Sending Kids Off to School
蘇珊·尤尼/Susan Union
My girl is going to school.
However, I still could see how several weeks ago the scene was playing itself out as clearly as if it had been written in a movie script.“Five more minutes, honey, then we have to leave.”I called to my five-year-old daughter, who had been frolicking in the Pacific Ocean for the past hour.She was a proficient pool swimmer, but the deep blue sea was a different matter.
Maybe she didn’t hear me calling her name above the roar of the ocean; maybe she did hear and was just ignoring me—it was impossible to tell.
“Hey, time’s up, we have to go now.”She turned, gave me a“see ya, Mom”look and headed farther into the surf.I splashed out and grabbed her arm.My shorts were soaked.
“No!”she screamed,“I don’t want to leave!”She jerked her arm away from me and pushed her little body away.
Now she was in over her head.Overcome with fear and rage I grabbed her, firmly this time, and began to drag her out.She screamed and thrashed about like a wild animal caught in a trap, growling and scratching.The gritty sand clung to our wet skin.
By now I was shaking.I could hardly believe what happened next.I smacked her on the bottom hard.It stunned her enough to make her freeze and stop her hysterical ravings.She stood there almost completely covered in sand and with her mouth wide open, unable to take a breath.
“Come on!”I said through clenched teeth as I pulled her along toward the path that would lead us away from the beach.She hopped alongside of me, seething and jibbering.I realized she was trying to tell me something.Her unintelligible words alternated with jagged sobs as she shifted her weight from one foot to another.Her feet!Now that we were out of the surf, the sand was scalding hot.I had been clutching her thongs all along.“I’m so sorry, sweetie.Put these on.”I slipped her thongs on her trembling feet.
That was weeks ago.Now it was September, and I was back on the beach, alone.As I walked the beach, tears welled up in my eyes.I could see the image of my daughter earlier that morning, heading into her freshly painted kindergarten classroom for her first day of school.Her new day pack was slung proudly over her shoulder.The design of yellow and purple puppies and kittens verified her tender years.
I’d driven straight to the beach after dropping her off.There was something so reassuring in the never-ending cresting and breaking of the waves.I hoped the pounding surf would soothe my anxious thoughts.
I had dreamed of this day for years—five to be exact.I dreamed of this day when she was only a year old and she spent her days lurching through the house unsteadily, learning to walk.I was so concerned that she might maim herself.I followed her around, hovering with arms outstretched like a giant bear.
When she was two, I needed a break from full-time mommyhood badly.I had left her with my parents.Since the job required me on frequent business tours, whenever I heard her tiny little voice over the long-distance phone lines, my voice cracked so badly that I could hardly answer her back.
And this past summer, our days on end of being constantly together caused her to demand my unfailing attention.As the summer’s heat grew more oppressive, I got listless but she became more spirited.Every day I heard,“Mom, let’s go to the park, let’s go to the beach, let’s go to the Wild Animal Park, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”
Why the tears then? I stopped walking and sat on a rough rock, on a lovely beach on a glorious day feeling miserable.I should be happy, I thought.No more incessant chatter bombarding me twelve hours a day.Now I could think free, uncluttered thoughts in a stream of connected ideas.I would be free to go back to school or start the business I’d been thinking about.I could go shopping by myself.I could roll up the windows in my car, pick a CD and sing at the top of my lungs.
The truth is, I’d miss having her by my side.I’d become used to having a constant companion for the past five years.“Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll still have our afternoons together.”she had reassured me at the breakfast table that morning.
With that thought in mind, I collected my things off the beach and headed for my car.It was time to go pick up my baby—from her first day of school.Oh, my angel, I was looking forward to spending the wonderful afternoon together.
女兒就要上學了。
然而，我還清晰地記得幾個星期前的情景，它就像被寫在電影劇本裏一樣在我眼前浮現。“寶貝，再玩五分鍾，五分鍾過後我們就得走了。”我對五歲的女兒喊道。她已經在太平洋裏嬉鬧了一個小時了。盡管她是遊泳池中的高手，但是在這深藍色的海洋裏就不盡然了。
或許是遊在海洋咆哮聲中的她沒有聽到我喊她的名字，或許她聽到了，隻是不在意我的話——這很難說得清楚。
“嘿，寶貝，時間到了，我們得走了！”我對她說道。她給我一個“再見了，媽媽”的眼神，轉身向更遠處的海浪遊去。我衝了過去，抓住她的胳膊。我的短褲都被浸濕了。
“不！我不想走！”她尖聲喊叫著，使勁掙脫了我的手，遊得更遠點兒。
此時，海水已經超過了她的頭頂。我戰勝了恐懼與慌亂，這一次緊緊地抓住了她，並開始拖著她向岸邊遊去。她尖叫著，像掉進陷阱的野獸一樣踢打著。細沙粘在我們潮濕的皮膚上。
現在，我已經被氣得渾身發抖了。接下來發生的事情令我難以置信。我朝她的屁股上重重地打下去。女兒被這出乎意料的舉動驚呆了，停止了歇斯底裏的狂躁舉動。她全身沾滿了沙粒，呆呆地站立在那裏，嘴巴長得大大的，驚訝得喘不過氣來。
“快走！”我從牙縫中擠出這句話的同時，推著她沿著離開海灘的小徑走去。她氣憤而猶豫地在我身邊一跳一跳地走著。我意識到她有話對我說。當她把身體的重心從這條腿上移到另一條腿上時，她含含糊糊的話語變成了斷斷續續的哭訴。她的腳！現在已經離開了海水，沙子被太陽曬得滾燙！而她的鞋子一直抓在我的手裏。“我很抱歉，小甜心。快把鞋子穿上吧。”我把鞋子穿在她那被燙得顫抖的腳上。
那件事都過去好幾個星期了。現在已是9月，我獨自一人來到那片海灘。在海灘上，淚水不覺間溢滿了雙眼。我可以想象得到，清晨女兒走進色彩斑斕的幼兒園上學時的樣子，這是她第一天上學。她驕傲地把新書包背在肩上，書包上黃色和紫色的小貓、小狗的圖案設計，映襯出她無邪的童年。
送她到幼兒園後，我開著車徑直來到這片海灘。在這永不停息的海浪聲中，一定有某種力量可以寬慰人心。我希望這重擊的海浪可以平息我的焦慮之情。
我熱切地等待這一天的到來已經整整五年了！當她隻有一歲大的時候，我就開始夢想這一天了。那些日子裏，她搖搖晃晃地在屋子裏穿行，蹣跚地學習走路。我是多麽擔心她會傷到自己。於是，便跟隨在她的左右，像一隻大狗熊一樣，伸展著胳膊圍護著她。
她兩歲的時候，我急需結束全職媽媽的角色，便把她交給我的父母照看。我的工作需要頻繁地出差，每當我從長途電話裏聽到她那細小的聲音時，我的嗓子就會沙啞得幾乎說不出話來。
今年的夏天，我們一直待在一起，這使她時刻依賴著我。當天氣越來越炎熱的時候，我變得無精打采，而她越發神采奕奕。每天我都會聽到女兒對我說：“媽媽，我們去公園玩吧，去海灘吧，去野生動物園吧！去吧，去吧，我們去吧！”
可是，我為什麽哭了？在一個有些悲傷的美好日子裏，我停下腳步，坐在美麗海灘上一塊粗糙的岩石上。我想，我應該高興才對。再也沒有無休止的喋喋聲一天24小時折磨我的耳朵。現在，我可以自由地思考了，可以沉浸在思索中而不會被打擾；可以自由地回到學校去繼續學習，或者可以開始考慮已久的事業了；我可以一個人去逛街；可以搖起車窗，選一張CD放聲歌唱了。
她不再在我身邊，這卻是事實。在過去的五年裏，我已經習慣了有她的陪伴。“媽媽，不用擔心，我們下午還是可以在一起的。”那天早上，她在吃早餐的時候安慰我。
想到這些，我收拾起自己的東西，離開海灘朝車走去。這是我第一次接孩子放學，也是孩子第一天去上學。啊，我的小天使，我期待著和你一起度過一個愉快的下午。
1.cling to堅持。
cling的過去式是clung。
cling to sth.堅持某事。
例：I cling to my thought no matter what you say.
不管你說什麽，我都堅持自己的想法。
2.take a breath喘氣。
這個短語不能省略定冠詞a。
breath的動詞是breathe“呼吸”。
out of breath喘不過氣。
例：Take a deep breath, and then you may feel relaxed.
深吸一口氣，你會覺得輕鬆一些。
3.soothe安撫，撫慰。
soothe a cough平複咳嗽。
例：The music soothes the soul.
音樂撫慰精神。
1.By now I wa_________s.I could hardly believe what happened next.I smacked her on the bottom hard.It_________her enough to make her freeze and stop her ravings.
2.Since the job required me on frequent_________, whenever I heard her tiny little voice over the long-distance phone_________, my voice cracked so_________that I could hardly answer her back.