找誰依靠 30：密西西比的回憶 Memories of the Mississippi
密西西比的回憶
After Mom died, Dad and I took a trip together every summer, just the two of us, father and daughter.
母親去世后，我和父親每個夏天都會一起旅行，就我們兩個人，一個父親，一個女兒。
This was especially meaningful because Dad was aging and we lived two thousand miles apart—so a week with Dad, undistracted from other family members or from work, was a treat.
這樣做很有意義，因為父親年紀越來越大，而我們住的地方又隔著兩千英里，所以，這樣跟父親在一起呆一周，不受其他家人的打擾，不受工作的影響，簡直是就是生活對我們的款待。
Our first destination was a cruise up the Mississippi.
我們要沿著密西西比河向上游航行，
We boarded the steamboat in St.Louis and noticed that we were some of the youngest people on the cruise!
在圣路易斯上船后，我們發(fā)現我們兩人是船上最年輕的，
Even Dad, at 73 looked young! We sat in rocking chairs on the deck, the warm breeze blowing on our faces,admiring the lush green trees lining the mighty river.
即便是已經73歲的父親看起來也很年輕。我們坐在甲板的搖椅上，吹著暖暖的風，欣賞這雄偉大河兩岸蔥翠的樹林。
A jazz band played in the background.
一個爵士樂隊在我們身后演奏著音樂。
On the deck we met John who met the love of his life at a singles dance for senior citizens and asked her to marry him two weeks later.
在甲板上，我們看到了約翰，他在一個單身老人舞會上遇到了一生的真愛，兩周后，他便向她求婚了。
It's John's first marriage at sixty-five.
那是約翰第一次結婚，當時他65歲。
Then there was Jane, a teacher from Little Rock, Arkansas who danced with Bill Clinton decades ago at a school fundraiser.
然后我們遇到了簡，她是一名老師，來自阿肯色州的小石城，她在幾十年前的一次學校募捐活動中曾和比爾克林頓跳過舞。
Sometimes on the deck Dad and I sat quietly, reading.
有時，我和父親就在甲板上靜靜地坐著，靜靜地讀書。
At lunchtime we stood in line for the buffet.
中午，我們排隊去打自助餐。
People asked if Dad was my brother! Amazing for our thirty-eight-year age difference!
有人問父親是不是我的哥哥，當得知我們年齡相差38歲后，詢問的人頗為驚訝。
Dad filled his plate with bread, meats, and cheeses to make a sandwich.
父親要了塊面包，一些肉還有奶酪，打算自己弄個三明治。
The most important ingredient to any sandwich was mayonnaise.
但是沒有做三明治最重要的佐料蛋黃醬，
Dad loved mayonnaise! Anything else between two pieces of bread was extra fillings.
父親是很愛吃蛋黃醬的。其實，除了蛋黃醬，其他加在這兩塊面包里的東西都是多余的。
After lunch we docked at Alton, Missouri.
午飯后，我們在密蘇里州的奧爾頓靠岸了。
This small town was home to dozens and dozens of antique shops.
這個小鎮(zhèn)有幾十家古董店，
Dad, with little interest in shopping or antiques, although he is almost an antique himself, walked in and out of shop after shop.
雖然父親既不喜歡購物又對古董不感興趣，但是他卻在一家又一家的店里進進出出。
We walked up the hill, down the hill, and through the old town.
我們上了山，又下了山，穿過了古老的小鎮(zhèn)。
We walked all day.
我們走了一整天，
It was the longest time I ever spent shopping with Dad.
那是我和父親一起購物時間最長的一次了。
He was a good sport to come along, simply to spend time with me.
父親是個令人愉快的旅伴，這次隨行，只為了和我共度時光。
Each day blended together like the last, until seven days passed.
每天都像昨天一樣融為過去，七天的時間很快過去了。
On the seventh day we reached Minnesota, the top of the Mississippi, and my home, Minneapolis.
第七天，我們到了明尼蘇達州，密西西比河的源頭，也到了我的家，明尼阿波利斯市。
Dad saw my house for the first time and met my two cats,Coconut and Coffee Bean. Coconut sat on his lap and purred.
那是父親第一次見到我的房子和我的兩只叫可可納特，科菲比恩的貓?？煽杉{特坐在父親腿上，喉嚨里發(fā)出呼嚕呼嚕的聲音。
The two became quick friends.
父親和它很快成了好朋友。
This was the first of many trips we planned together, but unfortunately, it would be our last.
那是我們計劃的所有旅行的第一次，然而很不幸，也是最后一次。
Dad died a few months later from being hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street in his hometown of Sacramento California.
幾個月后，在父親的家，加利福尼亞州的薩克拉曼多，父親在過馬路時被一個酒后駕車的死機撞到，離開了人世。
What made this trip special was our time together, the two of us.
那次旅行的特別之處就是我們在一起的那段時間，那段只有我們兩個人在一起的時間。
I had grown from the teenager embarrassed to be with Dad to the adult cherishing our time together.
我從一個不愿和父親在一起的叛逆青少年變成了珍惜我們在一起的美好時光的大人。
I'll always treasure these memories of my father, and be proud of who I have become.
我會永遠珍惜關于他的記憶，并因自己的改變而感到驕傲。
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