英語(yǔ)沙龍十年合集珍藏版第三輯The Days of Picking Blueberries1)
The Days of Picking Blueberries1)
Growing up with six sisters wasn't easy．We had our share of differences of opinions over the years．My parents never had much money and even food was sometimes scarce2)．We were lucky to get our stomachs full．If there was dessert at night it was surely a treat．
I will never forget that summer back in １９６９．Funds were very tight because my parents were building a new home．We had outgrown the old house and every penny my father earned was going into the new one．The last few days before payday were the worst．There just wasn't enough food to go around．I can remember how we waited for payday as if it were a holiday．My father would stop at the bank on the way home from work so my mother could go shopping when he got home．We all enjoyed going to the grocery3) store with her．We would walk down the aisles4) and dream about bringing the whole store home，much like children would walk through a toy store．When we returned home with the groceries，my sisters and I were like a pack of wolves tearing through the bags．On payday we would eat until we were ready to burst，knowing that as the week progressed food would become less available．Going to school also wasn't very easy．We never had any lunch money．My parents were too proud to sign us up for free lunch．We never had the proper school supplies or nice clothes to wear．This was probably the hardest thing my sisters and I had to go through．The other children were relentless in teasing us．
One day my father came home and told us he knew where there were some wild blueberries growing．We had permission to go pick them and we were so excited．Not very often did we get to go anywhere，and to go pick blueberries was a real treat．
I can remember being out there in the hot sun all day picking blueberries．I think we ate more than we brought home．When we got home，my mother decided to make a blueberry pie．She made the pie from scratch and spent half the day working on it．We couldn't wait．The smell of it baking in the oven was driving us crazy．We were all starting to hover5) around in the kitchen and my mother was getting annoyed．She put the pie on the top shelf to cool while we ate our dinner．
Dinner was hard to get down that night，knowing that the pie was in the kitchen waiting for us．We were having stuffed peppers6) that night and nobody wanted to eat them．But my mother wouldn't let anyone leave the table until everyone was finished．When my mother told us we had eaten enough，it sounded like a stampede7) of cattle as we raced for the kitchen．I was the first in line at the counter top．Before my mother could get there，I had already jumped on the counter top and was up on the top shelf of the cabinet．I reached for the pie and started climbing down．Then it happened．I slipped on the wet counter top and let go off the pie．I can close my eyes today and still see the vivid8) image of that pie flipping though the air in slow motion and landing up－side down on the floor，then looking up and seeing the look of disbelief on my sister' s faces．All I could think of was all the hard work we had done that day and how fast it had been destroyed．
．．．
This is the night I'll never forget in my whole life．My family always brings it up on the holidays．Life was tough back then，but it taught us to appreciate what we have today even more．
采摘紫漿果的日子
同六個(gè)姐妹一起長(zhǎng)大是不容易的。多少年來(lái)，我們彼此有著不同的觀念。父母手頭一直都不寬裕，有時(shí)甚至食品都出現(xiàn)匱乏。填飽肚子對(duì)我們來(lái)講已算是幸運(yùn)的了。如果哪天晚上有甜點(diǎn)，那真是了不起的享受了。
１９６９年的夏天在我的記憶中是永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)淡忘的。因?yàn)楦改刚谏w新房，所以家中的資金很緊。我們已經(jīng)長(zhǎng)大，家里的老房已不夠居住了，于是父親掙的每一個(gè)便士都被投入了新房的建設(shè)。發(fā)薪前的最后幾天是最糟糕的日子，因?yàn)榧依镞B起碼的口糧都難以保障。我還記得我們等待發(fā)薪日就好像是等待一個(gè)節(jié)日。這一天到來(lái)時(shí)，父親會(huì)在下班的路上先去趟銀行。這樣他回家后母親才好去采購(gòu)。我們幾個(gè)姐妹都喜歡陪母親去雜貨店。我們走在貨架的通道上，心里夢(mèng)想著將整個(gè)商店都抱回家，就像孩子們穿過(guò)一家玩具店時(shí)的心情一樣。當(dāng)我們拎著采購(gòu)的東西回家后，我和姐妹們便如狼般匆忙搶奪食品袋。發(fā)薪日這一天，全家人都會(huì)將自己塞個(gè)賊飽，因?yàn)槲覀兠總€(gè)人都清楚未來(lái)的幾個(gè)星期糧食將變得越來(lái)越少。上學(xué)也不很容易。我們從沒(méi)有任何午餐錢，父母又太好面子不為我們報(bào)名吃免費(fèi)午餐。我們從沒(méi)有享用過(guò)好的學(xué)習(xí)用品，也從沒(méi)有穿過(guò)好衣服。這一點(diǎn)或許是我和姐妹們最難以忍受的，因?yàn)閯e的孩子總是無(wú)情地為此取笑我們。
有一天，父親回家后告訴我們他知道有一個(gè)地方長(zhǎng)著些野生的紫漿果。父親允許我們?nèi)ゲ烧?，我們感到興奮極了。我們沒(méi)有很多機(jī)會(huì)外出，所以這次出門摘紫漿果可真是件樂(lè)事。
我還記得我們一整天都是頂著炎炎烈日采摘紫漿果的。我想我們吃進(jìn)肚子中的要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)我們帶回家的。回家后，母親決定做一個(gè)紫漿果派。她花了整整半天，一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)地將果派做成了。我們幾個(gè)姐妹真有些等不及了。爐子上烘烤果派的味道令大家垂涎三尺。我們開(kāi)始在廚房里來(lái)回轉(zhuǎn)悠，把母親都惹惱了。當(dāng)我們吃晚餐時(shí)，母親將果派放在了柜子上層冷卻。
那天的晚餐很難下咽，因?yàn)槲覀冎缽N房里有一個(gè)果派在等著呢。晚飯是內(nèi)有填充物的辣椒，沒(méi)人想吃。但是母親命令每個(gè)人都必須吃完才能離開(kāi)飯桌。當(dāng)母親說(shuō)我們已經(jīng)吃夠了時(shí)，我們便撒腿沖向了廚房，那聲響如同出自一群驚慌失措的牲口。我是姐妹們中第一個(gè)跑到案臺(tái)的。在母親趕到之前，我已跳上了案臺(tái)，爬到了柜子上層。我伸手抓住了果派，然后開(kāi)始向下爬。就在這個(gè)時(shí)候，意想不到的事情發(fā)生了。我一下子在濕案臺(tái)上滑倒了，手中的果派也飛了出去。即使今天閉上眼睛，我的眼前仍然能夠浮現(xiàn)出當(dāng)時(shí)的生動(dòng)景象：果派慢慢地在空中翻轉(zhuǎn)，然后面朝下掉在了地上，我仰起頭，看到的是姐妹們一張張不可思議的臉。我當(dāng)時(shí)所能想到的就是我們一整天勞作的成果就這樣快地在一瞬間被毀掉了。
……
那個(gè)晚上是我一輩子都刻骨銘心的?，F(xiàn)在每逢佳節(jié)，我的家人還總提起這件事。過(guò)去的日子是艱難的，但它卻教育了我們更加珍惜今天所擁有的。
NOTE 注釋：
1. blueberry [5blu:bErI] n. 藍(lán)莓，漿果
2. scarce [skZEs] adj. 缺乏的, 不足的
3. grocery [5^rEusEri] n. <美>食品雜貨店, 食品, 雜貨
4. aisle [ail] n. 走廊, 過(guò)道
5. hover [5hCvE] v. 盤旋
6. pepper [5pepE] n. 胡椒粉
7. stampede [stAm5pi:d] n.（受驚動(dòng)物的）驚逃，逃竄
8. vivid [5vivid] adj. 生動(dòng)的, 鮮明的
