读者文摘:久别重逢姐妹花(1)

I come from a broken family that many would consider dysfunctional at the very least: marriages, divorces, etc.

我来自一个破碎的家庭，很多人至少会认为这个家庭是不正常的：婚姻、离婚等等。

After we grew up, my three siblings¹ and I could go years without speaking. And that is where this story begins.

我们长大后，我的三个姐妹好几年都不说话。这就是故事的开始。

My sister Jeanne and I were born only 14 months apart, but by the time we were teenagers we had lost touch.

我和姐姐珍妮出生只相差14个月，但是在我们是青少年的时候，我们就失去联系了。

By age 19, I had moved away from our home in Wisconsin to live on my father's horse farm in Virginia, where I worked ultimately² as a veterinary assistant and a bartender.

19岁时，我就已经离开威斯康辛州的家，搬到了父亲在弗吉尼亚州的马场。我后来在那里做过兽医助理和酒保。

Jeanne got married at 18, moved to Chicago, and became—well, I didn't know what.

珍妮18岁就结婚了，搬到了芝加哥，成为...我不知道。

We lived separate lives in separate states, and our connection somehow ended. Fast-forward about five years.

我们在不同的州过着不同的生活，我们的联系不知怎么的就中断了。时间快进到五年后。

I was 24 and on a trip with my fiancé to New York City, a place I had never been. It was overwhelming³.

我24岁，和我的未婚夫一起去纽约旅行，那是一个我从未去过的地方。这令我无法抗拒。

I was used to riding my horse to the corner store where everyone knew everyone and everything going on in the quiet little cowpoke town of Driver, Virginia.

我习惯于骑马去街角的商店，那里的每个人都彼此认识，所有的事情都发生在安静的牛仔小镇弗吉尼亚的德赖弗。

We had gone to New York to visit my fiancé's cousin and see the sights.

我们去纽约拜访我未婚夫的表弟，参观景点。

We went to Little Italy, the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, and several Manhattan clubs.

我们去了小意大利，自由女神像、唐人街和几个曼哈顿俱乐部。

I had never seen so many taxicabs in one spot in all my life.

我一辈子都没在一个地方见过这么多出租车。

During a day of sightseeing, we were crossing a very busy street loaded with people. Everyone was in a hurry, hustling⁴ and bustling⁵.

有一天观光的时候，我们穿过一个非常繁忙的街道，路上都是人。大家都很匆忙，熙熙攘攘。

I had laughed at something my fiancé said, and I suddenly heard my name yelled⁶ from somewhere behind me: “Cheryl!” I froze in my steps in the middle of the road.

我刚被我未婚夫说的某个东西逗笑，就突然听到后面有人大喊我的名字：谢丽尔！我的身体就在路中间定住了。

1 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

2 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

3 overwhelming   

adj.势不可挡的，压倒的，无法抵抗的

参考例句：

• The flood was overwhelming and the city was soon drowned.洪水来势凶猛，很快这个城市就被淹没了。
• The act was adopted by an overwhelming majority.该法案以压倒多数通过。

4 hustling   

催促（hustle的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Our quartet was out hustling and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over. 我们的四重奏是明显地卖座的， 而且我们知道在天亮以前，我们有把握收入一大笔钱。
• Men in motors were hustling to pass one another in the hustling traffic. 开汽车的人在繁忙的交通中急急忙忙地互相超车。

5 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

6 yelled   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
• The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着，希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》