The House on Mango Street
Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The Laundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WE'RE OPEN so as not lose business.
Where do you live? She asked.
There, I said pointing up to the third floor.
You live there?
There. I had to look to where she pointed –—— the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded.
I knew then I had to have to house. A real house. One I could point to .but this isn't it. The house on Mango Street isn't it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.
我們住在Loomis時(shí)，有一回學(xué)校的嬤嬤經(jīng)過那里，看到我在房前玩。樓下的自助洗衣店被用木板封了起來，因?yàn)閮商烨皠偙幌唇龠^。為了不走掉生意，主人在木頭上涂抹了幾個(gè)字：“是的，我們?cè)跔I業(yè)。”
“你住哪里呀？”她問。
那里。我說，指了指三樓?！?BR> 你住在那里？
那里。我不得不朝他指的地方看去——三層樓上，那里墻皮斑駁，窗上橫著幾根木條，是爸爸釘上去的，那樣我們就不會(huì)掉出來。你住在那里？她說話的樣子讓我覺得自己什么都不是。那里，我住在那里。我點(diǎn)頭。
于是，我明白，我得有一所房子。一所真正的大屋。一所可以指給別人看的房子?？蛇@里不是。芒果街上的小屋不是。目前就這樣，媽媽說。這是暫時(shí)的，爸爸說?？蓯褐朗虑槭窃鯓拥摹?BR>
Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The Laundromat downstairs had been boarded up because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WE'RE OPEN so as not lose business.
Where do you live? She asked.
There, I said pointing up to the third floor.
You live there?
There. I had to look to where she pointed –—— the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn't fall out. You live there? The way she said it made me feel like nothing. There. I lived there. I nodded.
I knew then I had to have to house. A real house. One I could point to .but this isn't it. The house on Mango Street isn't it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.
我們住在Loomis時(shí)，有一回學(xué)校的嬤嬤經(jīng)過那里，看到我在房前玩。樓下的自助洗衣店被用木板封了起來，因?yàn)閮商烨皠偙幌唇龠^。為了不走掉生意，主人在木頭上涂抹了幾個(gè)字：“是的，我們?cè)跔I業(yè)。”
“你住哪里呀？”她問。
那里。我說，指了指三樓?！?BR> 你住在那里？
那里。我不得不朝他指的地方看去——三層樓上，那里墻皮斑駁，窗上橫著幾根木條，是爸爸釘上去的，那樣我們就不會(huì)掉出來。你住在那里？她說話的樣子讓我覺得自己什么都不是。那里，我住在那里。我點(diǎn)頭。
于是，我明白，我得有一所房子。一所真正的大屋。一所可以指給別人看的房子?？蛇@里不是。芒果街上的小屋不是。目前就這樣，媽媽說。這是暫時(shí)的，爸爸說?？蓯褐朗虑槭窃鯓拥摹?BR>