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本帖最后由 爱元一生 于 2010-8-19 14:04 编辑
（十七）Mama, I'll Give You the World
红楼情深发表：
这本书买回家2年了，每次翻出来看，我都会被感动。
1。
When Papa was around, Mama loved to dance, but Mama doesn't dance anymore. She works hard every day at Walter's World of Beauty, cutting, coloring, and curling.
2。
While Mama, like a magician, turns Mrs. Koo's dark hair the color of sunset, Walter, Gorges, and Rupa cut and comb.
Luisa does a match problem. Then she writes a story for English about a girl with a magic brush that burshes people's cares away.
3。
After school each afternoon, Liusa's bus drops her at the door to the World. Everyone greets her--Walter, Rupa, Georges, but especially Mama.
Mama smiles and makes a place for Liusa--on a cushion, under the palm tree. "First things first," Mama always says, so there by Walter's Bottles of Beauty, with names that whisper promises--Raspberry Radiance, Evevning Glamour Glow, Sundy Night Soother--Luisa does her schoolwork.
4。
When she finishes her homework, Luise takes out her scissors, her glue, and her paper and does what Mama does--cuts and colors and curls--portraits of the customers. "Everyone in the world is a flower," her mother always tells her. "Together, they make a bouquet." So Luisa cuts slowly, noticing how different each flower is, and how each on comes in a special size and shape.
5。
In between customers, Mama rests in her chair and lets Luisa brush her long, thick curls. Luisa brushes hard, pretending she is the girl in her story, carefully watching her mother's face to see if she can make her smilel. Mama hardly ever smiles, but when she does, she is the prettiest flower in the World.
6。
Luisa loves to look at the pictures at her mother's station. One is of Luisa; the other is of Mama long ago--happy and dancing--in a large roomthat looks like a palace, crowded with people and full of lights. Mama says the name of the palace is Roseland, but Luisa doesn't believe her. She thinks her mother has made up the name because she loves flowers.
"Can we go there?"
Luisa asks. She imagines the two of them holding hands and dancing at the palace Mama calls Roseland...
But Mama shakes her head, no. She holds the picture in her hands, and her eyes look at something far away and once upon a time--something Luisa can only guess at.
7。
Under the dryers, the ladies loudly whisper their secrets, but Luisa has a secret of her own. Tomorrow is Mama's birthday, and tonight Luisa is going to give her the present she's been planning for such a long time .
For the past few weeks, whenever Mama isn't looking, Luisa has whispered her secret in the ear of each of Mama's favorite customers--
8。
--When she sweeps up snippers of hair for handsome Mrl. Anselmo, who always tells Mama, "Just a little off here and a little off there, please leave it as long as you dare, for you see, don't you know? You can see it is so, that I haven't a lot left to spare."
---When she helps Mrs. Malloy, bent over and sad as she inches into the World on her walker, but smiling and standing nearly straight an hour later, when, feeling beautiful again, she leaves.
---when she helps Mama brush and braid Hazel Mae Dixon's go-everywhere hair till it looks like neat, shiny rows of licorice.
---when she sprays fussy Mrs. Fogelman's hair that refuses to stand up and obey until Mama teases it with a comb so it can't help standing up --fluffy and high as a great, gray cloud, just the way Mrs. Fogelman likes it !
----and when she removes the giant pink and purple rollers that turn Mrs. Rodriguez's dark tangles into an ocean of gentle waves.
9。
At six o'clock it's time at last to go home. Luisa exchanges secret winks with Walter, Georges, and Rupa. Then she and Mama hang up their smocks and empty their pockets, heavy with tip money.
It all goes into a special envelope. "First things first," Mama says. She is saving for Luisa--for college. Mama wants Luisa to learn everything.
10。
Outside, the world stretches before them--dark, mysterious, and twinkling with store' and street' and starlight. Luisa and Mama stand together looking at it, feeling oh, so small. Mama's hair sparkles in the light. So do her eyes.
"The world is big. So much more for you to know. So much more for you to see. One day, if I can," Mama says, patting the envelope deep in her coat pocket, "I will give the world to you."
No, thinks Luisa. Tonight, if I can, I will give the world to you...for your birthday!
11。
At home that evening Luisa asks Mama to try on her prettiest dress--the one with the roses and violets and vines that encircle Mama's waist the way Luisa's arms do when they hug. "Please, Mama?"Luisa begs.
"Not now," Mama says. "I'm tired."
"Pretty please?"Luisa asks, opening her eyes asa wide as Walter's windows and looking at Mama in a way she knows Mama can't refuse.
"All right," Mama says, and puts on her dress. While she does, Luise pretend to be searching for something. "Mama!" she calls out. "We have to go back to the World! I forgot my book." Luisa hurries and hands Mama her coat.
Mama pushes the coat away. "No," she says. "It can wait until tomorrow."
Luisa is worried. "But Mama," she pleads. "It's for my book report. Don't you always tell me 'first things first'?" Mama sighs and puts on her coat. Luisa tries not to smile.
12。
When they get to the World, it is dark.
Luisa holds her breath as Mama takes out her keys and opens the door.
13。
The moment Mama turns on the light, music fills the World. Surprise!
Luisa's portraits dance along the walls and mirrors. Walter, Rupa, and Georges have filled the room with roeses and have hung tiny lights that wink like eyes. All of Mama's favorite customers are there, dressed up, but Mama, smiling, is the prettiest of all.
"Happy birthday!" everyone yells. Then, "Speech!"
Mama blushes. "First things first," she says, and gathers Luisa into her arms. "For your birthday," Luisa says, "I wanted to turn the World into Roseland." "You did, Lulu-belle," Mama says, "Thank you...Thank you all."
14。
"Mama," Luisa asks as the music swells from Walter's boom box, "will you dance with me?"
Mama doesn't move and she doesn't anser. She looks at Walter, Rupa, and Georges smiling at her. She looks at Mrs. Mally's tow old feet tapping beside her walker, like tow new feet. She looks at Mrs. Fogelman's great, gray cloud of hair turned golden by the lights and changed into a clear-weather cloud. She looks at Mr. Anselmo and Hazel Mae Dixon and Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Koo all dressed in their finest clothes to honor her. Then she looks deep into Luisa's eyes, and Luisa sees that Mama's eyes are no longer far away. They are near and clear and wet with tears. "Shall we dance?" Mama asks Luisa.
15。
And Mama and Luisa dance! They twirl and whirl and laugh together. Soom everyone is dancing , and the World seems to sparkle and spin faster and faster around them.
Then Mr. Anselmo, with a bow so deep that his bald spot shows (and he doesn't even care!), asks Mama and Luisa to dance with him....and they do!
16。
And the way Mr. Anselmo smiles at Mama and the way she smiles back at him make Luisa think there si no more beautiful place in the world than this world---
the world they are dancing in now.
17。
这是本书的后环衬，浅鹅黄色的玫瑰花，是妈妈喜欢的玫瑰，妈妈跳舞的玫瑰园，前面的扉页上也是用这个图案打底的，浓浓的爱都在这淡淡的花里了。
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发表于 2010-8-13 15:41:15
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It doesn’t ask if it can enter. It just barges in. And it will stay as long as you let it.
Suppose Uncle Herman is coming to visit, and you know he’ll want to see you but his voice is as loud as a roaring lion, and it makes you want to run away. Now, that’s a worry.
So, how can you get rid of a worry once it starts worrying you? You can…… Imagine it away. Put it in a suitcase and send it packing. Seal it in an envelope and mail it away.
