为回报，莉迪亚信守了诺言：母亲要她做什么，她就做什么。
She learned to write the plus sign, like a little stunted t.
她学会了写加号，就像一个发育不良的t。
She counted on her fingers every morning, adding up over the cereal bowl. Four plus two. Three plus three. Seven plus ten.
她每天早上都用手指计数，在麦片碗上累计。4+2。3+3。7+10。
Whenever her mother stopped, she asked for more, which made her mother glow, as if Lydia had flicked on a light.
每当母亲打住话头，她就要求继续，母亲因此高兴得容光焕发，仿佛莉迪亚轻拂了灯似的。
