通往不同世界的门票

陈佳

As I lay here in my hot， uncomfortable hospital bed， all I can think about is how badly I want to leave this place. It has been four days of doctors giving bad news， medicine injections， procedures， MRIs， and restless nights. I have been able to eat one meal a day due to the surgeries I was scheduled for later. I ask my mom to grab me my keys and on my keychain， there is a soft piece of leather made from my first baseball glove. She gives me a weird look as if she thought I was going to drive myself home， but no， I just want to hold that one thing that symbolizes my true passion. Intertwined1 in the fibers2 of the leather are so many memories that have transformed me as a person.

當我躺在医院里又热又不舒服的床上时，我能想到的就是我多么渴望离开这个地方。四天来，医生们一直在带来坏消息、药物注射、手术、核磁共振成像和不安的夜晚。由于计划稍后做手术，我一天只能吃一顿饭。我让妈妈帮我拿来钥匙，钥匙链上有一块柔软的皮革，是用我的第一只棒球手套做的。她的表情很奇怪，就像以为我要开车回家，但不，我只是想拿着一件象征我真正的激情的东西。皮革的纤维中交织着如此多的记忆，这些记忆把我变成了一个完整的人。

I grab my keys and touch a smooth piece of leather. It is a nice coffee brown and about 3 inches in length. I feel the Rawlings Bull logo that is embossed into the leather. Every time I touch it I think of one thing—baseball. The keychain is made from my first baseball glove that I cherished so much. It carries great moments like home runs and championships as well as moments where I strike out and lose. Each one that is intertwined in the fibers of the leather has transformed me not only as a baseball player， but as a person. Even though it only weighs a couple of ounces， it carries tons of weight.

我拿着钥匙，抚摸着那块光滑的皮革。它是种很好看的咖啡色的，大约3英寸长。我摸得到罗林斯公牛标志压印在皮革上。每次我摸到它，都会想到一个东西——棒球。钥匙链是我非常珍爱的第一只棒球手套做成的。它承载着像本垒打和冠军赛这样伟大的时刻，也承载着我三振出局和输球的时刻。交织在皮革纤维中的每一个时刻，不仅使我成为了一个棒球运动员，而且使我成为了一个完整的人。尽管它只有几盎司重，但它却承载着许多。

Laying in my bed with my eyes closed， I am taken to a field on a hot， clear summer day. The grounds crew is spraying3 the powdery， soft dirt with water to make it more playable. The freshly cut outfield grass is a luscious4 green. The baselines are a gleaming white and perfectly straight. The smell of sunflower seeds and Gatorade5 float through the air. I hear a mix of the umpires6 speaking with the coaches at home plate， but also parents chattering from the bleachers7. My teammates cleats8 are clicking as they walk across the dugout9 anxiously waiting for the championship game. You can feel the pressure that is pushing down on both teams. The umps10 yell over to us “PLAYBALL”. I begin a trot11 out to my home at first base.

我闭着眼睛躺在床上，来到了炎热的晴朗夏日的一片场地上。地面工作人员正在洒着粉状、柔软的尘土和水，使场地更方便玩耍。刚修剪好的外场草地是一片甘美的绿色。（棒球场的）垒线是闪亮的白色而笔直的线。葵瓜子和佳得乐的气味飘荡在空气中。我听到裁判们和教练们在本垒板上交谈，也听到家长们在看台上叽叽喳喳地说话。在我的队友们走过球员席紧张地等待比赛时，他们的防滑钉敲击发出声响，你可以感受到两支球队的压力。裁判员对我们喊“开始比赛”，我开始朝着一垒我的位置小跑。

All of a sudden， my nurse walks in and I jump when I hear her voice. She didnt mean to interrupt， but I need more medicine. Once she leaves， I focus back in and grasp the cowhide. I rub my fingers up and down just feeling this reminder of the game. This time I begin to picture the people that are involved in my baseball life. I imagine my teammates， fans， umpires， opponents， and Coach McClellan. McClellan is a skyscraper of a man standing at six feet six inches. He constantly has a lip filled to the brim12 with tobacco. His rough face and presence give off a sense of knowledge of the game. He barks orders and remembers every tiny detail of the nine innings13. If theres a game going on， you dont mess with him.

突然，护士走了进来，我听到她的声音跳了起来。她不是故意打断我，但我需要换药了。她一离开，我就集中注意力，抓住牛皮。我手指上下摩擦，感受著这件使我回忆起比赛的东西。这次，我开始想到那些参与到我棒球生涯中的人。我想到了我的队友、球迷、裁判员、对手和麦克莱伦教练。麦克莱伦是一个六英尺六英寸高的摩天大楼一样的男人。他经常嘴边叼着烟。他那粗犷的脸庞和存在感给人一种对比赛了若指掌的感觉。他大声发号施令，记得住九局里的每一个小细节。如果有比赛正在进行，你就别跟他捣乱。

I let go and open my eyes， the road trip that I was on in my brain is now over. I am back to a reality of beeping machines， IVs， and a swollen14 arm. A continuous flow of people are moving in and out of the floor. My gaze shifts to the clock on the opposite wall. Almost an hour has passed！Even in tough times the things and people you love can help you escape.

我停止思绪睁开眼睛，脑中的比赛已经结束了。我又回到了机器哔哔叫、静脉打着点滴、手臂肿胀的现实中，不断有人进出这层楼。我的目光移到对面墙上的钟上，已经过了差不多一个小时！即使在艰难时期，你所爱的人和事也能帮助你逃离困境。