2007年NPR美国国家公共电台二月-Mothers and Daughters, and a Blessing

Time now for StoryCorps. People across the country have been recording¹ conversations with each other for this oral history project. Today Sue² Hyde is interviewed by her 14-year-old daughter Jessie McGleughlin.

What do you think the differences are in the way you grew up and in the way I grew up?

Hum, well, er, I grew up in one of those very typical families with a mom and a dad, and there were 7 kids. We lived in a small town in rural³ Illinois. For me what was er, very difficult and painful at times was to know that I was growing up with feelings about girls that no one else that I knew at that time had. So it caused me, I think, to be a little bit alienated⁴ from my parents because I didn't know how to tell them. And when I finally did tell my mother, I was, I was 19 years old.

Wow.

And you know what she said to me? She said what did we do wrong.

I think if she knew you now, though, she would be really proud, cause you would have changed her mind, too.

Well, I wanna tell you how I did changed her mind. My mom got very sick when I was, er, in my 20s. The week that she died, my partner and I went to my parents' house to spend the week there. Because we knew that my mom was gonna die soon. And on the night before she died, it was me and my partner who were up with her. She was sleeping a lot, you know, her body was shutting down. But she would become aware sometimes and speak to whomever was sitting with her in a very present way. She woke up that night when we were sitting with her. And she took my hand and my partner's hand and put them here together on her chest⁵. And she said, you to be happy. And then she died the next day. And it was really the first time that she had ever blessed my relationship. I don't want you, ever, ever to wait that long to hear that from me, I want you to know that I want you to be happy.

Mommy, you know I will.

I love you, I'm very proud of you.

I love you, too.

Jessie McGleughlin with her mother Sue Hyde speaking together in Boston. This conversation and all StoryCorps interviews are archived in the American FolkLife Center at the library of congress⁶. And you can hear additional⁷ stories at NPR. org.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

3 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

4 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 chest   

n.胸，大箱子，金库，资金，一箱，密封室，衣橱

参考例句：

• The bear's chest is hairy.那只熊的胸部毛茸茸的。
• Mother has a pain in her chest.母亲胸口疼.。

6 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

7 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。