幸福是一种态度 （46）多莉姨妈的帽子(中)
“It means what you think you are singing is different from the music.” Sister patted my hand. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, dear. You will still be in the pageant. You will be a lip-syncher. You may mouth the words, but no sound must be uttered. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“就是说你发出来的声音与你自己想像的不一样，”她拉着我的手说。“这没什么值得害羞的，亲爱的。你仍然可以参加合唱队。在演唱时，你做出发音的口型就可以了，但不要发声。你明白我的意思吗?”
I understood, all right. I was so ashamed, I didn’t go home after school. I took the bus straight to Aunt Dolly’s house. She had an answer for everything.Independently single in an era when most women wed, she’d gone on safari, and planned to visit every country in the world. More than anyone else, she would understand that my world had been turned upside down by this terrible thing.
“我明白。”我是如此羞愧，以至于放学后我没有回家，而是直接坐公共汽车来到了多莉姑姑家。在我眼里，没有什么事情能够难得倒她。在那个大多数女性都要嫁人的年代里，她勇敢地选择独身生活。她还参加过狩猎远征队，并打算环游整个世界。她能理解我的世界是如何被这个可怕的发现搞得翻了天。
Aunt Dolly served me cookies and milk. “What will I do?” I sobbed.
多莉姑姑给我端来饼干和牛奶。“我该怎么办?”我抽泣着说。
Aunt Dolly dunked her cookie in my milk. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table as her brow creased in thought. Finally her eyes grew wide. “I’ve got it!” she said. “I will wear my hat!”
多莉姑姑将她的曲奇饼干浸入我的牛奶里。多莉姑姑的手指在桌上敲着，眉头皱在一起。最后她眼睛一亮，“有办法了！我将帽子戴上！”
Her hat? How can a hat help me with being tone-deaf? Aunt Dolly leveled her brown eyes on my face. “Jacquelyn, I’m about to reveal a bit of secret information about angels, but first you must swear that you will never tell a soul.”
帽子?它能帮我解决“音盲”这个大问题吗?她那棕色的眼睛盯着我，“杰奎琳，我得透露一点儿天使的秘密，但首先你得发誓不会告诉任何人。”
“I swear,” I whispered.
“我发誓。”我低声说。
Aunt Dolly took my hand in hers. “When I was in Rome, praying in St. Peter’s,” she said, “I overheard a conversation in the next pew. It seems that other tone-deaf people also have concerns about God not understanding their silence in song. They were told, in the strictest confidence, of course, that a simple piece of aluminum foil is the answer.”
多莉姑姑抓着我的手说：“当我在罗马圣彼得教堂祈祷时，曾听到旁边座位上一个人讲话。他也是个音盲，也担心上帝听不到他的歌声。那里的牧师悄悄告诉他，一小块铝箔就可以解决这个问题。”
“I don’t understand.”
“我不明白。”
“You mouth the words,” she said. “Your silent words reflect off the foil. Angels capture the words and put them in special pouches they carry up to God.”
“你在嘴里默默地念出歌词，它们会通过铝箔反射，天使就能捕捉到这些声音，把它们放到特制的袋子里，然后送给上帝。”