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She's dead, Wangero said.
她已經死了，萬杰羅說。
I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.
我無法忍受照那些壓迫我的人的名字個我取名。
You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicle, I said. Dicie is my sister.
你同我一樣清楚你的名字是照你迪茜姨媽的名字取得，我說。迪茜是我的妹妹，
She named Dee. We called her Big Dee after Dee was born.
她名叫迪伊。迪伊出生后我們就叫她大迪伊。
But who was she named after? asked Wangero.
但她的名字又是依照誰的名字取得呢？萬杰羅追問道。
I guess after Grandma Dee, I said.
我猜想是照迪伊外婆的名字取得，我說。
And who was she named after? asked Wangero.
她的名字又是照誰的名字取得呢？萬杰羅逼問道。
Her mother, I said, and saw Wangero was getting tired.
她的媽媽，我說。這是我注意到萬杰羅已經開始感到有點厭煩了。
That's about as far back as I can trace it, I said.
再遠的我就記不得了，我說。
Though, in fact, I probably could have carried it back beyond the Civil War through the branches.
其實，我大概可以把我們的家史追溯到南北戰爭以前。
Well, said Asalamalakim, there you are.
噢，阿薩拉馬拉吉姆說，您已經說到哪兒了？
Uhnnnh, I heard Maggie say.
我聽到麥姬又呃了一聲。
There I was not, I said, before Dicie cro, pped up in our family, so why should I try to trace it that far back?
我還沒有呢，我說，那是在‘迪茜’來到我們家之前的事，我為什么要追溯到那么遠呢？
He just stood there grinning, looking down on me like somebody inspecting a Model A car.
他站在那兒咧著嘴笑，目光朝下，用人們檢查A型轎車的眼神打量著我。
Every once in a while he and Wangero sent eye signals over my head.
他還和萬杰羅在我的頭頂上空頻遞眼色。
How do you pronounce this name? I asked.
你這名字是怎么念的來著？我問。
You don't have to call me by it if you don't want to, said Wangero.
您若不愿意，就不必用這個名字來叫我，萬杰羅說。
Why shouldn't I? I asked. If that's what you want us to call you, we'll call you.
我干嗎不叫？我問。如果你自己喜歡用那個名字，我們就叫那個名字。
I know it might sound awkward at first, said Wangero.
我知道這名字起初聽起來有點別扭，萬杰羅說。
I'll get used to it, I said. Ream it out again.
我會慢慢習慣的，我說，你給我再念一遍吧。
Well, soon we got the name out of the way.
就這樣，我們很快就不再提名字發音問題了。
