Mom, Calm down. I'm writing right now. Do not do anything rash. Bella. 妈：您冷静冷静。我这就写。别做任何鲁莽的事情。贝拉。

I sent that, and began again. 把这个发了，我接着又开始写。

Mom, Everything is great. 妈：一切都很好。

Of course it's raining. 当然在下雨喽。

I was waiting for something to write about. 我在等可写的东西呀。

School is not bad, just a little repetitive. 学校还不错，就是课程上有点重复。

I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch. 我认识了几个很不错的同学，他们吃午饭都坐在我旁边。

Your blouse is at the dry cleaners—you were supposed to pick it up Friday. 您的衬衣在干洗店里——应该星期五去取。

Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? 查理给我买了一辆卡车，您能相信吗？

I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me. 我很喜欢。是辆旧车，不过真的很结实，您知道，对我而言这是辆适合我的好车。

I miss you, too. 我也想您。

I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e mail every five minutes. 我会很快再给您写信的，但是我不会每5分钟查一次电子邮件的。

Relax, breathe. 深呼吸，放轻松。

I love you. Bella. 我爱您。贝拉。

I had decided to read Wuthering Heights—the novel we were currently studying in English—yet again for the fun of it, 我决定读《呼啸山庄》——我们目前英语课正在学这本小说——不过也是为了轻松一下，

and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. 查理回家时我正好在读。

I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil. 我把时间给忘了，于是赶紧下楼把土豆取了出来，把牛排放了进去。

"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs. "是贝拉吗？"我父亲听见我下楼时喊了一声。

Who else? I thought to myself. 还能是谁呀？我心里想道。

"Hey, Dad, welcome home." "Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen. "嘿，爸，欢迎回家。" "谢谢。"我在厨房里忙活的时候，他把佩枪皮带挂起来了，也脱掉了靴子。

As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. 就我所知，他出警时还从未开过枪。不过，枪还都是上了膛的。

When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. 小时候我来他这里的时候，他总是一进门就把子弹给卸了。

I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose. 我猜想，他觉得现在我已经够大了，不至于玩枪走火发生意外，也没有抑郁到自杀的程度。

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. "晚饭吃什么？"他警惕地问道。

My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments were not always edible. 我母亲是个想象力丰富的厨子，而她试出来的饭菜并不总是容易下咽的。

I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back. 我感到惊讶，也感到难过，都这么长时间了，他似乎对此还记忆犹新。

"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved. "土豆加牛排，"我回答说，他看上去宽心了。

He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. 他似乎觉得什么也不做，就那么傻站在厨房里，看着我忙前忙后有些不好意思，于是笨重地到起居室看电视去了。

We were both more comfortable that way. 这样，我们都更自在。

I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table. 烤牛排的时候，我拌了一碗沙拉，摆好了桌子。

I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room. 饭做好以后，我叫他进来，进来的时候，他拿鼻子闻了闻，看来很欣赏的样子。

"Smells good, Bell." "Thanks." "很香嘛，贝拉。" "谢谢。"

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It was not uncomfortable. 我们默默地吃了几分钟，没有觉得不自在。

Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. 我们谁都不会因为安静而心烦。

In some ways, we were well suited for living together. 从某些方面来说，我们很适合住在一起。

"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds. "哦，对了，你觉得学校怎样？交到了朋友没有？"他添菜的时候问道。

"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. "噢，我和一个叫杰西卡的女孩有几门课同班。我和她的朋友们一块儿吃的午饭。

And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice. "With one outstanding exception. 还有一个男生，迈克，很友好。每个人似乎都非常不错。"只有一个，特别例外。

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid? nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. "肯定是迈克·牛顿。不错的孩子——家庭也不错。他爸爸开有一家体育用品商店，就在城外。

He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." 靠着那些过往的背着背包徒步旅行的人，他可挣了不少钱啦。"