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That Christmas morning she woke us early, "to see what Santa Claus brought," she said with just the right tone of voice to indicate we were all old enough to know who Santa Claus was. I came out of my bedroom with my present for her and Doris, and Doris came with hers. My mother's has been placed under the tree during the night. There were a few small brightly wrapped packages, a big doll for Doris, but no bicycle. I must have looked disappointed.
那年的圣誕節早晨，媽媽一早就把我們叫醒了，“看看圣誕老人帶來了什么，”她只是用一般的口吻說，借以表明我們都不小了，知道圣誕老人是誰了。我帶著送給她和多麗絲的禮物從我的臥室里走了出來，多麗絲也帶著她送給我們的禮物走了出來。媽媽送給我們的禮物已在夜里放在了圣誕樹下。有幾個用彩紙包好的小包，一個給多麗絲的大玩具娃娃，但卻沒有自行車。我當時看上去一定很失望。
"It looks like Santa Claus didn't do too well by you this year, Buddy," she said, as I opened packages. A shirt. A necktie. I said something halfhearted like, "It's the thought that counts," but what I felt was bitter disappointment. I supposed she'd found the bike just too expensive and sent it back.
在我打開包的時候，媽媽說：“看來圣誕老人今年對你不太好嗎，老弟。”果然這里只有一件襯衫和一根領帶。我嘴上說了些半心半意的話，什么“重要的是這番情意”等等，但心里感到的卻是極度的失望。我猜想也許是她發覺自行車太貴，又把它送了回去。
"Wait a minute!" she cried, snapping her fingers. "There's something in my bedroom I forgot all about."
“等一下！”她大聲喊道，一邊還打了個榧子。“我睡房里還有樣東西我竟忘了個一干二凈。”
She went out, and a moment later came back wheeling the big black two-wheeler with balloon tires. I didn't have to pretend, after all. The three of us — Doris, my mother, and I — were people bred to hold back emotional expressions of love, but I did something that startled both my mother and me. I threw my arms around her spontaneously and kissed her.
她出去了，不一會兒就推著那輛低壓輪胎的大的黑色自行車回來了。結果我也不必假裝了。我們三個人——多麗絲、媽媽和我——都是那種性格內斂、不會感情激動地表達愛的人，但我還是做了一件讓媽媽和我都大吃一驚的事。我情不自禁地伸出雙臂摟住她，吻了她。
"All right now, don't carry on about it. It's only a bicycle," she said.
“好了，好了，別大驚小怪了。只不過是一輛自行車嘛，”她說。
Still, I knew that she was as happy as I was to see her so happy.
不過，我還是知道她很高興，就像我看到她那么高興我也高興一樣。
