(单词翻译:单击)
“Do you know how much work a puppy is? You’re only eight years old, Ethan. It’s too much responsibility.”
“你知道养一只小狗所附带的责任吗？”你才八岁，伊森。这责任是很重的。”
I yanked on one of the boy’s laces and it gave, sliding away from his shoes.
我拉了一下那个男孩的鞋带，鞋带松开了，从他的鞋上滑了下来。
I tried to run off with it, but it remained attached to his feet so that it yanked me back, tumbling me head over heels.
我想把鞋带带走，但鞋带固执地跟男孩的脚连在一起，反而把我拽了回来，摔倒在地。
Snarling, I dove back onto the laces, grabbing them and giving them a furious shake.
我叫着重新扑到鞋带上，用嘴咬住鞋带，使劲儿地摇晃着。
“I’ll take care of him, and I’ll walk him and feed him and wash him,” the boy was saying.
“我会照顾他的，也会遛他、喂他、给他洗澡，”男孩说。
“He’s the best puppy in the world, Dad. He’s already house broken!”
“他真的很乖，爸爸。他来这里之前也已经被调教得很好了！”
Having wrestled the shoes into submission, I decided this would be a good time to take a little break, and squatted, depositing a stool along with my urine.
经过一番努力，鞋子终于屈服于我，于是我决定休息一下。我蹲下来，在一把凳子旁憋着我的尿意。
Wow, did that get a reaction! Soon the boy and I were sitting on the soft floor.
哇，他们居然突然有了反应！很快，男孩便和我一起坐在柔软的地板上。
Mom would say, “George?” and then Ethan would say, “George? Here, George! Hi,George!”
妈妈会说：“乔治？“伊森会说：“乔治？来这儿，乔治！你好呀，乔治！”
and then Dad would say, “Skippy?” and Ethan would say, “Skippy? Are you Skippy? Here, Skippy!”
然后爸爸会说，“斯基皮？”伊森会说:“斯基皮？你叫斯基皮，对吗!”
It was exhausting.
这样还挺累人的。
Later, playing out in the backyard, the boy called me Bailey.
后来，在后院玩耍时，那个男孩叫我贝利。
“Here, Bailey! Here, Bailey!” he would call, slapping his knees.
贝利！来这儿,贝利！他会边喊边拍膝盖。
When I trotted over to him he would dash away, and we ran around and around in the backyard.
当我跑过去的时候，那个男孩会飞快地跑开，于是我们开始在后院一圈又一圈地跑。
As far as I was concerned, it was an extension of the game inside,
在我看来，这是房子里游戏的扩展版，
and I was prepared to respond to “Hornet” and “Ike” and “Butch,” but it seemed like this time “Bailey” would stick.
我本来也准备对那个男孩喊出的其他名字做回应的，比如“大黄蜂”、“艾克”和“布奇”，但看上去，这一次，我应该会一直叫“贝利”了。
