2007年NPR美国国家公共电台一月-My Husband Will Call Me Tomorrow

Welcome to This I Believe, an NPR series presenting the personal philosophies of remarkable¹ men and women from all walks of life.

I believe in figuring out of my own way to do things.
I believe in the power of numbers.
I believe in barbecue.
Well, I believe in friendliness².
I believe in mankind.
This I Believe.

On Mondays we bring you our series This I Believe. And today's essay comes from Becky Herz. She is a recreation supervisor³ from Sacramento California and she's waiting for her husband's return from Iraq. He is a sergeant⁴ in the army national guard. Here is our series curator Jay Allison.

Beliefs can be guiding principles that last a lifetime, but sometimes a belief is simply what gets you through the day or the night. That's how it was for Becky Herz when she got up at one in the morning to write this essay for This I Believe.

I believe that my husband will call me tomorrow. Tonight I'll say: have a great day and I love you to my husband, who is 11 time zones away in Iraq. Then I'll hang up the phone. I'll fall asleep as I did last night, next to our baby daughter. We'll sleep in the guest bedroom downstairs - it's less lonely to sleep there for now. First I'll pet and talk to our dogs. I weaned them from sleeping with me a few months ago but they still seem a bit disappointed when I go off to bed without them. I'll promise them a long walk tomorrow and I'll make good. In bed I'll lay my hand on our daughter's chest several times before I fall asleep, just to make sure she's breathing. I'll curl her up in two blankets, one from Guatemala, one from Peru. I'll allow these souvenirs of past travels to warm the empty space in the bed. I'll get up three times during the night to feed our baby. Each of those times I'll tell her that she has a beautiful life to look forward to. I can say this because I believe that my husband will call me tomorrow. In the morning after my cup of coffee I'll change diapers and move around loads of laundry. I'll pour dog food, eat cereal⁵, get dressed and do the dishes, all with one hand, holding our baby in the other. I'll do the shopping, pay the bills and stop in at work to see how my employees are getting by. Every three hours I'll stop what I'm doing to feed, change and play with our daughter. I'll make good on the promised walk with our baby's strapped⁶ to my chests and a dog-leash in each hand. When people say: looks like you have your hands full. I'll smile and acknowledge⁷ that it is true. But I make the best of it because I believe that my husband will call me tomorrow. If there is a letter addressed to me from the military, I'll open it because I believe that my husband will call me tomorrow. If there is a knock at the door, I'll answer it, because I believe that my husband will call me tomorrow. And when he does, I'll talk to him and tell him again that I love him. I'll be able to hang up the phone, keeping my fear at bay, because I believe -I must believe that my husband will call me tomorrow.

Becky Herz with her essay for This I Believe. Her husband David came home on leave to meet his baby daughter for the first time. He's now back in Iraq stationed in Fallujah and is expected home again in May or June. Our invitation to write for this series extends to everyone. To see statements of belief from others or to submit your own, visit our website: npr.org. For This I Believe, I'm Jay Allison.

This I Believe continues next Monday on NPR's All Things Considered. That's when you'll hear an essay from the jazz musician Christian⁸ McBride. He is going to explain his belief in cool.

Support for This I Believe comes from Capella University.

This I Believe is produced for NPR by This I Believe incorporated⁹ Atlantic Public Media. For more essays in the series, please visit npr.org slash¹⁰ This I Believe.

Support for NPR Podcasts comes from Acura featuring the completely redesigned 300 horsepower MDX. More information is available at acura.com
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keep/hold something at bay
to prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening or from coming too close:
A thick wall keeps the noise at bay.

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

3 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

4 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

5 cereal   

n.谷类，五谷，禾谷

参考例句：

• I have hot cereal every day for breakfast.我每天早餐吃热麦片粥。
• Soybeans are handled differently from cereal grains.大豆的加工处理与谷类的加工处理不同。

6 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 acknowledge   

vt.承认...的权威，告知，收到，报偿

参考例句：

• With so much evidence against him he had to acknowledge his error.在这么多的证据面前，他不得不承认错误。
• It is ungracious of me not to acknowledge your help.你大力帮助而我尚未表示谢意，十分失礼。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 incorporated   

a.结合的，并为一体的

参考例句：

• Many of your suggestions have been incorporated in the plan. 你的很多建议已纳入计划中。
• These conditions must be expressly incorporated into the contract of employment. 这些条件都必须明确地写进雇佣合同之中。

10 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。