儿子与情人 - 第八章
Clara Dawes was different from Miriam in every way. She was older, married, and worked in a lace factory. She was bold and confident, a woman who knew what she wanted and was not afraid to ask for it.
克拉拉·道斯在每个方面与米里亚姆不同。她更年长,已婚,在蕾丝工厂工作。她大胆自信,一个知道想要什么不害怕请求的女性。
Paul met Clara through work. She was training new workers, and Paul found himself drawn to her immediately. She was unlike anyone he had ever known—direct, passionate, and completely unafraid.
保罗通过工作遇见克拉拉。她培训新工人,保罗发现自己立即被吸引。她不像他认识的任何人——直接、激情、完全不害怕。
"You are an interesting boy," she said to him one day, looking him up and down. "There is more to you than meets the eye."
"你是个有趣的男孩,"有一天她告诉他,上下看他,"你比看到的更多。"
Paul felt his face grow hot. He didn't know how to respond to such attention from a woman like Clara.
保罗感觉脸变热。他不知道如何回应来自像克拉拉这样的女性的如此注意。
As they worked together, they talked more and more. Clara told him about her unhappy marriage, about her husband who drank and treated her badly.
当他们一起工作,他们越来越多谈话。克拉拉告诉他关于她不快乐的婚姻,关于酗酒和糟糕对待她的丈夫。
"I should have left him years ago," she said, her voice hard. "But I stayed, and now I am stuck."
"我几年前应该离开他,"她说,声音硬,"但我留下,现在我被困。"
Paul listened, fascinated by her openness. He had never met a woman who spoke so freely about her life, her desires, her disappointments.
保罗倾听,对她开放着迷。他从没遇见如此自由谈论生活、欲望和失望的女性。
Miriam, when she learned about Clara, was upset. She could see that Paul was attracted to this older, married woman, and it made her jealous.
米里亚姆,当她知道克拉拉,不安。她能看到保罗被这个年长已婚女性吸引,这让她嫉妒。
"She is not right for you," Miriam said. "She will hurt you."
"她不适合你,"米里亚姆说,"她会伤害你。"
But Paul was already too involved with Clara to listen. The excitement he felt with her was unlike anything he had ever experienced—intense, physical, overwhelming.
但保罗已经太涉及克拉拉不听。和她感觉的兴奋不像他经历过的任何事情——强烈、身体、压倒。
He found himself comparing Clara to Miriam. Where Miriam was shy and spiritual, Clara was bold and earthy. Where Miriam held back, Clara pulled forward.
他发现自己比较克拉拉和米里亚姆。米里亚姆害羞和精神,克拉拉大胆和尘世。米里亚姆退后,克拉拉向前拉。
Paul didn't know which one he truly wanted. But he knew that he could no longer be the boy his mother wanted him to be. He was changing, and the changes were happening fast.
保罗不知道他真正想要哪个。但他知道他不能再是母亲想要他成为的男孩。他在改变,变化发生得快。