A funeral can go on for weeks, because few events in life are a better opportunity to tell stories. Admittedly on the first day it’s mainly stories about sorrow and loss, but gradually as the days and nights pass, they transform into the sorts of stories that you can’t tell without bursting out laughing. Stories about how the deceased once read the instructions “Apply to the face but not around the eyes” on the packaging of some skin cream, and then called the manufacturer with extreme annoyance to point out that this is precisely where the face is positioned. Or how she employed a dragon to caramelize the tops of all the crème brûlées before a big party in the castle, but forgot to check whether the dragon had a cold. Or how she stood on her balcony with her dressing gown hanging open, shooting at people with a paintball gun.
一场葬礼会举办好几周，因为生活中不会有比葬礼更好的机会来讲故事。诚然，第一天的大多数故事都是关于悲伤和失去的，但随着日子一天天过去，故事就变得让人忍俊不禁。有些故事讲的是去世的人某次读了护肤霜包装上的说明——“适用于面部，非眼周”，非常气愤地打电话给生产厂家，指出眼睛周围也属于面部。还有些故事说的是，她雇了一头龙，在一场盛大的城堡派对前，让它把焦糖布丁表皮的糖浆烤焦，但却忘了检查那头龙是不是感冒了。另外还有故事说的是，她敞开睡袍站在阳台上，用彩弹枪朝别人射击。
You never say good-bye in the Land-of-Almost-Awake. You just say “See you later.” It’s important to people in the Land-of-Almost-Awake that it should be this way, because they believe that nothing really ever completely dies. It just turns into a story, undergoes a little shift in grammar, changes tense from “now” to “then.”
在不眠大陆，人们不说“再见”，只说“回见”。这对不眠大陆的人很重要，他们相信没有什么事物会真正消亡。它们只是变成了故事，经历了语法上的一个小小转变：由“现在时”变成了“过去时”。
“Alf says it’s lucky he turned out to be a boy, because the women in our family are ‘so bonkers they’re a safety hazard,’ ” she chuckles, making quotation marks in the air and grumpily dragging her feet through the snow, Alf-style. The cold is nipping at her cheeks. She nips it back. Dad digs away the snow and scrapes his spade along the top layer of earth. Elsa tightens her Gryffindor scarf around her neck. Scatters the wurse’s ashes over Granny’s grave and a thick layer of cinnamon bun crumbs over the ashes.
“阿尔夫说，他是个男孩真是走运，因为我们家族里的女人‘都是疯子，是安全隐患’。”她咯咯笑着，在空中比画着双引号，然后气呼呼地拖着脚走在雪地上，活像阿尔夫。冷风刺着她的脸颊，她挡回去。爸爸在铲雪，他的铁锹在地表刮擦出声。爱莎收紧了脖子上的格兰芬多围巾，把呜嘶的骨灰撒在外婆的墓地上，在骨灰之上又撒了一层厚厚的肉桂卷屑。
And the Miamasians laugh so loudly that the stories rise up like lanterns around the grave. Until all stories are one and the tenses are one and the same. They laugh until no one can forget that this is what we leave behind when we go: the laughs.
密阿玛斯人笑得特别大声。故事们像灯笼一样从墓地飘向空中，直到所有的故事合成一个，所有的时态完全一致。最后所有人都会牢记，生命离去时留下的东西：欢笑。
She’s going to tell all their stories. She’s already telling him the first few as she wanders back to Audi with Dad. And Dad listens. He turns down the volume of the stereo before Elsa has time to jump in. Elsa scrutinizes him.
她会给他们讲所有的故事。和爸爸返回奥迪时，她已经给他讲了一些。爸爸都认真听了。他在爱莎跳上车前就关上了音响。爱莎仔细地观察他。
Then she hugs the gravestone tight, tight, tight, and whispers: “See you later!”
然后她紧紧、紧紧、紧紧地抱住墓碑，小声说：“回见！”
“Halfie turned out to be a boy-half. He’s going to be called Harry!” Elsa explains proudly as she scrapes snow from the stone.
“‘小半’结果是半个男孩。我们会叫他哈利！”爱莎骄傲地说，扫去石头上的雪。
Elsa opens and shuts the glove compartment as Audi glides up the highway.
奥迪在高速公路上滑行时，爱莎打开并关闭了杂物箱。
“I don’t get upset.”
“我没有难过。”
“Maybe I’m upset on the inside?”
“也许我可以在心里默默难过？”
“You can be a little bit upset,” mutters Elsa.
“可以有一丁点儿难过。”爱莎小声咕哝。
“I know you don’t mean that,” Elsa protests.
“我知道你不是真心赞同。”爱莎抗议道。
“You shouldn’t be so upset that I feel guilty about it. Just upset enough so it doesn’t feel like you’re not bothered!” explains Elsa.
“不要表现得太难过，那样我会内疚的。只要有一点点难过，证明你不是完全不在乎！”爱莎解释道。
“He’s quite okay. George, I mean.”
“他挺不错的。我是说乔治。”
“No.”
“没有。”
“That looks too upset.”
“你现在看上去太难过了。”
Dad nods dubiously and manages to stop himself from pointing out that she should avoid using English words when there are perfectly good alternatives in her own language.
爸爸疑惑地点头，并设法阻止自己指出她应该避免使用英语单词时，她有更好的选择就是用自己的语言。
“Not even a little?” says Elsa, offended.
“一丁点儿都没有？”爱莎有点儿不爽。
“Now you’re not looking at all upset!”
“现在你看上去一点儿都不难过了！”
“Okay… I am a bit upset,” Dad tries, and actually does look upset.
“好吧…我有一点儿难过。”爸爸试了试，看上去的确是在难过。
Elsa scrutinizes him before conceding: “Deal.” She says it in English.
爱莎承认之前仔细观察了他：“行吧。”她用英语说。
“Were you upset yesterday when I hugged George at the hospital?” she asks.
“我昨天在医院拥抱乔治的时候，你是不是难过了？”她问。
He tries again.
他又试了试。
“I don’t want you to be upset.”
“我不希望你难过。”
“Sorry,” says Dad, beginning to sound stressed.
“不好意思。”爸爸的声音听上去开始有压力了。
“Am I allowed to be upset?” wonders Dad.
“我可以难过吗？”爸爸问。
“Yes,” says Dad.
“对。”爸爸说。
“But there’s a ‘but’ coming here, isn’t there? It feels like there’s a ‘but’ coming,” mumbles Elsa.
“这里应该接个‘但是’，对吗？感觉上后面有个‘但是’。”爱莎说。
Dad looks stressed again.
爸爸看上去又开始焦虑。
“Is that it?”
“是这样吗？”
Dad sighs.
爸爸叹了口气。
Elsa looks at him for a long time before she asks: “Is that why Lisette loves you? Because you are very ingoing?”
爱莎看了他很久，然后问：“那是莉丝特爱你的原因吗？因为你很内向？”
“Fun?”
“有趣？”
“But?”
“但是？”
“I thought you and Lisette never came to us at Christmas because you don’t like George.”
“我以为你和莉丝特从不跟我们一起过圣诞，是因为你不喜欢乔治。”
“Why can’t it be your mother’s fault? Perhaps we don’t visit you at Christmas because Mum doesn’t like Lisette.”
“为什么不能是你妈妈的错呢？也许我们圣诞不来拜访你们，是因为妈妈不喜欢莉丝特。”
“How do you mean?”
“什么意思？”
“So why don’t we ever have Christmas together, then?” mutters Elsa with irritation.
“那我们干吗从来不在一起过圣诞？”爱莎恼火地埋怨。
“I was going to say he seems very outgoing.”
“我是想说，他看起来很外向。”
“George is okay.” Dad nods as if he means it.
“乔治不错。”爸爸点着头，仿佛发自真心。
Dad fingers the steering wheel nervously.
爸爸紧张地握着方向盘。
“I have nothing at all against George.”
“我对乔治没什么不满的。”
“But?”
“但是？”
“And you’re very… ingoing?”
“你…很内向？”
“But I suppose George and I are quite different in terms of our… personalities, perhaps. He’s very…”
“但是，我觉得乔治和我很不一样…也许是我们的性格。他非常地…”
Dad looks uncomfortable. He’s a terrible liar. “No. Everyone likes Lisette. I’m well aware of it.” He says it as people do when considering an extremely irritating character trait in the person they live with.
爸爸看上去很不自在。他完全不擅长撒谎。“不。每个人都喜欢莉丝特，我知道。”他的语气就好像这是一种特别惹人烦的人格特征。
“Incredibly,” he says without any hesitation.
“非常爱。”他毫不犹豫地回答。
“Dad, there’s NO ONE who doesn’t like Star Wars except you!”
“爸爸，没人不喜欢《星球大战》，除了你！”
“So why are you together, then?”
“那你们为什么在一起？”
“I have to admit I’ve never asked.”
“必须承认，我从没问过她。”
“And you and Mum tried to change each other?”
“而你和妈妈想要改变对方？”
“Are you going to ask why Mum and I stopped loving each other?”
“你是不是接下去要问，为什么妈妈和我不再爱彼此了？”
“I was going to ask why you started.”
“我是想问，你们为什么会开始的？”
“Does she like Star Wars?”
“她喜欢《星球大战》吗？”
Dad seems unwilling to take issue with this.
爸爸并不否认这点。
“I don’t know why she loves me, if I’m to be quite honest.”
“老实说，我不知道她为什么爱我。”
Dad smiles.
爸爸笑了。
“Because we accept each other as we are, perhaps.”
“因为我们接受彼此本来的样子，大概吧？”
He leans over and kisses her forehead.
他靠近，亲了一下她的前额。
“Lisette and I are also very different,” he points out.
“莉丝特和我也十分不同。”他指出。
“Was our marriage so terrible, in your view?”
“你认为我们的婚姻很糟糕吗？”
“We’re different in other ways. I’m almost sure about that.”
“我们在别的事情上也不同。我基本上可以肯定。”
But then he immediately looks quite hesitant again.
然后他又立刻露出了迟疑的表情。
“How can you NOT have asked her that?!”
“你竟然没问过她？！”
“I mean, you’re very different, that’s all. She doesn’t like Apple, that sort of thing. And you kind of don’t like Star Wars.”
“我觉得吧，你们只是很不一样。就像她不喜欢苹果公司，你不喜欢《星球大战》。”
“There are plenty of people who don’t like Star Wars.”
“很多人不喜欢《星球大战》。”
“Do you love her?”
“你爱她吗？”
Elsa shrugs.
爱莎耸了耸肩。
“I knew,” he interrupts.
“我知道。”他打断了爱莎。
Elsa blinks intensely. Takes a deep breath. Gathers her energy and whispers: “Those texts from Mum you got on the last day of school before the Christmas holiday. About not having to pick me up? I wrote them. I lied, so I could deliver one of Granny’s letters –“
爱莎猛地眨起眼睛，深深吸了口气，鼓起勇气，小声说：“圣诞假期前上学最后一天，你收到的妈妈的短信，就是叫你不用来接我的，是我写的。我骗了你，为了送外婆的一封信——”
“I worry about how wise you are sometimes, darling.”
“我有时候担心你太聪明了，亲爱的。”
Elsa squints suspiciously at him. He smiles.
爱莎怀疑地盯着他。他笑了。
“The grammar was too perfect. I knew right away.”
“语法太完美了，我立马就知道了。”
“You… my darling… you can stay with us as often as you like!” Dad stammers, quite overwhelmed.
“你…我的宝贝…你想和我们待多久都行！”爸爸惊喜得都结巴了。
“No. Only every other weekend. And I get that it’s because I’m different and it upsets your ‘family harmony.’ But Mum is having Halfie now. And actually Mum can’t do everything all the time because no one’s perfect all the time. Not even Mum!”
“不，每周见就可以了。而且我知道，因为我很另类，所以会影响到你的‘家庭和谐’。但妈妈现在有‘小半’了。而妈妈其实没办法兼顾所有的事，因为没有人每时每刻都完美。即使是妈妈！”
It’s still snowing. It’s one of those magical winters when it never seems to end. After Audi has stopped outside Mum’s house, Elsa turns to Dad very seriously. “I want to stay with you and Lisette more often than every other weekend. Even if you don’t want that.”
还在下雪。这是一个似乎永远也不会结束的奇妙冬季。奥迪停在妈妈房子外时，爱莎严肃地对爸爸说：“我想和你，还有莉丝特更经常见面，比隔周周末更经常。就算你不乐意。”
“I read things.”
“我阅读量很大。”
“We didn’t want to take you away from the house,” he whispers.
“我们以前不想带你离开这里。”他小声说。
“Because you didn’t want to take me away from Mum?”
“因为你不想带我离开妈妈？”
“Where… ‘family harmony’… where did you get that from?”
“那个…‘家庭和谐’…你从哪儿知道的？”
“It’s hard for a child to accept it too,” says Elsa, and pats him on the cheek. He holds on to her fingers.
“孩子们也很难接受这件事。”爱莎轻抚他的脸颊。他抓住她的手指。
The last words between them dissipate into the air and leave nothing behind. The snowflakes are falling so densely against Audi’s windshield that the world in front of them seems to have disappeared. Elsa holds Dad’s hand. Dad holds hers even tighter.
他们之间最后的对话消散在空气中，不留一丝痕迹。雪花密密地落在奥迪的挡风玻璃上，面前的世界似乎消失了。爱莎握着爸爸的手。爸爸更紧地握着她的。
“Because none of us wanted to take you away from your granny.”
“因为我们不想让你离开你的外婆。”
“It’s hard for a parent to accept that you can’t protect your child from everything.”
“对父母来说，要接受自己不能永远保护孩子免受所有伤害，很难。”
“I’m an ambivalent person. I know this makes me a bad father. I’ve always worried that my life should be in better order before you start living with us for longer periods. I thought it was for your sake. That’s what parents often do, I think, we persuade ourselves we’re doing everything for the sake of the child. It’s too painful to us to admit that our children won’t wait to grow up because their parents are busy with other things…”
“我是个很没主意的人。我知道这让我成为一个不称职的爸爸。我总担心，在你开始跟我们住得更久之前，我应该生活得更有条理。我以为那是为了你好。父母常常会这样，我想，我们让自己以为，做的每件事都是为了孩子。而孩子不会因为父母忙于其他事情就停止成长，要让我们承认这一点很痛苦…”
Dad buries his nose in her hair.
爸爸把鼻子埋进她的头发。
“Where’s that from?” Elsa snorts.
“你从哪儿知道的？”爱莎不屑地哼哼。
Elsa’s forehead rests in the palm of his hand when she whispers: “You don’t need to be a perfect dad, Dad. But you have to be my dad. And you can’t let Mum be more of a parent than you just because she happens to be a superhero.”
爱莎用前额靠着他的手掌，小声说：“你不用做一个完美的爸爸，爸爸。但你必须得做我的爸爸。你不能要求妈妈比你做更多，只因为她碰巧是个超级英雄。”
“We just didn’t want you to become one of those children who have two homes but feel like a visitor in both,” he says.
“我们只是不想让你成为那种，有两个家但在每个家里都像是客人的孩子。”他说。
“As smart people go, you and Mum are really insanely unsmart sometimes,” Elsa says, and then smiles. “But don’t worry about how it’ll be when you’re living with me, Dad. I promise we can make some things really boring!”
“作为聪明人，你和妈妈有时候真的超级笨。”爱莎笑了，“但不用担心我们住在一起时会怎样，爸爸。我保证我们能让事情变得超级无聊的！”
“We read things.”
“我们的阅读量也不小。”
Dad nods and tries not to look puzzled when Elsa tells him they’re going to celebrate her birthday at his and Lisette’s house, because Mum and George and Halfie are still at the hospital. And Dad tries not to look stressed when Elsa says that she has already called Lisette and arranged everything. But he looks much calmer when Elsa tells him he can make the invitation cards. Because Dad immediately starts thinking about suitable fonts, and fonts have a very calming effect on Dad.
爱莎告诉他，因为妈妈、乔治和“小半”都还在医院，所以要在他和莉丝特家里庆祝爱莎的生日。爸爸点点头，试着让自己看上去不怎么困扰。然后爱莎又对他说，她已经打电话给莉丝特安排了。爸爸试着让自己看上去不那么有压力。然而，当爱莎说他可以负责做邀请卡时，他就冷静多了。因为爸爸立即开始思考起合适的字体，而字体对爸爸的安抚效果特别好。
“This is the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone,” she finally manages to say.
“这是《哈利·波特与魔法石》的最后一章。”她终于说出口。
“It’s an audiobook,” Dad admits with embarrassment.
“是本有声书。”爸爸尴尬地承认。
“They have to be ready this afternoon, though!” says Elsa, and Dad promises they will be.
“但必须今天下午就准备好！”爱莎说。爸爸保证会搞定的。
Elsa is about to jump out of the car. But since Dad already seems more hesitant and stressed than usual, she turns his stereo on so he can listen to his crappy music for a while. But no music comes out, and it probably takes two or three pages before it really sinks in for Elsa.
看到爸爸有些迟疑和紧张，爱莎在跳下车前打开了爸爸的音响，让他可以听一会儿他那些烂音乐。但出来的不是音乐，爱莎听了两三页的内容才明白过来。
Elsa stares at the stereo. Dad keeps his hands on the steering wheel, concentrating. Even Audi has been stationary for a while now.
爱莎盯着音响。爸爸仍专心握着方向盘，即使奥迪已经停下好一会儿了。
“When you were small, we always read together. I always knew which chapter you were on in every book. But you read so quickly now, and keep up with all the things you like. Harry Potter seems to mean such a lot to you, and I want to understand the things that mean a lot to you,” he says, red-faced, as he looks down at the horn.
“你小时候，我们总是一起看书。我始终知道你每本书看到哪一章。但你现在读得太快了，总是能追上所有你喜欢东西的最新进度。《哈利·波特》看起来对你很重要，我想了解对你重要的东西。”他红着脸，低头看着喇叭。
They actually end up being ready in March. But that’s another story.
那些邀请卡最终在三月才做好。那是另一个故事了。
And then Dad looks very, very stressed again.
爸爸现在看上去又压力很大很大了。
“Dad. I love you. I really do. But do you live under a stone or what?”
“爸，我爱你，真的。但你不会是住在山洞里吧？”
Elsa hugs him and gets out of Audi. The sun is reflecting off the snow.
爱莎抱了抱他，然后下车。雪地反射着阳光。
“There’s a film about Harry Potter, did you know that?” He grins.
“你知道吗，《哈利·波特》还拍了部电影？”
And it is actually a bit of a pity, thinks Elsa. Because it’s the funniest thing Dad has ever said. It seems to set him off, as he suddenly becomes animated.
的确有点儿可惜，爱莎想。这是爸爸说过的最有趣的事，这件事点燃了他，让他突然变得活泼生动。
“Everyone knows that, Dad.”
“每个人都知道，爸爸。”
Dad nods. “I don’t really watch films. But maybe we could see this Harry Potter one sometime, you and me? Is it very long?”
爸爸点点头。“我平时不看电影，但也许我们可以一起看《哈利·波特》，你和我？这电影很长吗？”
“You knew that already?” asks Dad, a little surprised.
“你已经知道了？”爸爸有点儿惊讶地问。
Elsa pats him indulgently on the cheek.
爱莎宽容地摸摸爸爸的脸颊。
“There are seven books, Dad. And eight films,” says Elsa carefully.
“有七本书，爸爸。八部电影。”爱莎谨慎地说。
Elsa sits in silence. Dad clears his throat. “It’s actually a bit of a pity that you get on so well with Britt-Marie nowadays, because while I was listening to this book it struck me I could have called her She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at some suitable opportunity. I had a feeling that would make you laugh…”
爱莎莎静静地坐着。爸爸清了清嗓子：“你现在和布里特—玛丽相处得很好。但这其实有点儿可惜，因为我听这本书的时候，想到可以在合适的机会下称呼她为‘那个连名字都不能提的女人’[1]。我觉得那会让你大笑的…”【注：[1]在“哈利·波特”系列里，大反派伏地魔被称为“那个连名字都不能提的人”。】
Britt-Marie’s door is open. She’s wearing her floral-print jacket. Elsa can see in the hall mirror that she’s making the bed in the bedroom. There are two suitcases inside the threshold. Britt-Marie straightens a last crease in the bedspread, sighs deeply, turns around, and goes into the hall.
布里特—玛丽的门开着。她穿着她的印花外套。爱莎在玄关的镜子里看见她正在卧室铺床。门口有两个行李箱。布里特—玛丽拉直床单上的最后一道皱褶，深深叹了口气，转过身走到玄关。
Alf is trudging about outside the entrance, trying not to slip in his worn-down shoes, with a snow shovel in his hands. Elsa thinks about the tradition in the Land-of-Almost-Awake of giving away presents on your birthday, and decides that next year she’ll give Alf a pair of shoes. But not this year, because this year he’s getting an electric screwdriver.
阿尔夫吃力地在大门外走着，努力不让自己磨平了的鞋子打滑，手里拿着一把雪铲。爱莎想到不眠大陆的传统，要在自己过生日那天送出礼物，于是决定明年她要送阿尔夫一双鞋。不是今年，因为今年他会得到一把电动螺丝刀。
And then Elsa says “What?” and Britt-Marie says “Excuse me?” at the exact same moment. It’s all rather disorienting.
然后爱莎说“什么”，与此同时布里特—玛丽也说“你说什么”，场面一度混乱。
She looks at Elsa and Elsa looks at her and neither of them can quite bring herself to say anything, until they both burst out at the same time: “I have a letter for you!”
她看着爱莎，而爱莎看着她，两个人都没说话，直到她们同时开口：“我有封信要给你！”
“I have a letter for you, from Granny! It was taped to the floor under the stroller by the stairs!”
“我有封你的信，外婆写的！之前就粘在楼梯那辆婴儿车下的地板上。”
Elsa grins. Britt-Marie doesn’t grin, but Elsa has a feeling she may be grinning on the inside.
爱莎咧嘴笑了。布里特—玛丽没有笑，但爱莎觉得她也许在内心偷笑。
“It was you who taught the drunk to sing that song when she was on the stairs, yelling, wasn’t it? And then the drunk grew completely calm and went to bed. And your mother was a singing teacher. And I don’t think drunks can sing songs like that.”
“是你教酒鬼唱那首歌的对吗？就是她在楼梯上吵闹的时候唱的。然后酒鬼就会完全平静下来去睡觉。你母亲是歌手。我不觉得酒鬼能凭空唱出那种歌。”
“Are you going somewhere?”
“你要出去吗？”
“Where?”
“去哪里？”
“Yes.”
“对。”
Britt-Marie purses her mouth.
布里特—玛丽抿了抿嘴。
“I was hardly going to leave without making the beds and cleaning the dryer filter first, Elsa. Just imagine if something were to happen to me while I was away? I’m not going to let people think I was some sort of barbarian!”
“我总不能不铺床，不清理烘干机就出门吧，爱莎？想想我走了之后会发生什么？我可不能让人觉得我是什么野蛮人！”
“I don’t know,” admits Britt-Marie.
“我不知道。”布里特—玛丽承认。
Britt-Marie clasps her hands together slightly nervously over her stomach. Looks as if she’d like to brush something off the sleeve of Elsa’s jacket.
布里特—玛丽有点儿紧张地将双手交叠在腹部，看上去想要掸一掸爱莎的外套袖子。
“What were you doing in the laundry?”
“你去洗衣房干什么？”
Elsa tilts her head. Looks at the suitcases.
爱莎歪了歪脑袋，看着行李箱。
“I see, I see. I also have a letter for you. It was in the tumble-dryer filter in the laundry room.”
“哦，哦。我也有封信要给你。在洗衣房的烘干机里找到的。”
“David and Pernilla used to like it when I sang them that song, when they were small. Of course they don’t remember that now, but they used to like it very much, they really did.”
“大卫和佩妮拉小时候喜欢听我唱这首歌。当然他们现在不记得了，但他们以前非常喜欢，真的。”
“You’re not a complete shit, Britt-Marie, are you?” says Elsa with a smile.
“你不是个彻头彻尾的混蛋，布里特—玛丽，对吧？”爱莎笑着说。
Britt-Marie clasps her hands together even harder. Nervously rubs the white streak where her wedding ring used to be.
布里特—玛丽更紧地合着双手，紧张地揉着婚戒留下的白印。
And then they exchange letters. On Elsa’s envelope it says “ELSA,” and, on Britt-Marie’s, “THE BAT.” Britt-Marie reads hers out without Elsa even having to ask. She’s good in that way, Britt-Marie. It’s quite long, of course. Granny has quite a lot to apologize about, and most people haven’t had anywhere near as many reasons over the years to be apologized to as Britt-Marie. There’s an apology about that thing with the snowman. And an apology about the blanket fluff in the tumble-dryer. And an apology about that time Granny happened to shoot at Britt-Marie with the paintball gun when she had just bought it and was “testing it out a bit” from the balcony. Apparently, one time she hit Britt-Marie on the bum when Britt-Marie was wearing her best skirt, and you actually can’t even hide stains with brooches if the stains are on your bum. Because it’s not civilized to wear brooches on your bum. Granny writes that she can understand that now.
然后她们交换了信。爱莎的信封上写着“爱莎”，布里特—玛丽的信封上写着“老太婆”。爱莎还没要求，布里特—玛丽就大声读出了她的信。这样的她很好，布里特—玛丽。当然信很长。外婆有很多要道歉的事情，比这些年来大多数人该向布里特—玛丽道歉的原因多得多。对雪人的事说抱歉，对烘干机里的毯子毛球说抱歉，对外婆那次不小心拿彩弹枪打了布里特—玛丽说抱歉——外婆那时候刚买彩弹枪，只是在阳台上“稍微测试一下”。显然，有一次她打中了布里特—玛丽的屁股，而布里特—玛丽正穿着她最好的裙子。如果污渍是在屁股上，就很难用胸针盖住它了，因为在屁股上别个胸针太不文明，外婆说现在她理解了。
“Thanks,” says Britt-Marie hesitantly, as if she’s been asked a trick question.
“谢谢。”布里特—玛丽迟疑地说，像是被问了一个刁钻的问题。
“Granny knew you’d solve the crossword on the stairs.”
“外婆知道你会填完楼下的填字游戏。”
“Sorry I never told you you desserve much better then Kent. Because you do. Even if you are an old bat!”
对不起，我从未对你说过，肯特配不上你，因为你值得拥有更好的，就算你是个老太婆！
But the biggest apology comes at the end of the letter, and when Britt-Marie is reading it out the words get stuck at the back of her throat, so Elsa has to lean forward and read it herself.
但最重要的道歉放在了信的末尾，布里特—玛丽读到这里时声音哽咽，所以爱莎不得不靠近了自己去看。
Elsa pats her on the arm.
爱莎轻轻拍了拍她的手臂。
Britt-Marie carefully folds up the letter with the edges exactly together, and then she looks at Elsa and tries to smile like a normal human being.
布里特—玛丽小心地折起信，边缘对得很整齐。然后她看着爱莎，努力露出一个正常的微笑。
“It was done in pencil. Granny always said you were one of those who had to make all the beds before you went on holiday and couldn’t even solve a crossword in ink unless you’d had two glasses of wine first. And I’ve never seen you drink wine.”
“用的是铅笔。外婆总说你是那种去度假前一定要铺好床，两杯酒下肚才能接受用墨水做填字游戏的人。而我从来没见你喝过酒。”
And then she points at the envelope in Britt-Marie’s hand. There’s something else inside. Something that’s jingling. Britt-Marie opens the seal and leans her head over the opening, peering inside as if she assumes Granny in person will shortly be jumping out and roaring, “WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
她指着布里特—玛丽手中的信封，里面还有别的东西，丁零当啷响的东西。布里特—玛丽打开封口，拉远了瞥着里面，就好像她怕外婆本人会突然跳出来大吼一声“哇啊啊啊啊啊啊”。
Britt-Marie fidgets with Granny’s letter, as if at a loss.
布里特—玛丽摆弄着外婆的信，有点儿不知所措。
“How did you know it was me?”
“你怎么知道是我填的？”
Britt-Marie seems to brush her damp eyes with the sleeve of the floral-print jacket. Elsa closes the door. And then Britt-Marie drives off. She doesn’t know where. But she’s going to see the world and she’s going to feel the wind in her hair. And she’s going to solve all her crosswords in ink.
布里特—玛丽用印花外套的袖子擦干她湿润的眼睛。爱莎关上门。然后布里特—玛丽就开车走了。她不知道去哪里，但她将会去见识这个世界，将去感受风吹过她的头发。她将用墨水填出她未来所有的填字游戏。
And then she sticks her hand inside and gets out Granny’s car keys.
然后她凑近脑袋，拿出了外婆的车钥匙。
Elsa and Alf help her with the bags. Renault starts on the first try. Britt-Marie takes the deepest breath Elsa has ever seen any person take. Elsa sticks her head inside on the passenger side and yells over the din of the engine: “I like lollipops and comics!”
爱莎和阿尔夫帮她把行李搬下去。雷诺一下子就发动了。布里特—玛丽深吸了一口气，这是爱莎见过的最深的一口气。爱莎把脑袋从副驾那侧探进去，用盖过引擎的声音大喊：“我喜欢棒棒糖和漫画！”
Britt-Marie looks as if she’s trying to answer but something is lodged in her throat. So Elsa grins and shrugs and adds: “I’m just saying. In case you ever have any to spare.”
布里特—玛丽似乎想要说什么，但语句卡在了喉咙里。爱莎咧嘴一笑，耸了耸肩，接着说：“我就是说说。如果你还有多余的糖和漫画的话。”
But that, as in all fairy tales, is a completely different story.
但那完全是另一个童话故事了。
Alf stays in the garage and keeps looking long after she’s out of sight. He shovels snow the whole evening and most of the next morning.
阿尔夫待在车库，在她从视野中消失后还看了许久。那个晚上他整晚都在铲雪，第二天大半个早上也是。
Elsa sits in Granny’s wardrobe. It smells of Granny. The whole house smells of Granny. There’s something quite special about a granny’s house. Even if ten or twenty or thirty years go by, you never forget how it smells. And the envelope with her last letter smells just like the house. Smells of tobacco and monkey and coffee and beer and lilies and cleaning agents and leather and rubber and soap and alcohol and protein bars and mint and wine and tires and wood shavings and dust and cinnamon buns and smoke and sponge cake mix and clothes shop and candle grease and O’boy and dishcloth and dreams and spruce tree and pizza and mulled wine and potato and meringues and perfume and peanut cake and glass and baby. It smells of Granny. Smells like the best of someone who was mad in the best possible way.
爱莎坐在外婆的衣橱里，闻起来有外婆的气味，整栋楼都有外婆的气味。外婆的房子很特别，即使时间过去十年、二十年、三十年，你仍然不会忘记它的气味。装着她最后一封信的信封闻起来和这栋房子一样，有烟草、猴子、咖啡、啤酒、百合花、清洁剂、皮革、橡胶、肥皂、酒精、蛋白棒、薄荷、红酒、轮胎、木屑、灰尘、肉桂卷、烟、海绵蛋糕粉、服装店、蜡油、欧宝、洗碗布、梦想、云杉、披萨、香料热红酒、土豆、瑞士蛋白酥、香水、花生蛋糕、玻璃和婴儿的气味。有外婆的气味，闻上去有那个最疯狂最美好的人的气味。
And that’s the day Elsa forgives her granny about that.
那天，爱莎原谅了她的外婆。
But the first five words are: ‘Sorry I have to dye.’
信的第一句话是：“‘包’歉，我不得不死去。”
Elsa’s name is written in almost neat letters on the envelope and it’s apparent that Granny really did her utmost to spell everything correctly. It didn’t go so very well.
爱莎的名字几近齐整地写在信封上，显然外婆真的很努力不想写错字。结果不怎么样。
0 条评论