Grandma, Raspberries and Cream
外婆的奶油覆盆子
by Nancy J. Kopp
I was nine years old when my parents put me on a train in Chicago.Dad slipped the porter a few dollars to keep an eye on me until I reached Rock Island, IL.When the train pulled into the Rock Island station, wheels grinding, puffs of steam comingfrom the engine, I slid to the edge of my seat and peered out the window at the people waiting outside. Excitement, then fear moved in because I didn’t see a familiar face.
九岁那年，父母亲把我送上了芝加哥的一辆火车。爸爸给乘务员塞了一些钱，让他一路照看我，直到我到达伊利诺伊州的罗克艾兰。当火车驶进罗克艾兰火车站时，车轮哒哒作响，引擎冒出股股蒸汽，我滑坐到椅子边缘，朝窗外正在等待的人群望去。我的内心充满了骚动与恐惧，因为我看不到任何一张熟悉的面孔。
The porter bent down and said, “C’mon miss, this is where you get off. Your grandma be waitin’ for you.”
乘务员弯下身子对我说：“过来吧，小姐，你该在这里下车了。你外婆正等着你呢。”
I slid off the soft 1)upholstered seat and followed the man down the aisle. The porter smiled broadly as he helped me down the two steps to the ground, and before I could look around, my grandmother appeared.
我滑下了柔软的座椅，跟着这位乘务员沿着过道走去。他笑容可掬地扶着我走下了通往地面的两级阶梯，在我要东张西望前，外婆在我的眼前出现了。
Grandma was tall, slim and serious. No hugs and kisses. She wore her long gray hair in a braid that wound around the top of her head, and her 2)rimless glasses gleamed in the sunlight. She walked fast, her black laced-up 3)oxfords keeping a steady beat. My little girl legs had to work overtime to keep up with her.
外婆个子高高的，身材苗条，神情严肃。她没有给我拥抱，也没有亲吻。她把灰白的长发编成辫子盘绕在头顶上。她那无框眼镜在阳光下微微发亮。她走得很快，那系着黑色鞋带的牛津鞋保持着平稳的节奏。我的小短腿得加倍追赶才跟得上她。
We marched for several blocks at this smart pace, when Grandma stopped so suddenly, I nearly fell on my face. She pulled me into a small neighborhood grocery shop and let go of my hand as she picked up a small wooden box of red raspberries. A smile lit up her usually sober face.
我们以这迅敏的步伐走过了几个街区，突然，外婆停下了脚步，我差点儿没直直地一脸扑倒在地上。她把我拉进附近的一间小杂货店，然后放开我的手，拿起一小木盒的红色覆盆子。她一贯严肃的脸上露出了一丝微笑。
“We’ll have these,” she told the clerk as she handed him the box of raspberries and some money.
“我们要这个，”她一边告诉收银员，一边把那盒覆盆子和钱交给他。
Back on the sidewalk, we kept going past houses that were old and not very well kept. Some of the lawns were neat and tidy while others were overrun with weeds and too-tall grass.Finally, we reached a big, yellow house with a fence around it. Grandma opened the gate and climbed the front steps pulling me with her. “This is the rooming house where we’re staying,” she said as she opened the screen door.
我们回到人行道上，一路经过许多老旧失修的房子。有些草坪干净整洁，而有些却杂草丛生，草儿已长得老高了。最后，我们到达一间黄色的大房子，房子外面围着一片篱笆。外婆打开大门，拉着我走上门阶。“这是我们要呆的公寓。”她边说边打开纱门。
I wasn’t sure why my mother and father had sent me here. I knew Grandma lived in Arizona now, not here in Rock Island where my grandpa lived.
我不确定我父母为什么把我送到这里来。我知道外婆那时住在亚利桑那州，而不是这里——罗克艾兰，外公住的地方。
We climbed the steps and went down a hallway to a small bedroom. “This is where I sleep—you’ll stay herewith me,” Grandma said.
我们走完了门阶，然后通过一条走廊走到了一间小卧室。“这是我睡觉的地方——你要和我一起睡在这儿。”外婆说。
She laid her pocketbook and my suitcase on the bed, then led the way to a tiny kitchen that held all the necessary equipment.
她把她的皮包和我的行李箱放在床上，然后把我带到一间小厨房，里面配有所有必需的厨房用具。
I watched as Grandma washed the raspberries, divided them into two green glass bowls and poured heavy cream over them.
我在一旁看着外婆清洗覆盆子，把它们分成两半放在两个绿色的玻璃碗里，然后往里面倒入厚厚的奶油。
1)upholstered seat 装套座椅，软座席
2)rimless adj. 无边的
3)oxford n. 牛津鞋，一种结实的、脚背上系脚带的矮鞋
