My Furry Friend　我比較好的朋友

My Furry Friend　我最好的朋友

◎ Caroline

Growing up, I always wanted a dog. Probably because most of my friends had them, my favorite TV families had them, and it just seemed normal, and American, to have a pooch in the house.

長大后，我一直想要一只寵物狗。可能是由于它是很多朋友都擁有的寶物，而且我最喜愛的電視家庭也有一只。就像每個美國家庭都有一只狗狗一樣，這似乎是習以為常的事。

My Dad is very clean. Not just clean, I might say more Danny Tanner-ish in his habits. As in, he hoses down the backyard, and front walkway, and even gets halfway down the street, just for fun, until we have to yell, “Dad, you’re wasting water! You can’t hose down the world!” Then he stops, and comes inside, and starts the very important task of scrubbing the fingerprint smudges off the walls.

我的父親非常愛干凈，或許不只是愛干凈，我可以說更多的是丹尼坦納在他10歲上下的習慣。在家的時候，他經(jīng)常清洗院子、門廊，有時甚至會順便把半條馬路給沖洗一番。而他做這一切，只是覺得好玩。每當這時，我們不得不大聲制止，“爸爸，你在浪費水。你總不能把全世界給沖洗一遍吧！”然后他就會停下回到家中，開始他另外一項重要任務，清理墻上的臟指紋。

So, no dog. When I was eight, we moved across town to a larger house, with a pool, in a “safer” neighborhood, in a gated community. With a large yard. I was very against moving. Why, I cried, were we picking up and deserting everything and everyone we knew and loved?! Our old house was great, we had an avocado tree, it was on a super steep hill, what more could you want?! Well, in order to calm me down, I guess, my parents told me that we could get a dog when we moved to the new, barren home. I was sold. I quickly shut my trap.

所以，我們家一直沒養(yǎng)狗。當我8歲的時候，我們全家搬到了另外一個鎮(zhèn)上更大的房子里，那有個大游泳池，治安更好，小區(qū)是半封閉式管理。但是我非常反對搬家。我很不解為什么我們要放棄這里一切熟悉的人和事，去一個陌生的地方。而且我們的老房子很棒，在那個非常陡的山坡上還有一棵鱷梨樹，這么多我們熱愛的東西，還有什么不滿足的？為了讓我冷靜下來，我父母同意在我們搬到新家后買一只小寵物狗。可是事后我才意識到我被騙了。我中計了。

I feel it was serendipitous that we didn’t get a dog after the move. My parents said that I would never walk it, which I vehemently denied, but which was probably true. And saying we would get a dog and not following through was pretty much the only thing my parents ever promised that didn’t happen in my life so far. I guilted them about it for a few years, sobbing on holidays when I said “the only thing I want is a dog” and refused presents. Then snuck them into my room on the sly.

對于搬家后父母沒有實現(xiàn)買寵物狗的諾言，我感到非常訝異。我父母說，我不會遛狗，對這個事實我極力否認。買狗大概是我父母唯一沒能履行的承諾。對此，我糾纏了好些年，每當重大節(jié)日，我撒嬌哭泣著對他們說我唯一想要的是只狗狗時，他們總會拒絕，但事后還是會悄悄走進房間安慰我。

I am in my twenties now, and our new roommate just moved in. She has a dog. A West Highland Terrier, or Westie, as they are known. He is fluffy, but not too fluffy, small, but not too small, white, but not too white. He is perfect.

現(xiàn)在我20歲了，新來的室友剛搬進來，而她正好有一只狗，西部高地白色小獵犬，俗稱西高地。它毛發(fā)蓬松，但又不是太蓬松；體積小，但也不算太小；白色的，但也非蒼白。在我眼里，它是那樣完美。

I don’t even believe in perfection really, but this dog is perfect for me. It’s the dog I always dreamt of having, and it loves me as I knew a dog would. It follows me into the bathroom when I shower. At first we would scare each other, I was not used to having a non-human, living thing with a beating heart following me around and it would surprise me around corners.

其實我并不相信世上有完美的事物，但是它卻讓我相信了。這就是我夢寐以求的，而它對我回報的愛也是我所期待的。它甚至在洗澡的時候都跟著我。由于不習慣經(jīng)常被一個有心跳的生物跟隨，在最初的相處時間里我很不習慣，并且時常被待在角落里的它嚇到。

Slowly, we got used to each other. Now I can tell when the dog needs to go out, or when he just sees a few birds in our yard. I give the doggie water, I walk him, and I teach him boundaries. My boyfriend was impressed when I taught him how to lie in his bed while the humans are eating, so as not to bother us. “I can’t believe he listens to you.” As Cesar Millan would say, I am the Alpha Dog.

我們在相處中逐漸習慣了彼此?，F(xiàn)在我已經(jīng)非常熟悉它的作息，什么時候想出門，或者它只是在院子里看著幾只小鳥。我喂它水，我?guī)⒉?，我教它邊界問題。而我的男朋友見我教它要懂禮貌，不要打擾人吃飯時，簡直驚呆了。“我真不敢相信它居然能聽懂你講話！”正如塞薩爾米蘭所言，我就是領頭狗。

In some ways, I am glad I have (been forced to) wait until this age to have a dog around. I don’t take him for granted. I am happy every morning when I wake up and hear his little nails clicking across the floor. We are a good match. I can see how a dog is not for everyone. They are very needy and require a lot of attention and affection and structure.

某些時刻，我很感謝父母讓我在這個年紀才擁有一只狗，并且感到十分滿足。每天早上當我醒來的時候，聽到它的爪子在地板上發(fā)出輕微的聲音，感到滿滿的幸福。我們是天生一對的搭檔。我知道并不是每只狗都可以很好地與人相處。這很難得，它們需要足夠的關注和感情。

Now my parents are semi-retired but my Dad travels a lot for work. He’s off to Luxembourg, Mexico, or the Turks and Caicos every month. I ask my Mom if she would like a dog to keep her company. She says no, she has a stepdog now (ours) and she can visit it whenever she wants.

現(xiàn)在我的父母已經(jīng)退休了，但是我的父親還是需要出差。每個月他都要去盧森堡、墨西哥、土耳其以及凱科斯。我詢問媽媽是否需要一只狗狗陪伴，她說不需要，因為已經(jīng)有一只她可以隨時探訪的小狗。

And yes, my furry friend will go with me wherever I want to go and whenever, he is very accommodating like that.

是的，我最好的朋友愿意陪我去我想去的所有地方。它就是這樣寬容。

超多雙語閱讀，盡在聽力課堂