美国国家公共电台 NPR What One Family Lost In Pulse Nightclub A Year Ago

 

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

So it has been a year now since a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse¹ nightclub in Orlando. And today on StoryCorps, we're going to remember Deonka Drayton, one of the people murdered that night. She was 32 at the time. And she had a son with her partner Emily Addison. Addison came to StoryCorps to talk about what it has been like to lose her.

EMILY ADDISON: She had a beautiful voice, the most amazing smile and she smelled so good all the time. We moved down here in Florida in 2012 together. But the heat - she couldn't stand the heat. But it did not matter how hot it was outside, she would go outside and play ball with our son. And she used² to always tell me that as long as she was alive, our son and I would never want for anything.

And she kept her word. She texted me that night. She said that she was scared, people were shot³. But when our son is asleep, we turn our ringers off. And I feel like I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most. I tried to text her. Her phone was going straight to voicemail. And I prayed⁴ so hard my knuckles⁵ were white.

But she was one of the ones that was murdered in the bathroom. The closer it gets to the one year anniversary⁶, all it's doing is reminding⁷ me of the last time I saw her. I can tell you what was in her stomach because I made the last meal. She loved my cooking. She loved my cooking. My son, he's 3 now. And every night when we're going to bed, we walk up the stairs, he'll turn to her picture and say, night, night, Mommy.

I don't know how to get him to understand that she's never coming back. And I miss her so much. That feeling is constant⁸. Like, I need her to call me. I need to see her. I will always love her no matter what. There will never be an end.

GREENE: Emily Addison remembering her partner Deonka Drayton, who was killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. Her interview will be archived at the Library of Congress

1 pulse   

n.脉搏， 脉冲

参考例句：

• His pulse is low,but his heart is still active.他脉搏很弱,但心脏还跳着。
• The patient's pulse quickened.病人的脉搏加快了。

2 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

3 shot   

n.炮弹，射击，射手；v.射击，发出，发芽；vbl.射击，发出，发芽

参考例句：

• He shot a wild duck.他射中一只野鸭。
• All the children shot out their hands for the money.所有的孩子突然伸出手来要钱。

4 prayed   

v.祈祷，祷告( pray的过去式和过去分词 )；请求，恳求

参考例句：

• They knelt down and prayed. 他们跪下来祷告。
• Aunt Polly knelt down and prayed for Tom so touchingly. 波莉姨妈跪下来，为汤姆祈祷，很令人感动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

7 reminding   

v.使想起( remind的现在分词 )；提醒

参考例句：

• Thanks for reminding. I'd forgotten all about his coming this afternoon. 谢谢你提醒我，我完全忘了他今天下午要来。
• The scenery here has great charm, reminding one of the land of Guilin. 这里山清水秀，宛然桂林风光。

8 constant   

n.常数，恒量；adj.不变的，一定的，时常的

参考例句：

• This suit has been in constant wear for two years.这一套衣服已连续穿了两年。
• An absolute constant is fixed and can not be changed.绝对常数是固定而不可以改变的。