佚名/Anonymous
The board meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and jostled the table, spilling his coffee over his notes.“How embarrassing. I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said,“Come on, Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment.”
Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood.“I grew up in San Pedro. My dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his mom and dad and the other kids that were still at home.”
He looked at us and said,“I wish you could have met my dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.”
Frank's voice dropped a bit. When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear.
“Half the time, he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old and my dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!”
He paused and then went on,“I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said,‘NO, Dad.’”
“It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face.”
“I said,‘Dad, I'm too old for a goodbye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.’”
“My dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him cry. He turned and looked out the windshield.‘You are right,’he said,‘You are a big boy-a man. I won't kiss you any more.’”
Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke.“It wasn't long after that when my dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in, but not dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats.”
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again.“Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek……to feel his rough old face……to smell the ocean on him……to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man, I would never have told my dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”
董事会已接近尾声，鲍勃站起来时不小心碰到了桌角，他的咖啡溅出来，洒在笔记本上。“真不好意思，人老了，手脚也越来越笨了。”
每个人都笑了起来。然后，我们开始说各自最尴尬的时刻。弗兰克一直静静地听着，轮到他时，有人说道：“说吧，弗兰克，给我们讲讲你最尴尬的时候。”
弗兰克开始笑着说起了他的童年：“我是在桑河边长大的，爸爸是个渔民，他很喜欢大海。虽然有自己的渔船，但仅靠捕鱼来维持生计是非常艰辛的。他拼命工作，每次出海，都要捕到足够养活家人的鱼才回来。不仅是我们一家，还要养活祖父母和家里的其他孩子。”
他看着我们说：“我真希望你们能见到我父亲，他高大魁伟，拉网、与海浪作斗争使他的身体格外强壮。你一走近他，就能闻到海的味道。他总穿旧帆布衣服，脏兮兮的外套和围兜，雨帽压低遮着眉毛。不论母亲怎么擦洗，还是有一股海水味和鱼腥味。”
弗兰克的声音略微小了：“天气很糟时，他就会开车送我去学校。那是他卖鱼时开的旧卡车，这车甚至比他还老，行驶在路上还会发出咔嗒咔嗒的响声，隔几个街区都听得到。他每次送我去学校时，我都蜷缩在车座里，甚至希望自己能立刻消失，不让别人看到我。”
“他通常都会砰的一声把车门关上，老卡车便随之冒出一股黑烟。他把车停在校门正前方，周围每个人好像都站在那里看着我们。然后，他会弯下腰来，用力地在我脸颊上亲一下，叮嘱我要做个好男孩。这令我很难堪。那时我已经12岁了，而父亲还要在再见的时候弯下腰来亲我！”
他顿了顿，又继续说道：“记得那天，我决定不再让父亲吻别了，因为我已经长大了。”当我们到达学校后，停下车来，父亲一如既往地带着灿烂的笑容。正准备弯下腰时，我举起了手，说：“爸，不要。”
“那是我第一次那样跟他说话，他的脸上写满了惊讶。”
我说：“爸爸，我已经长大了，告别时别再吻我了。无论何时都不要吻我了。”
父亲盯了我好久，眼睛湿润了。我从未见他哭过。他转过身去，看着挡风玻璃。你说得对，他说，你已经长大，是个男子汉了，我以后不会再亲你了。
弗兰克脸上的表情开始变得有些奇怪，接着，眼泪流了下来。“不久后，父亲出海捕鱼，再也没回来。那天，大多数渔船都没出海，但父亲去了，他还有一大家子要养活。后来，他们发现父亲的渔船漂在海上，一半已经沉没了，上面还有渔网。他一定遇到了飓风，为了保护渔网和渔船失去了性命。”
我看着弗兰克，泪水正缓缓地从他脸颊滑落。他又说道：“朋友们，你们知道吗，我非常希望父亲能再亲一下我的脸……感受他那饱经风霜的苍老的脸……闻一下他身上大海的味道……重温他双手绕过我脖子的感觉。我多么希望当时自己真的是个男子汉，如果那样，我就不会告诉父亲，自己已经长大，不再需要他离别的吻了。”
词汇笔记
jostle['d??sl]v.推；撞；挤（人）
The youths jostled（against）an old lady on the pavement.
那些青年人在人行道上推推搡搡，挤着了一个老太太。
canvas['k?nv?s]n.帆布；马尾衬；画布；帐篷
Blobs of paint were dotted around the canvas.
油画布上满是涂抹的颜料。
wheeze[（h）wi:z]v.喘息；呼哧呼哧地响
He has a slight wheeze in his chest.
他呼吸时胸部发出轻微的响声。
windshield['wind?i:ld]n.挡风玻璃
Rain drummed against the windshield.
雨水敲打着挡风玻璃。
小试身手
他高大魁伟，拉网、与海浪作斗争使他的身体格外强壮。
译____________________________
那时我已经12岁了，而父亲还要在再见的时候弯下腰来亲我！
译____________________________
如果那样，我就不会告诉父亲，自己已经长大，不再需要他离别的吻了。
译____________________________
短语家族
No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.
no matter how：无论如何；无论怎样
译____________________________
He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats.
try to：设法；试图；试着；努力
译____________________________