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KLARA AND THE SUN - KAZUO ISHIGURO, Part Two - 01 (3)

Part Two - 01 (3)

‘You won't be alone. You've got your AF now.'

The last two birds had come down. He touched his remote and they all went into sleep mode on the grass.

‘Oh God, I haven't even introduced you! Rick, this is Klara.'

Rick went on concentrating on his remote and didn't look my way. ‘You said you'd never get an AF,' he said.

‘That was a while ago.'

‘You said you'd never get one.'

‘Well, I changed my mind, okay? Anyway, Klara's not any AF. Hey, Klara, say something to Rick.'

‘You said you'd never get one.'

‘Come on, Rick! We don't do everything we said when we were small. Why shouldn't I have an AF?'

She had by now both hands on Rick's left shoulder, resting her weight there as if trying to make him less tall and the two of them the same height. But Rick seemed not to mind her nearness – in fact he seemed to think it normal – and the idea occurred to me that perhaps, in his own way, this boy was as important to Josie as was the Mother; and that his aims and mine might in some ways be almost parallel, and that I should observe him carefully to understand how he belonged within the pattern of Josie's life.

‘It's very nice to meet Rick,' I said. ‘I wonder if he lives in that neighbor house. It's strange, but I hadn't noticed such a house before.'

‘Yeah,' he said, still not looking directly at me. ‘That's where I live. My mum and me.'

We then all turned to the view of the houses, and for the first time, I was really able to look at the exterior of Josie's house. It was slightly smaller, and its roof's edges a little sharper, but otherwise much as I'd estimated from the inside. The walls had been constructed from carefully overlapping boards which had all been painted a near-white. The house itself was three separate boxes that connected into a single complex shape. Rick's house was smaller, and not just because it was further away. It too had been built from wooden planks, but its structure was more simple – a single box, taller than it was wide, standing in the grass.

‘I think Rick and Josie must have grown up side by side,' I said to Rick. ‘Just like your houses.'

He shrugged. ‘Yeah. Side by side.'

‘I think Rick's accent is English.'

‘Just a little perhaps.'

‘I'm happy Josie has such a good friend. I hope my presence will never come in the way of such a good friendship.'

‘Hope not. But a lot of things come in the way of friendships.'

‘Okay enough now!' Melania Housekeeper's voice shouted from the foot of the mound.

‘Coming!' Josie yelled back. Then she said to Rick: ‘Look, Ricky, I'm not going to enjoy this meeting any more than you. I need you there. You have to come.'

Rick was concentrating again on his remote, and the birds rose together into the air. Josie watched them, both her hands still on his shoulder, so that the two of them formed a single shape against the sky.

‘Okay hurry up!' Melania Housekeeper shouted. ‘Wind too strong! You want die up there or what?'

‘Okay, coming!' Then Josie said quietly to Rick: ‘Tuesday lunchtime, okay?'

‘Okay.'

‘Good boy, Ricky. You've promised now. And Klara's a witness.'

Taking her hands from his shoulder, she stepped away. Then grasping my arm, she began to lead us down off the mound.

We descended a different slope from the one we'd climbed, which I saw would bring us down just in front of Josie's house. Its gradient was steeper, and down below, Melania Housekeeper began to protest, then giving up, hurried around the mound to meet us. As we came down through the cut grass, I glanced back and saw Rick's figure, once more a silhouette against the sky. He wasn't looking our way, but up at his birds hovering in the grayness.

‘Can't believe that's the first time you've been outside,' she said. ‘So what did you think?'

‘I liked it very much. The wind, the acoustics, everything was so interesting.' Then I added: ‘And of course it was wonderful to meet Rick.'

Josie was pinching her straw close to where it emerged from her drink.

‘I guess he didn't make such a great impression. He gets awkward sometimes. But he's a special person. When I get sick and I try to think of good things, I think about all the stuff we're going to do together. He's definitely coming to that meeting.'

—

That evening, as they often did during their supper, they turned down all the lights except those falling directly on the Island itself. I was present, as Josie liked me to be, but wishing to give privacy, stood in the shadows, my face turned to the refrigerator. For several minutes I listened to Josie and the Mother making light-hearted remarks as they ate. Then, still maintaining her light manner, Josie asked:

‘Mom, if my grades are so good, do I really have to host this interaction meeting?'

‘Sure you do, honey. It's not enough just being clever. You have to get along with others.'

‘I know how to get along with others, Mom. Just not with this crowd.'

‘This crowd happens to be your peer group. And when you get to college, you'll have to deal with all kinds. By the time I got to college, I'd had years of being alongside other kids each and every day. But for you and your generation, it's going to be pretty tough unless you put in some work now. The kids who don't do well in college are always the ones who didn't attend enough meetings.'

‘College is a long way off, Mom.'

‘Not so long as you think.' Then the Mother said more gently, ‘Come on, honey. You can introduce Klara to your friends. They'd be excited to meet her.'

‘They're not my friends, Mom. And if I have to host this meeting, I want Rick there.'

For a moment there was silence behind me. Then the Mother said: ‘Okay. We can certainly do that.'

‘But you think it's a bad idea, right?'

‘No. Not at all. Rick is a very good person. And he's our neighbor.'

‘So he's coming, right?'

‘Only if he wants to come. It has to be his choice.'

‘So you think the other kids will be rude to him?'

There was another wait before the Mother said: ‘I don't see why they would be. If someone does behave inappropriately, that'll only show how far behind they are.'

‘So no reason Rick can't come.'

‘The only reason, Josie, is if he doesn't want to.'

Later on in the bedroom, when it was just the two of us, and Josie was lying in bed ready to go to sleep, she said quietly:

‘I hope Rick does come to this awful party.'

Despite the lateness, I was pleased she'd brought up the interaction meeting, because I was uncertain about many aspects of it.

‘Yes, I hope so too,' I said. ‘Will the other young people bring their AFs?'

‘Uh uh. Not the done thing. But the AF who lives in the house usually attends. Especially if they're new like you. They'll all want to inspect you.'

‘So Josie would wish me to be present.'

‘Sure I want you to be present. It might not be so great for you though. These meetings stink and that's the truth.'

—

On the morning of the interaction meeting, Josie was filled with anxiety. She returned to the bedroom after breakfast to try on different clothes, and even when we could hear her guests arriving, and Melania Housekeeper had called up a third time, she continued brushing her hair. Finally, with many voices audible downstairs, I said to her, ‘Perhaps it's time for us to join Josie's guests.'

Only then did she drop the hairbrush onto the dressing table and rise to her feet. ‘You're right. Time to face the music.'

Coming down the staircase, I saw the hall was filled with strangers talking in humorous voices. These were the accompanying adults – all of them female. Younger voices were coming from the Open Plan but the sliding doors had been pulled together, so Josie's guests weren't yet visible to us.

Josie, on the stairs in front of me, stopped with four steps to go. She might even have turned back if one of the adults hadn't called out, ‘Hi, Josie! How you doing?'

Josie raised a hand, and then the Mother, moving through the adults in the hall, gestured towards the Open Plan. ‘Go on in,' she called. ‘Your friends are waiting for you.'

I thought the Mother was about to say something further to reinforce this, but other adults had gathered around her, talking and smiling, and she was obliged to turn away from us. Josie did seem to find new courage then, and she went down the remaining steps into the crowd. I followed, expecting her to go towards the Open Plan, but instead she went through the adults towards the front door, which was open and bringing in fresh air. Josie kept moving as though she had a clear purpose, and a passer-by might have thought she was engaged on some important errand on behalf of her guests. In any case, no one impeded her, and as I followed, I heard many voices around me. Someone was saying, ‘Professor Kwan may be wonderful at teaching our children mathematical physics. That doesn't give him the right to be uncivil to us,' and another voice said, ‘Europe. The best housekeepers still come from Europe.' More voices greeted Josie as she passed, and then we were at the front door, touched by the outside air.

Josie looked out, her foot on the threshold, and shouted into the outdoors:

Part Two - 01 (3) Часть вторая - 01 (3)

‘You won't be alone. No estarás solo. You've got your AF now.' Ya tienes tu AF ahora.

The last two birds had come down. Los dos últimos pájaros habían bajado. He touched his remote and they all went into sleep mode on the grass. Tocó su control remoto y todos entraron en modo de suspensión en el césped.

‘Oh God, I haven't even introduced you! '¡Oh Dios, ni siquiera te he presentado! Rick, this is Klara.' Rick, esta es Klara.

Rick went on concentrating on his remote and didn't look my way. Rick siguió concentrado en su control remoto y no miró en mi dirección. ‘You said you'd never get an AF,' he said. —Dijiste que nunca te harías una FA —dijo—.

‘That was a while ago.' 'Eso fue hace un tiempo.' — Это было недавно.

‘You said you'd never get one.' Dijiste que nunca conseguirías uno.

‘Well, I changed my mind, okay? 'Bueno, cambié de opinión, ¿de acuerdo? Anyway, Klara's not any AF. De todos modos, Klara no es ningún AF. Во всяком случае, Клара не какой-то AF. Hey, Klara, say something to Rick.' Oye, Klara, dile algo a Rick.

‘You said you'd never get one.' Dijiste que nunca conseguirías uno.

‘Come on, Rick! '¡Vamos, Rick! We don't do everything we said when we were small. No hacemos todo lo que decíamos cuando éramos pequeños. Why shouldn't I have an AF?' ¿Por qué no debería tener una FA?'

She had by now both hands on Rick's left shoulder, resting her weight there as if trying to make him less tall and the two of them the same height. Ya tenía ambas manos sobre el hombro izquierdo de Rick, apoyando su peso allí como si tratara de hacerlo menos alto y los dos de la misma altura. But Rick seemed not to mind her nearness – in fact he seemed to think it normal – and the idea occurred to me that perhaps, in his own way, this boy was as important to Josie as was the Mother; and that his aims and mine might in some ways be almost parallel, and that I should observe him carefully to understand how he belonged within the pattern of Josie's life. |||||||近くにいること||||||||||||浮かんだ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||並行する|||||||||||||||||| Pero a Rick no parecía importarle su cercanía —de hecho, parecía pensar que era normal— y se me ocurrió la idea de que tal vez, a su manera, este chico era tan importante para Josie como lo era la Madre; y que sus objetivos y los míos podrían ser casi paralelos en algunos aspectos, y que debería observarlo cuidadosamente para comprender cómo encajaba dentro del patrón de vida de Josie.

‘It's very nice to meet Rick,' I said. "Es muy agradable conocer a Rick", le dije. ‘I wonder if he lives in that neighbor house. Me pregunto si vive en esa casa vecina. — Интересно, он живет в том соседнем доме? It's strange, but I hadn't noticed such a house before.' Es extraño, pero no había visto una casa así antes.

‘Yeah,' he said, still not looking directly at me. 'Sí,' dijo, todavía sin mirarme directamente. ‘That's where I live. 'Ahi es donde vivo. My mum and me.' Mi madre y yo.

We then all turned to the view of the houses, and for the first time, I was really able to look at the exterior of Josie's house. Luego todos nos volvimos hacia la vista de las casas y, por primera vez, pude ver realmente el exterior de la casa de Josie. It was slightly smaller, and its roof's edges a little sharper, but otherwise much as I'd estimated from the inside. Era un poco más pequeño, y los bordes de su techo un poco más afilados, pero por lo demás tanto como había estimado desde el interior. The walls had been constructed from carefully overlapping boards which had all been painted a near-white. |||||||重なり合う||||||||| Las paredes habían sido construidas con tablas cuidadosamente superpuestas que habían sido pintadas casi de blanco. The house itself was three separate boxes that connected into a single complex shape. La casa en sí era tres cajas separadas que se conectaban en una sola forma compleja. Rick's house was smaller, and not just because it was further away. La casa de Rick era más pequeña, y no solo porque estaba más lejos. Дом Рика был меньше, и не только потому, что он был дальше. It too had been built from wooden planks, but its structure was more simple – a single box, taller than it was wide, standing in the grass. |||||||板材|||||||||||||||||| También había sido construido con tablones de madera, pero su estructura era más simple: una sola caja, más alta que ancha, de pie sobre la hierba.

‘I think Rick and Josie must have grown up side by side,' I said to Rick. "Creo que Rick y Josie deben haber crecido juntos", le dije a Rick. 「リックとジョシーは並んで成長したに違いないと思う」と私はリックに言った。 ‘Just like your houses.' Igual que vuestras casas.

He shrugged. |肩をすくめた。 Se encogió de hombros. ‘Yeah. 'Sí. Side by side.' Lado a lado.'

‘I think Rick's accent is English.' Creo que el acento de Rick es inglés.

‘Just a little perhaps.' Quizá sólo un poco.

‘I'm happy Josie has such a good friend. 'Estoy feliz de que Josie tenga un amigo tan bueno. I hope my presence will never come in the way of such a good friendship.' Espero que mi presencia nunca se interponga en el camino de una amistad tan buena. 私の存在がそのような良い友情の邪魔にならないことを願っています。

‘Hope not. 'Espero que no. But a lot of things come in the way of friendships.' Pero muchas cosas se interponen en el camino de las amistades.

‘Okay enough now!' Melania Housekeeper's voice shouted from the foot of the mound. '¡Ya está bien!' La voz de Melania Housekeeper gritó desde el pie del montículo.

‘Coming!' Josie yelled back. '¡Viniendo!' Josie gritó de vuelta. Then she said to Rick: ‘Look, Ricky, I'm not going to enjoy this meeting any more than you. Luego le dijo a Rick: 'Mira, Ricky, no voy a disfrutar este encuentro más que tú. I need you there. Te necesito allí. You have to come.' Tienes que venir.'

Rick was concentrating again on his remote, and the birds rose together into the air. Rick estaba concentrado de nuevo en su control remoto, y los pájaros se elevaron juntos en el aire. Josie watched them, both her hands still on his shoulder, so that the two of them formed a single shape against the sky. Josie los observó, con ambas manos todavía en su hombro, de modo que los dos formaron una sola forma contra el cielo.

‘Okay hurry up!' Melania Housekeeper shouted. 'Está bien, date prisa!' Gritó Melania Housekeeper. ‘Wind too strong! '¡Viento demasiado fuerte! You want die up there or what?' ||死にたい|||| ¿Quieres morir ahí arriba o qué? Ты хочешь умереть там или что?

‘Okay, coming!' Then Josie said quietly to Rick: ‘Tuesday lunchtime, okay?' '¡Está bien, voy!' Entonces Josie le dijo en voz baja a Rick: 'El martes a la hora del almuerzo, ¿de acuerdo?'

‘Okay.'

‘Good boy, Ricky. Buen chico, Ricky. You've promised now. Lo prometiste ahora. Ты обещал сейчас. And Klara's a witness.' Y Klara es testigo.

Taking her hands from his shoulder, she stepped away. Tomando sus manos de su hombro, ella se alejó. Then grasping my arm, she began to lead us down off the mound. Luego, agarrándome del brazo, empezó a guiarnos hacia abajo del montículo.

We descended a different slope from the one we'd climbed, which I saw would bring us down just in front of Josie's house. Descendimos por una pendiente diferente a la que habíamos subido, que vi que nos llevaría justo en frente de la casa de Josie. Its gradient was steeper, and down below, Melania Housekeeper began to protest, then giving up, hurried around the mound to meet us. |勾配|||||||||||||||||塚||| Su pendiente era más pronunciada, y abajo, Melania Housekeeper comenzó a protestar, luego se dio por vencida y se apresuró a rodear el montículo para encontrarse con nosotros. As we came down through the cut grass, I glanced back and saw Rick's figure, once more a silhouette against the sky. Mientras bajábamos por la hierba cortada, miré hacia atrás y vi la figura de Rick, una vez más una silueta contra el cielo. He wasn't looking our way, but up at his birds hovering in the grayness. ||||||||||舞っている|||灰色の空 No estaba mirando en nuestra dirección, sino hacia sus pájaros que revoloteaban en el gris.

After we returned to the house, and Josie had put away her padded jacket, Melania Housekeeper made her a yogurt drink, and the two of us sat together at the Island while she sipped it through a straw. Después de que regresamos a la casa, y Josie había guardado su chaqueta acolchada, Melania Housekeeper le preparó una bebida de yogur, y los dos nos sentamos juntos en la isla mientras ella bebía con una pajita.

‘Can't believe that's the first time you've been outside,' she said. "No puedo creer que sea la primera vez que has estado afuera", dijo. ‘So what did you think?' '¿Entonces, qué te parece?'

‘I liked it very much. 'Me gusto mucho. The wind, the acoustics, everything was so interesting.' Then I added: ‘And of course it was wonderful to meet Rick.' |||音響効果|||||||||||||||| El viento, la acústica, todo fue muy interesante.' Luego agregué: 'Y, por supuesto, fue maravilloso conocer a Rick'.

Josie was pinching her straw close to where it emerged from her drink. Josie estaba pellizcando su pajilla cerca de donde salía de su bebida. Джози зажимала соломинку рядом с тем местом, где она выходила из напитка.

‘I guess he didn't make such a great impression. Supongo que no causó una gran impresión. — Думаю, он не произвел такого большого впечатления. He gets awkward sometimes. ||彼は時々ぎこちない。| A veces se pone incómodo. But he's a special person. Pero es una persona especial. When I get sick and I try to think of good things, I think about all the stuff we're going to do together. Cuando me enfermo y trato de pensar en cosas buenas, pienso en todas las cosas que vamos a hacer juntos. He's definitely coming to that meeting.' Definitivamente vendrá a esa reunión.

— —

That evening, as they often did during their supper, they turned down all the lights except those falling directly on the Island itself. Esa noche, como solían hacer durante la cena, apagaron todas las luces excepto las que caían directamente sobre la Isla misma. I was present, as Josie liked me to be, but wishing to give privacy, stood in the shadows, my face turned to the refrigerator. Yo estaba presente, como a Josie le gustaba que estuviera, pero deseando brindar privacidad, me quedé en las sombras, con la cara vuelta hacia el refrigerador. For several minutes I listened to Josie and the Mother making light-hearted remarks as they ate. Durante varios minutos escuché a Josie ya la Madre hacer comentarios alegres mientras comían. Несколько минут я слушал, как Джози и Мать беззаботно болтали за едой. Then, still maintaining her light manner, Josie asked: |||||軽い調子|| Entonces, aún manteniendo sus modales ligeros, Josie preguntó: Затем, сохраняя свою легкомысленную манеру, Джози спросила:

‘Mom, if my grades are so good, do I really have to host this interaction meeting?' |||成績|||||||||||| 'Mamá, si mis calificaciones son tan buenas, ¿realmente tengo que organizar esta reunión de interacción?' «Мама, если у меня такие хорошие оценки, мне действительно нужно проводить эту интерактивную встречу?»

‘Sure you do, honey. 'Claro que sí, cariño. It's not enough just being clever. No basta con ser inteligente. You have to get along with others.' Tienes que llevarte bien con los demás.

‘I know how to get along with others, Mom. 'Sé cómo llevarme bien con los demás, mamá. Just not with this crowd.' Pero no con esta multitud.

‘This crowd happens to be your peer group. 'Esta multitud resulta ser tu grupo de compañeros. And when you get to college, you'll have to deal with all kinds. Y cuando llegues a la universidad, tendrás que lidiar con todo tipo. By the time I got to college, I'd had years of being alongside other kids each and every day. Cuando llegué a la universidad, había pasado años junto a otros niños todos los días. But for you and your generation, it's going to be pretty tough unless you put in some work now. Pero para ti y tu generación, va a ser bastante difícil a menos que te esfuerces un poco ahora. The kids who don't do well in college are always the ones who didn't attend enough meetings.' Los chicos a los que no les va bien en la universidad son siempre los que no asistieron a suficientes reuniones.' Дети, которые плохо учатся в колледже, всегда мало посещают встречи».

‘College is a long way off, Mom.' 'La universidad está muy lejos, mamá.' — Колледж далеко, мама.

‘Not so long as you think.' Then the Mother said more gently, ‘Come on, honey. No tanto como crees. Entonces la Madre dijo más suavemente: 'Vamos, cariño. You can introduce Klara to your friends. Puedes presentar a Klara a tus amigos. They'd be excited to meet her.' Estarían encantados de conocerla.

‘They're not my friends, Mom. No son mis amigos, mamá. And if I have to host this meeting, I want Rick there.' Y si tengo que organizar esta reunión, quiero que Rick esté presente.

For a moment there was silence behind me. Por un momento hubo silencio detrás de mí. Then the Mother said: ‘Okay. Entonces la Madre dijo: 'Está bien. We can certainly do that.' Ciertamente podemos hacer eso.

‘But you think it's a bad idea, right?' 'Pero crees que es una mala idea, ¿verdad?'

‘No. 'No. Not at all. De nada. Rick is a very good person. Rick es una muy buena persona. And he's our neighbor.' Y es nuestro vecino.

‘So he's coming, right?' 'Así que viene, ¿verdad?'

‘Only if he wants to come. Sólo si él quiere venir. It has to be his choice.' Tiene que ser su elección.

‘So you think the other kids will be rude to him?' '¿Entonces crees que los otros niños serán groseros con él?'

There was another wait before the Mother said: ‘I don't see why they would be. Hubo otra espera antes de que la Madre dijera: 'No veo por qué estarían. If someone does behave inappropriately, that'll only show how far behind they are.' ||||不適切に|||||||| Si alguien se comporta de manera inapropiada, eso solo demostrará cuán atrasados están.

‘So no reason Rick can't come.' Así que no hay razón para que Rick no pueda venir.

‘The only reason, Josie, is if he doesn't want to.' —La única razón, Josie, es si él no quiere.

Later on in the bedroom, when it was just the two of us, and Josie was lying in bed ready to go to sleep, she said quietly: Más tarde, en el dormitorio, cuando éramos solo nosotros dos y Josie estaba acostada en la cama lista para dormir, dijo en voz baja:

‘I hope Rick does come to this awful party.' Espero que Rick venga a esta horrible fiesta.

Despite the lateness, I was pleased she'd brought up the interaction meeting, because I was uncertain about many aspects of it. ||遅いこと|||||||||||||||||| A pesar de la tardanza, me complació que ella mencionara la reunión de interacción, porque no estaba seguro de muchos aspectos de la misma. Несмотря на опоздание, я был рад, что она упомянула о интерактивной встрече, потому что я не был уверен во многих ее аспектах.

‘Yes, I hope so too,' I said. —Sí, yo también lo espero —dije—. ‘Will the other young people bring their AFs?' '¿Traerán sus AF los otros jóvenes?'

‘Uh uh. 'Eh, eh. Not the done thing. No es lo hecho. やったことではありません。 But the AF who lives in the house usually attends. Pero suele asistir el AF que vive en la casa. しかし、家に住むAFは通常出席します。 Especially if they're new like you. Especialmente si son nuevos como tú. 特に彼らがあなたのように新しい場合。 They'll all want to inspect you.' ||||調べる| Todos querrán inspeccionarte. 彼らは皆あなたを検査したいと思うでしょう。」

‘So Josie would wish me to be present.' Así que Josie desearía que yo estuviera presente. — Значит, Джози хотела бы, чтобы я присутствовал.

‘Sure I want you to be present. 'Claro que quiero que estés presente. — Конечно, я хочу, чтобы ты присутствовал. It might not be so great for you though. Sin embargo, puede que no sea tan bueno para ti. These meetings stink and that's the truth.' Estas reuniones apestan y esa es la verdad.

— —

On the morning of the interaction meeting, Josie was filled with anxiety. |||||||||||不安 En la mañana de la reunión de interacción, Josie estaba llena de ansiedad. She returned to the bedroom after breakfast to try on different clothes, and even when we could hear her guests arriving, and Melania Housekeeper had called up a third time, she continued brushing her hair. Regresó a la habitación después del desayuno para probarse ropa diferente, e incluso cuando podíamos escuchar a sus invitados llegar, y Melania Housekeeper había llamado por tercera vez, ella continuó cepillándose el cabello. Finally, with many voices audible downstairs, I said to her, ‘Perhaps it's time for us to join Josie's guests.' ||||聞こえる|||||||||||||| Finalmente, con muchas voces audibles abajo, le dije: 'Quizás es hora de que nos unamos a los invitados de Josie'.

Only then did she drop the hairbrush onto the dressing table and rise to her feet. ||||||ヘアブラシ||||||||| Sólo entonces dejó caer el cepillo sobre el tocador y se puso de pie. ‘You're right. 'Estás bien. Time to face the music.' Es hora de enfrentar la música. Время встретиться с музыкой».

Coming down the staircase, I saw the hall was filled with strangers talking in humorous voices. Al bajar las escaleras, vi que el pasillo estaba lleno de extraños que hablaban con voces jocosas. These were the accompanying adults – all of them female. Estos eran los adultos acompañantes, todos ellos mujeres. Younger voices were coming from the Open Plan but the sliding doors had been pulled together, so Josie's guests weren't yet visible to us. Del Open Plan llegaban voces más jóvenes, pero las puertas corredizas se habían cerrado, por lo que los invitados de Josie aún no eran visibles para nosotros.

Josie, on the stairs in front of me, stopped with four steps to go. Josie, en las escaleras frente a mí, se detuvo cuando faltaban cuatro pasos. She might even have turned back if one of the adults hadn't called out, ‘Hi, Josie! Incluso podría haberse dado la vuelta si uno de los adultos no hubiera gritado: '¡Hola, Josie! How you doing?' ¿Cómo estás?'

Josie raised a hand, and then the Mother, moving through the adults in the hall, gestured towards the Open Plan. |||||||||||||||指差した|||| Josie levantó una mano y luego la Madre, moviéndose entre los adultos en el pasillo, hizo un gesto hacia el Open Plan. ‘Go on in,' she called. 'Entra,' ella llamó. — Входите, — позвала она. ‘Your friends are waiting for you.' Tus amigos te están esperando.

I thought the Mother was about to say something further to reinforce this, but other adults had gathered around her, talking and smiling, and she was obliged to turn away from us. |||||||||||強調する|||||||||||||||せざるを得なかった||||| Pensé que la Madre estaba a punto de decir algo más para reforzar esto, pero otros adultos se habían reunido a su alrededor, hablando y sonriendo, y se vio obligada a alejarse de nosotros. Josie did seem to find new courage then, and she went down the remaining steps into the crowd. Josie pareció encontrar un nuevo coraje entonces, y bajó los escalones restantes entre la multitud. I followed, expecting her to go towards the Open Plan, but instead she went through the adults towards the front door, which was open and bringing in fresh air. La seguí, esperando que se dirigiera hacia el Open Plan, pero en lugar de eso, pasó entre los adultos hacia la puerta principal, que estaba abierta y entraba aire fresco. Josie kept moving as though she had a clear purpose, and a passer-by might have thought she was engaged on some important errand on behalf of her guests. Josie siguió moviéndose como si tuviera un propósito claro, y un transeúnte podría haber pensado que estaba ocupada en algún recado importante en nombre de sus invitados. In any case, no one impeded her, and as I followed, I heard many voices around me. |||||behinderte||||||||||| De todos modos, nadie se lo impidió y, mientras la seguía, oí muchas voces a mi alrededor. Someone was saying, ‘Professor Kwan may be wonderful at teaching our children mathematical physics. ||||||||||||数学的な|物理学 Alguien decía: 'El profesor Kwan puede ser maravilloso enseñando física matemática a nuestros hijos. That doesn't give him the right to be uncivil to us,' and another voice said, ‘Europe. ||||||||無礼な||||||| Eso no le da derecho a ser descortés con nosotros', y otra voz dijo: 'Europa. The best housekeepers still come from Europe.' More voices greeted Josie as she passed, and then we were at the front door, touched by the outside air. Las mejores amas de casa siguen viniendo de Europa. Más voces saludaron a Josie cuando pasó, y luego estábamos en la puerta principal, tocados por el aire exterior.

Josie looked out, her foot on the threshold, and shouted into the outdoors: |||||||Schwelle||||| |||||||敷居||||| Josie miró hacia fuera, con el pie en el umbral, y gritó al aire libre: