花季物语 Questions：我对生活的所有困惑

During my junior year in high school， Mr. Reynolds， my English teacher， handed each student a list of thoughts or statements written by other students， then gave us a creative writing assignment based on one of those thoughts.

上初中时，英文老师雷诺兹先生给每位同学发了一张纸条。纸条上列出其他同学写的各种想法和陈述。然后，他要我们据此写一篇创造性的作文。

At 17， I was beginning to wonder about many things， so I chose the statement， "I wonder why things are the way they are？" That night， I wrote down in the form of a story all the questions that puzzled me about life. I realized that many of them were hard to answer， and perhaps others could not be answered at all.

17岁的我对很多事情都非常疑惑不解。所以我选择了"我不明白为什么事物都是现在这个样子？" 作为题目。那天晚上，我以故事的形式写下了我对生活的所有困惑。我知道很多问题很难回答，或许有些问题根本找不到答案。

When I turned in my paper， I was afraid that I might fail the assignment because I had not answered the question， "I wonder why things are the way they are？" I had no answers. I had only written questions.

交上作文后，我非常担心作业过不了关。因为我根本没有回答 "我不明白为什么事物都是现在这个样子"这个问题，我找不着答案，只写下了问题。

The next day Mr. Reynolds called me to the front of the class and asked me to read my story for the other students. He handed me my paper and sat down in the back of the room. The class became quiet as I began to read my story：

第二天，雷诺兹先生让我到讲台上把我的作文念给全班同学听。他把我的文章递给我，坐到了教室的后面。教室非常安静。我开始朗读自己编写的故事。

Mommie， Daddy……Why？

《妈妈，爸爸……为什么？》

Mommie， why are the roses red？

妈妈，为什么玫瑰是红的？

Mommie， why is the grass green and the sky blue？

妈妈，为什么草是青的，天是蓝的？

Why does a spider have a web and not a house？

为什么蜘蛛织网不造房？

Daddy， why can't I play in your toolbox？

爸爸，为什么我不能在你的工具箱里玩耍？

Teacher， why do I have to read？

老师，为什么我一定要读书？

Mother， why can't I wear lipstick to the dance？

妈妈，为什么我不能抹上口红参加舞会？

“What grandma wants is for some guy to break my heart again，” I snapped， angry that my mother had said anything about this to my daughter.

“But Mom.”

“You‘re too young to understand，” I told her.

She was quiet for the next few minutes. Then she looked up and in a small voice gave me something to think about.

“So I guess love isn‘t like a broken arm.”

Unable to answer， we walked the rest of the way in silence. When I got home， I called my mother and scolded her for talking about this to my daughter. Then I did what I‘d seen my brave little girl do that very afternoon. I let go and agreed to meet Steve.

Steve was the man for me. We married less than a year later. It turned out mother and my daughter were right.

“可我要再把胳膊给摔断了怎么办？”我五岁的女儿问道，她的下唇颤抖着。我跪着抓稳了她的自行车，直视着她的眼睛。我很明白她非常想学会骑车。多少次了，她的朋友们踩车经过我们家时，她感到给抛下。可自从上次她从自行车上摔下来，把胳膊给摔断之后，她对车便敬而远之。

“噢，亲爱的。”我说，“我不认为你会把另一只胳膊给摔断的。”

“但有可能，不是吗？”

“是的，”我承认道，使劲想找出些道理来说。每逢此时，我便希望自己有人可依靠。一个可以说出正确道理、帮我的小女儿解决难题的人。可经过一场可悲的婚姻和痛苦的离婚后，我倾向于当个单身母亲，并且我还态度坚决地告诉每个要给我介绍对象的人说我要抱定终身不嫁。

“我不想学了。”她说着，下了自行车。

我们走到一旁，坐在一颗树旁。

“难道你不想和朋友们一起骑车吗？”我问。

“想。”她承认。

“而且我还以为你希望明年踩着车回去上学呢。”我补充道。

“我是希望。”她说，声音有点颤。

“知道吗，宝贝。”我说，“很多要做的事情都是带有风险的。汽车失事也会折断胳膊，那么你就算再坐在车上也会害怕。跳绳也有可能折断胳膊。做体操也有可能折断胳膊。你连体操也想不练了吗？”