When Staring Hurts 目光傷人 Track 4
by Rosalie Ferrer Kramer
翻譯:常青

相信每個人都曾被陌生路人注視、打量過,這種注視的目光大多令人感到不快甚至反感,友善、暖心的目光并不常會遇到。不過,注視完了也就過去了,誰也不會往心里去。然而,下面這個故事的主人公卻不幸是身患重病的殘疾人,每天只要出門就要承受各種瞪視、呆視、情感復雜的打量和粗魯的指指點點。也許瞪視者沒有惡意,議論者也只是好奇,但這樣的情景屢屢發生會無形中給被瞪視、被議論者很大的傷害和困擾。一個社會的素質,從路人的目光中可見一斑。
Once upon a time, whenever I was out with my children—Iris, Marc and Danny—strangers stared at them and told me how2)attractive they were.But that was before my Marc and Danny became3)wheelchair4)bound due to5)muscular dystrophy.Then, going anywhere with the boys led to a different kind of staring.
lt’s sad that even in these times, when people are supposed to know better, my boys still get stared at.A quick6)glance would be one thing, but the7)veiled look, the pointing, or the8)unabashed, open-mouthed9)gawking is difficult to bear.
Watching us enter a restaurant is quite a sight and we get lots of stares.We10)charge in with our electric wheelchairs, we make11)adjustments to the table, we cut the boys’ food, and they wear12)splints on their13)wrists so they can hold their forks.The boys like to go out to eat so we decided to do something about the staring.Here’s what we do—we stare back.
However, just getting into a restaurant can be a problem.One time Marc wanted to go to the new Big Boy restaurant for his birthday.The restaurants were being greatly14)advertised ontelevision with the big Elias Brother’s fat Big Boy,in the red and white15)checkered clothes, going around and around on a thirty-foot16)pole waving to one and all.Watching that ad caused Marc to think that he was being personally invited.So I wasn’t surprised when he said that he wanted to go there for his birthday.
First I called the Big Boy to make sure our group of seven, including grandma and our assistant could be seated there.I explained the situation to the manager but he said, “We don’t take17)reservations.”
I was18)dumbfounded so I explained, “Well I just didn’t want to cause a19)sensation, and I thought you could put us in that quiet corner in the back where you have the super big20)booth.There will be seven people, two in wheelchairs.”
“I told you lady...”
“Mister, this is a special situation.”
He hung up.I put the phone down and called the21)corporate offices of Elias Brothers who owned the Big Boy22)franchise.As an23)advocate for the disabled, one must be prepared to ask for help.Mr.Elias listened to me without cutting in.When I paused for a breath he said, “Mrs.Kramer,you just call me anytime you want to go to any Big Boy, and a table will be reserved for you and your24)party whether is it seven people or twenty-five.”
We went, as quietly as possible, to the Big Boy near our home.The manager greeted us at the door25)bowing and walking backwards, like a26)maitre in a fancy restaurant.Every eye in the place was on us, but our son was very happy.He said with a smile, “Let’s do our thing, Mom.”
“Okay Marc, who seems like the27)prime culprit to you?”
“I see a kid in a red hat.Even his mom is staring; they’re being very rude.And that28)busboy is standing stone cold29)still just looking and looking.”
We stared away and it worked, as always.Sometimes everyone laughs—the starers and the starees.It breaks the ice and shows people around us that we are just a regular family with a few problems.


大男孩國際餐飲有限公司(B i g Boy Restaurants International, LLC.)創立于1936年,最初以特色食物“Big Boy漢堡包”聞名,這種漢堡包形似“歪歪扭扭的滑稽塔樓”,還有個昵稱叫“胖男孩”?!耙寥R亞斯兄弟”是大男孩國際連鎖餐廳的首個加盟代理商,于1987年買下整條連鎖產業,將兩個總部分別設在美國密歇根州沃倫市和大底特律都市區,一直經營至2000年破產轉讓。大男孩國際連鎖餐廳目前在美國有100家分店,在日本有279家。

1) stare [ste?] v.瞪視,盯著看
2) attractive [?'tr?ktIv] adj.有吸引力的
3) wheelchair ['wi?lt?e?] n.輪椅
4) bound [ba?nd] adj.被束縛的
5) muscular dystrophy 肌肉萎縮癥
6) glance [gl?ns] n.一瞥,匆匆一看
7) veiled [veIld] adj.含蓄的,不清楚的
8) unabashed ['?n?'b??t] adj.厚臉皮的,不害羞的
9) gawk [g??k] v.呆呆地看
10) charge in 沖進,快速進入
11) adjustment [?'d??stm?nt] n.調整,調節
12) splint [splInt] n.(用來固定斷骨的)夾板,托板
13) wrist [rIst] n.手腕
14) advertise ['?dv?taIz] v.做廣告
15) checkered ['t?ek?d] adj.有方格的
16) pole [p??l] n.桿
17) reservation [rez?'veI?n]n.保留,(旅館房間等)預定、預約
18) dumbfounded [d?m'fa?ndId]adj.啞然失聲的,目瞪口呆的
19) sensation [sen'seI??n] n.轟動,引起轟動的人或事
20) booth [bu?e] n.飯館中的隔間
21) corporate office 公司總部
22) franchise ['fr?nt?aIz] n.經銷權,特許經營權
23) advocate ['?dv?keIt] n.擁護者,提倡者
24) party ['pα?tI] n.團體,一伙人
25) bow [b??] v.鞠躬,彎腰
26) maitre [法] n.管家,餐廳領班
27) prime culprit 罪魁禍首
28) busboy ['b?s'b?I] n.餐館雜工
29) still [stIl] adv.靜止地,不動地

take reservation 接受預訂
例句:Could you take reservation?
你們接受預訂嗎?
同義表達:accept booking
例句:We can’t accept any more bookings.我們不能再接受任何預訂了。
cause/create a sensation 引起轟動
例句:His poem appeared in a newspaper,which caused a sensation at that time.
他的詩登在了報紙上,這在當時引起了轟動。I knew I should create a great sensation.
我就知道我會大出風頭的。
英語后綴-er和-ee
后綴-er附于動詞后面,表示“施動者”,即動作的執行者;后綴-ee附于動詞后面,表示“受動者”,即動作的承受者。文中的stare 與-er結合形成派生詞starer(瞪視者),與-ee結合形成派生詞staree(被瞪視者)。文中出現的franchise(經銷權)一詞也可以這樣變化:franchiser(授予特權者)—franchisee(經銷商)。這種構詞方法十分常見,例如:trainer(訓練員,助理教練)—trainee(學員,培訓生,受訓者),interviewer(采訪者)—interviewee(受訪者),employer(雇主)—employee(雇員),examiner(考官,主考人)—examinee(考生,應試者)。
參考譯文
從前,每當我和我的三個孩子—艾爾麗斯、馬爾克和丹尼一起外出,路人都會盯著他們,還會跟我說我的孩子們很可愛。可是,后來因為肌肉萎縮癥,馬爾克和丹尼只能靠輪椅行動。自那之后,每次我帶他們出去便會招來別樣的目光。
讓人傷心的是,在當今時代,人們對這個病應該有了更多的了解,可是我的孩子們依然被路人盯著看。如果是輕輕的一瞥,那沒什么。但那些微妙含糊的目光,那些指指點點,甚至是目瞪口呆的神情,都叫人難以承受。
我們一家人去餐廳吃飯會成為一景,吸引眾人的目光。我們的電動輪椅開進餐廳,我們調整桌子的高度,我給孩子們切食物,他們的手腕要綁著夾板才能握穩刀叉。孩子們喜歡在外面吃飯,不得已之下,我們決定這樣應對那些異樣的目光—瞪回去。
然而,進入餐廳本身就已經是個問題。有一次馬爾克想去新開張的“大男孩”餐廳慶祝生日。電視上大肆宣傳著這家餐館?!耙寥R亞斯兄弟”公司旗下“大男孩”連鎖餐廳的廣告里面,穿著紅白格子服裝的胖嘟嘟的“大男孩”塑像在一根30英尺的桿子上繞著圈,向每個人招手。看完那個廣告之后,馬爾克認為自己被特別邀請到餐廳用餐了。所以當他說要在那里慶祝生日時,我并沒有感到驚訝。
一開始,我給“大男孩”餐廳打電話,要確認會有座位能容下我們全家七個人,包括奶奶和我們的護工。我向經理說明我們家的情況后,經理說:“我們餐廳不接受訂位。”
我頓時驚呆了。我解釋說:“我只是不想引起轟動,我以為您能給我們安排角落里安靜的大卡座。我們總共有七個人,其中兩位坐著輪椅?!?/p>
“女士,我已經告訴過你了……”
“先生,這是特殊情況?!?/p>
他掛了電話。我又給“大男孩”餐廳的經銷公司“伊萊亞斯兄弟”的總部打了電話。身為殘疾人權利的倡導者,我必須時刻準備為殘疾人尋求援助。伊萊亞斯先生傾聽著我的訴求,一直沒有插話。當我停頓下來歇口氣時,他說:“克雷默太太,任何時候您想去任何一家‘大男孩’餐廳用餐,只要給我打電話,餐廳就會為您預留座位。無論你們有7個人還是25個人,餐廳的大門永遠為您打開?!?/p>
于是,我們盡可能低調地來到離家不遠的“大男孩”餐廳。餐廳經理像五星級飯店里面的領班一樣迎接我們。他在門口向我們鞠躬,走路也始終面朝我們。餐廳里每個人的目光都投向我們,不過我的兒子非常高興。他笑著說:“媽媽,我們也開始行動吧?!?/p>
“好的,馬爾克,你覺得是誰帶頭盯著你的?”
“我看到一個戴著紅帽子的小孩。連他的媽媽也一直在盯著我們,非常無禮。那個餐廳服務員也像冷冰冰的石頭一樣站著一動不動,不停地打量著我們?!?/p>
我們也瞪回去。像往常一樣,這十分奏效。有時候,瞪人者和被瞪者都笑了起來。這反而打破了僵局,同時也向周圍的人表明,我們只是一個有些小問題的普通家庭。