Chinese · Episode 8
Waiting for a Voice
Spoken by 晓星
A delayed call from 晓航; she talks too fast, then sits with the silence the signal still has to cross.
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Episode text
哥哥从船上打来电话，我一接通就说个不停。 My brother called from the ship, and as soon as I picked up I talked nonstop.
“晓航，你在哪儿？吃饭了吗？ “Xiaohang, where are you? Have you eaten?
爸爸说石头送到了，妈妈还在花园里……” Dad said the rocks arrived, Mom’s still in the garden…”
我说到一半，才听见他叫我的名字。 I was halfway through before I heard him call my name.
原来我已经说了这么多，他还没听到第一句。 I’d already said so much, and he hadn’t even heard the first line.
哥哥工作的地方离家很远， The place where my brother works is far from home,
我们说的话传过去要等一会儿， so what we say takes a while to reach him,
回答传回来还要再等。 and the reply takes another wait to come back.
平时我知道，可一听见他的声音， I know that ordinarily, but the moment I hear his voice,
就把这件事忘了。 I forget all about it.
我停下来，过了一会儿才听见他笑。 I stopped, and after a while I heard him laugh.
“慢一点，我一次答不了这么多。” “Slow down—I can’t answer that much at once.”
我也笑了，这回只问他今天好不好。 I laughed too, and this time only asked if he was doing okay today.
等的时候，我看着窗外的地球。哥哥比它还远， While I waited, I looked at Earth outside the window. My brother is farther than it,
声音却像人就在旁边。 yet his voice sounded like he was right beside me.
他说自己挺好的，是阿金让他给家里打个电话。 He said he was fine—that Ajin had told him to call home.
我很想接着问阿金怎么样， I really wanted to ask how Ajin was,
又怕跟他的话撞在一起，就先让他说完。 but I was afraid our words would cross, so I let him finish first.
其实他也没说多少，都是吃饭、干活这些小事。 He didn’t say much anyway, just little things about meals and work.
最后我说：“那你在外面小心一点。” At the end I said, “Then be careful out there.”
这句话说出去以后，我们又安静了好一会儿。 After that went out, we were quiet again for a good while.
“知道了。你也早点睡。” “Got it. You go to bed early too.”
挂了电话，我还在床边坐着，等了一下才想起来， After hanging up I still sat by the bed, waited a moment, then realized
他已经说完了。 he had already finished.
下次要先想好说什么。不过哥哥一叫我， Next time I should think first about what to say. But as soon as my brother calls me,
我大概还是会说得太快。 I’ll probably still talk too fast.