Other People's Houses

His mother always let him stay up late on Fridays. They would lie in her room together watching Tv. Sometimes she fell asleep before he did and he'd be watching a talk show-one person talking, then another, then all this laughter coming from nowhere. Next thing he knew she would be shaking him gently. Wake up little one, wake up.' Saturday morning. So he'd get up, dress himself, put his shoes on and leave the house without breakfast. Breakfast always came later in other people's houses. 他的母亲总是让他熬夜在星期五。他们就趴在她的房间里一起看电视。有时候她睡着了，他跟以前和他会看脱口秀，一个人说话，然后又一次，这一切的笑声不知从哪儿来了。接下来的事情，他知道她会轻轻地晃动他。醒来的小家伙，醒了。 “周六上午。于是，他想站起来，打扮自己，穿他的鞋上，并离开家不含早餐。早餐总是在别人的房子后面传来。

They had to catch two buses to reach their destination and the trip seemed to take forever unless he fell asleep along the way. When they got off at their stop they were in a bigger, brighter neighbourhood. The houses were a long way back from the street and some of them were hidden from view by big hedges. Looking down the street was like looking through the wrong end of a telescope. His mother guided him through this country. She knew exactly where to go. She carried in her bag a big, heavy ring full of keys-all keys to other people's houses. 他们必须赶上两辆公交车到达自己的目的地及旅行似乎永远走，除非他睡着了前进的道路。当他们在自己的站就下车了，他们是在一个更大，更明亮附近。这些房子都是从街上很长的路回来，他们中的一些人从视图中隐藏了很大的对冲。看着在街上就像通过望远镜错误的一端。他的母亲领着他穿过这个国家。她清楚地知道哪里去了。她在她的包里携带一个大的，重的戒指全键，所有按键别人的房子。

She would turn one of the keys in the lock. Some of the doors needed two keys. Then presto they were in. The houses had so many things in them yet still so much space. He liked to rub his feet quickly on the thick pile then touch a door knob with one finger and give himself a small electric shock. In the first house they always went straight to the refrigerator. There were things in there he couldn't imagine anyone ever eating-strange looking pastes in jars and horrible concoctions in plastic. His mother would sit him down with a jam sandwich and a glass of milk, then set to work cleaning other people's houses. 她会变成在锁定的关键之一。一些门的需要两个密钥。那么急，他们在该屋曾在他们这么多东西，但仍这么大的空间。他喜欢快速地擦他的脚放在厚厚一摞，然后触摸门把手用一个手指，给自己一个小的电击。在第一个房子，他们总是直奔冰箱。有东西在那里，他无法想象没有人吃怪在寻找罐子和塑料可怕的调酒膏。他的母亲就坐在他下一个果酱三明治和一杯牛奶，然后着手清理其他人的房子。

And so they would go all day long from one house to another, his mother scrubbing, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning, tidying up, leaving him to his own devices. Often, if no one was home, she would play music on the stereo. There was one record she always put on and sang along to. It had two men and two women on the cover and they all looked sort of blonde except one of the women had dark hair. The stereo flickered like the controls of a spaceship. Other houses were full of books and sometimes he was allowed to take one of the books down from the shelves and open it up. There were books on war and cricket and movie stars. He liked to look at the pictures and pick out big words that he knew. He was very careful with the books. He was very careful with everything in other people's houses. 所以他们会去整天从一个家到另一个，他的母亲擦洗，拖地，吸尘，清洗，整理，留下他，任其自生自灭。通常情况下，如果没人在家，她会播放音乐的音响。有一个记录，她总是把上沿，以唱。它有两男两女的封面上，他们都期待的那种金发碧眼，除了一个女人有乌黑的头发。立体摇曳像一个飞船的控制。其他的房子放满了书，有时他被允许采取的一本书下来从货架上，并打开它。有关于战争和板球和电影明星的书籍。他喜欢看图片，并挑选出他知道大词。他很小心的书籍。他很小心，一切都在别人的房子。

Many of the houses had other children in them. They would rush right past him into the yard. He'd follow them out back where the back yard was as big as the house, sometimes even bigger. He'd play with them for a while then sit on the steps watching them. He felt slower than the others. There was a girl about his age who lived in a house they went to every second Saturday. Her name was Stephanie. She used to take him everywhere with her, wherever she went, all around the house, even into her room. He'd never see his mother until it was time to leave. One Saturday his mother told him that Stephanie and her family had moved away. Just like that. He still thinks of her now, twenty years later, moving, laughing, sitting down to dinner, making conversation, making love in other people's houses. 许多房屋有其他孩子在其中。他们会赶过去的权利他进了院子。他会跟着他们回到了所在的后院是一样大的房子，有时甚至更大。他会和他们一起玩了一会儿，然后坐在看着他们的步骤。他感到比别人慢。有一个关于他的年龄谁住在他们去到每一个第二个星期六的房子的女孩。她的名字叫斯蒂芬妮。她常带他到处跟她，无论她去了，周围的房子，连进她的房间。他从来没有看到他的母亲，直到它离开的时候了。一个星期六他的母亲告诉他，斯蒂芬妮和她的家人已经搬走了。就这样。他还认为她现在，二十年后，动，笑，坐下来吃饭，让谈话，使得在别人的房子爱。