笑声

蕾妮和我看起来不像姐妹……不是一眼就能看出来的那种。人们可以看出拉切尔和露西是,因为她们有一模一样的雪糕似的厚嘴唇,她们家所有人的嘴唇都是那样的。可我们不是那种像法。我和蕾妮,我们相像的地方比你能看到的多。比如我们的笑声。不是拉切尔和露西一家人那样羞涩的傻笑,像冰淇淋铃声一样,而是突然的、吃惊的笑,像一叠盘子打碎了的感觉。还有其他一些我没法说清楚的地方。

一天我们经过一座房子,我心想,它看起来像我过去在墨西哥见过的房子。我不知道为什么。这房子和我记忆中的房子没有什么地方是一模一样的。我甚至不知道为什么我这么想。可它就是给我那种感觉。

看那房子,我说,它看着像是墨西哥的。

拉切尔和露西看着我,好像我在发傻一样。可还没等她们笑出来,蕾妮就说:没错,那就是墨西哥式的。而那恰恰是我当时的想法。

Laughter

Nenny and I don't look like sisters……not right away. Not the way you can tell with Rachel and Lucy who have the same fat popsicle lips like everybody else in their family. But me and Nenny, we are more alike than you would know. Our laughter for example. Not the shy ice cream bells'giggle of Rachel and Lucy's family, but all of a sudden and surprised like a pile of dishes breaking. And other things I can't explain.

One day we were passing a house that looked, in my mind, like houses I had seen in Mexico. I don't know why. There was nothing about the house that looked exactly like the houses I remembered. I'm not even sure why I thought it, but it seemed to feel right.

Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico.

Rachel and Lucy look at me like I'm crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny says:Yes, that's Mexico all right. That's what I was thinking exactly.