The day my son Laurie started kindergarten he renounced corduroy overalls with bibs and began wearing blue jeans with a belt; I watched him go off the first morning with the older girl next door, seeing clearly that an era of my life was ended, my sweet-voiced nursery-school tot replaced by a long-trousered, swaggering character who forgot to stop at the corner and wave good-bye to me.
這是我兒子勞里上幼兒園的第一天。他正式告別了燈芯絨背帶褲扎圍嘴的行頭，換上了藍色牛仔褲系腰帶的裝束。早上，我看著他和隔壁的小姐姐一起出門。在我看來，這一幕明明就是宣告我生命中的一個時代的結束。我那嗓音甜美的托兒所小家伙將被一個穿著長長的褲子，走起路來大搖大擺的小屁孩取代。而就在剛剛，這個小屁孩甚至忘記了在路的拐角處停下來跟我揮手告別。
He came home the same way, the front door slamming open, his cap on the floor, and the voice suddenly become raucous shouting, “Isn’t anybody here?” At lunch he spoke insolently to his father and spilled his baby sister’s milk. “How was school today?” I asked, elaborately casual. “All right,” he said. “Did you learn anything?” his father asked. Laurie regarded his father coldly. “I didn’t learn nothing,” he said. “Anything,” I said. “Didn’t learn anything”
他回到家時跟以前沒什么兩樣——砰地一聲打開前門，帽子扔在地板上，聲音刺耳地喊道：“家里有人嗎？”午餐時，他無禮地對爸爸說著話，還弄灑了小妹妹的奶瓶。“今天在幼兒園過得怎么樣？”我問道，故意裝出很隨意的語氣。“挺好的，”他說。 “你學到了什么嗎？”爸爸問道。勞里冷冷地注視著爸爸，回答說：“我并不是什么都沒學到。”“那學到了什么？”我接著問道。“什么也沒學到。”
“The teacher spanked a boy, though,” Laurie said, addressing his bread and butter. “For being fresh,” he added, with his mouth full. “What did he do?” I asked. “Who was it?” Laurie thought. “It was Charles,” he said. “He was fresh. The teacher spanked him and made him stand in a corner. He was awfully fresh.” “What did he do?” I asked again, but Laurie slid off his chair, took a cookie, and left, while his father was still saying, “See here, young man.”
“老師打了一個男孩的屁股，”勞里說，說話時嘴里還吃著面包和黃油。“因為他很淘氣，”他補充說，嘴巴里塞得滿滿的。“他做了什么？”我問，“他是誰？”勞里想了想，說：“他叫查爾斯，特別淘氣。老師打了他的屁股，然后讓他罰站。他太不懂事了。”“他做了什么？”我再次問道。但此時勞里已經從椅子上滑下來，拿了一塊餅干，跑掉了。根本沒有理睬他爸爸對他說：“小子，先回來回答你媽媽的問題！”
The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, “Well, Charles was bad again today.” He grinned enormously and said, “Today Charles hit the teacher.” “Good heavens,” I said. “I suppose he got spanked again?” “He sure did,” Laurie said. “Why did Charles hit the teacher?” I asked. “Because she tried to make him colour with red crayons,” Laurie said. “Charles wanted to colour with green crayons so he hit the teacher and she spanked him and said nobody play with Charles but everybody did.”
第二天午餐時，勞里一坐下就開始說：“嗯，今天查爾斯又犯錯了。”他邊說邊咧著嘴笑，“今天查爾斯把老師打了。”“天哪，”我說。“我猜他又被打屁股了吧？”“肯定啊，”勞里說。“查爾斯為什么打老師？”我問道。“因為老師想讓他用紅色蠟筆涂色，”勞里說，“而查爾斯卻想用綠色蠟筆涂色，所以他打了老師，然后他就被老師打屁股了。老師還對全班說誰也不許跟他玩，但沒人聽老師的。”
The third day—it was Wednesday of the first week—Charles bounced a see-saw on to the head of a little girl and made her bleed, and the teacher made him stay inside all during recess. Thursday Charles had to stand in a corner during story time because he kept pounding his feet on the floor. Friday Charles was deprived of blackboard privileges because he threw chalk.
第三天，也就是勞里上幼兒園第一個星期的星期三，查爾斯用蹺蹺板磕到了一個女孩的頭，而且女孩的頭流血了。老師罰他下課后不許離開教室。星期四，查爾斯在故事時間被老師罰站，因為他不停地跺地板。星期五，查爾斯被罰不許使用黑板，因為他亂扔粉筆。
“What are they going to do about Charles, do you suppose?” Laurie’s father asked him. Laurie shrugged elaborately. “Throw him out of school, I guess,” he said. Wednesday and Thursday were routine; Charles yelled during story hour and hit a boy in the stomach and made him cry. On Friday Charles stayed after school again and so did all the other children.
“你覺得幼兒園會怎么處理查爾斯？”爸爸問勞里。勞里故作事故地聳了聳肩，說：“我猜他會被開除”。第二個星期的星期三和星期四跟平常一樣——查爾斯在故事時間大喊大叫；打了一個男孩的肚子，還把他打哭了。星期五，查爾斯被罰放學后不許回家，而且全班都得跟他一起受罰。
With the third week of kindergarten Charles was an institution in our family; the baby was being a Charles when she cried all afternoon; Laurie did a Charles when he filled his wagon full of mud and pulled it through the kitchen; even my husband, when he caught his elbow in the telephone cord and pulled telephone, ashtray, and a bowl of flowers off the table, said, after the first minute, “Looks like Charles.”
從第三個星期開始，“查爾斯”已經成為我們家一項不成文的“制度”——整個下午，嬰兒都在哭鬧，跟查爾斯一樣；勞里把他的玩具貨車裝滿泥巴在廚房里拖來拖去，跟查爾斯一樣；甚至連孩子爸爸都用肘部掛住電話線，然后把桌子上的電話、煙灰缸和一盆花一起拉扯到地板上，就在那一剎，他看上去跟查爾斯一模一樣。
During the third and fourth weeks it looked like a reformation in Charles; Laurie reported grimly at lunch on Charles in the third week, “Charles was so good today the teacher gave him an apple.” “What?” I said, and my husband added warily, “You mean Charles?” “Charles,” Laurie said. “He gave the crayons around and he picked up the books afterward and the teacher said he was her helper.” “What happened?” I asked incredulously. “He was her helper, that’s all,” Laurie said, and shrugged.
第三和第四個星期，查爾斯似乎有些洗心革面。第三個星期的一天，午餐時勞里一臉嚴肅地匯報了查爾斯的近況：“查爾斯今天的表現非常好，老師還獎勵了他一個蘋果。”“什么？”我說。然后，孩子爸爸小心翼翼地補充說：“你是說查爾斯嗎？”“是查爾斯沒錯，”勞里回答說。“他幫老師分發了蠟筆，還幫老師把書本收了上來。老師夸他是個好幫手。”“發生了什么？”我懷疑地問道。“他成了老師的幫手，就是這樣。”勞里回答說，然后聳了聳肩。
“Can this be true, about Charles?” I asked my husband that night. “Can something like this happen?” “Wait and see,” my husband said cynically. “When you’ve got a Charles to deal with, this may mean he’s only plotting.” He seemed to be right. Within a week, everything was back to normal and Charles was his usual, terrible self.
“對于查爾斯來說，這可能是真的嗎？”那天晚上我問孩子爸爸，“這樣的事情可能發生嗎？”“那就拭目以待吧。”他冷笑地說道，“當你要對付一個像查爾斯這樣的孩子時，這可能意味著他只是在策劃更多的搗蛋行動。”他似乎是正確的。僅僅不到一個星期，一切又都恢復正常了，查爾斯依舊是那個可怕的熊孩子。
“The Parent meeting’s next week,” I told my husband one evening. “I’m going to find Charles’s mother there.” “Ask her what happened to Charles,” my husband said. “I’d like to know.” “I’d like to know myself,” I said.
“下周開家長會。”一天晚上我告訴孩子爸爸說，“我要在家長會上見見查爾斯的母親。”“問問她查爾斯身上究竟發生了什么，”孩子爸爸說，“我想知道怎么回事。”“嗯，我也想知道。”我說。
My husband came to the door with me that evening as I set out for the parent meeting. “Invite her over for a cup of tea after the meeting,” he said. “I want to get a look at her.” “If only she’s there,” I said prayerfully. “She’ll be there,” my husband said. “I don’t see how they could hold a Parent meeting without Charles’s mother.” At the meeting I sat restlessly, scanning each comfortable matronly face, trying to determine which one hid the secret of Charles.
家長會那天晚上，我要出發時孩子爸爸陪我一起來到了門口。“家長會結束后邀她出來喝杯茶，”他說，“我想見見她。”“嗯，只要她到場，”我虔誠地說。“她肯定去，”孩子爸爸說，“我想象不到，如果查爾斯母親不到場，他們怎么開這個家長會。”家長會上，我焦躁不安地坐在那里，用目光掃視著每一個放松且安詳的面孔，試圖找出哪一個面孔背后隱藏著查爾斯的秘密。
None of them looked to me haggard enough. No one stood up in the meeting and apologized for the way her son had been acting. No one mentioned Charles. After the meeting I identified and sought out Laurie’s kindergarten teacher. She had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate cake; I had a plate with a cup of tea and a piece of marshmallow cake.
我們沒有從任何一張臉上發現足夠的證據。也沒有人站起來為她兒子的行為道歉。甚至沒有人提到查爾斯。家長會結束后，我找到了勞里的幼兒園老師。她手里拿著一個盤子，里有放著一杯茶和一塊巧克力蛋糕；我手里的盤子里有一杯茶和一塊棉花糖蛋糕。
We manoeuvred up to one another cautiously, and smiled. “I’ve been so anxious to meet you,” I said. “I’m Laurie’s mother.” “We’re all so interested in Laurie,” she said. “Well, he certainly likes kindergarten,” I said. “He talks about it all the time.” “We had a little trouble adjusting, the first week or so,” she said primly, “but now he’s a fine little helper. With occasional lapses, of course.” “Laurie usually adjusts very quickly,” I said. “I suppose sometimes it’s Charles’s influence.” “Charles?” “Yes,” I said, laughing, “you must have your hands full in that kindergarten, with Charles.” “Charles?” she said. “We don’t have any Charles in the kindergarten.”
我們小心翼翼地微笑著朝著彼此走去。“我一直都很想見到您，”我說。“我是勞里的母親。”“我們都對勞里很感興趣。”她說。“嗯，他確實很喜歡幼兒園，”我說，“他總是在跟我們說幼兒園的事情。”“孩子剛上幼兒園一個星期前后，肯定需要多花些精力調整，”她說，“但現在他已經成了一個很好的小幫手。當然，偶爾也會犯些小錯誤。”“勞里通常會很快調整過來的，”我說，“我想有時候他可能是受到查爾斯的影響了。”“查爾斯？”“是的，”我笑著說，“您肯定在幼兒園被查爾斯這孩子搞得手忙腳亂吧。”“查爾斯？”她說，“我們幼兒園沒有查爾斯這個孩子啊！”