【双语有声阅读】更难却更好的永别(上)

A Harder, Better Goodbye

 

更难却更好的永别

Mother complained of a pain in her ribs¹.

我母亲曾抱怨她的肋骨疼。

She was a yoga lover, an ocean swimmer, a woman who at 72 looked ten years younger.

她是瑜伽爱好者，海洋游泳运动员，她72岁，但是看上去要年轻十岁。

She thought she had pulled a muscle. But the pain refused to go away.

她本以为是肌肉拉伤了，然而疼痛持续了很长时间也没有消退。

Tests revealed that cancer had moved to her ribs and spine².

测试结果显示，癌症已经转移到她的肋骨和脊柱。

She and my father had been planning summer vacation.

之前我父母还在计划暑假出游。

Now they were planning the remaining months of her life.

现在却在讨论如何度过她生命的最后几个月。

She made it clear she did not want to remain in the hospital. She wanted to go home.

母亲明确表示不想待在医院，她想回家。

Hospice, we were told, could help us care for Mom at home.

我们被告知，临终关怀组织可以帮助我们在家照顾母亲。

Suddenly hospice became the center of our lives.

突然间临终关怀成了我们生活的中心。

A few times a week the hospice staff—doctor, nurses, social worker—would visit our home,

临终关怀的医生，护士，社会服务人员每周会来几次，

making sure Dad and I could handle the bedpans, the pain killers³ and the reality of Mom's dying.

确认父亲和我能处理好便盆，止痛药以及接受我母亲将要离世的事实。

March, April, May. Each month, each week, each day was a diminishment.

三月，四月，五月。每个月，每个星期，日子一天天地减少。

Mom was confined to downstairs, then to her bedroom, then to her bed.

母亲一开始还能下楼，逐渐只在卧室里走动，最后只能躺在床上。

Dad brushed her hair. I read to her. We examined family photo albums.

父亲帮母亲梳头，我读书给母亲听。我们一起看相册集，

As we flipped⁴ through these Kodak moments of life now drawing to a close,

翻阅那些用柯达相机定格的过往瞬间，而在一起的时光不久就要结束了，

I would comfort myself: At least we are home.

但是我还是安慰自己，至少现在我们都在家里。

Our biggest fear was that Mom would experience unbearable⁵ pain. But she did not. Painkiller⁶ helps.

我们最害怕的事情是母亲可能会经受难以忍受的疼痛。幸好有止痛药，我们不用害怕。

It was in those last days that hospice was of particular help.

那些日子，临终关怀给我们带来了特别的帮助。

I had not seen anyone die before; I did not know what to do.

我过去没有亲眼看过谁离开人世，那一刻我完全不知道能做什么。

1 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

2 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

3 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

4 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

5 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

6 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。