Hazel swims at the town pool every morning at seven. She likes lane four. It is the slow lane. The water is calm, and the pool is almost empty.
黑兹尔每天早上七点都去镇上的游泳池游泳。她喜欢四号道，那是慢速道。水面平静，泳池里几乎没有人。
She swims slowly. She counts each lap in her head. Her goal is twenty laps. She never goes faster. She never hurries. One Monday, a man jumps into lane four. He swims very fast. His feet kick water into her face. Hazel stops and coughs.
她游得很慢，在心里数着每一圈，目标是二十圈。她从不加快速度，也从不着急。一个星期一，一个男人跳进了四号道。他游得飞快，脚打起的水花溅了她一脸。黑兹尔停下来，咳嗽起来。
The man stops too. "I am so sorry," he says.
那个男人也停了下来。“真对不起。”他说。
"The fast lanes are full today."
“快速道今天满了。”
"This is the slow lane," Hazel says.
“这是慢速道。”黑兹尔说。
"I know. I am not slow, but I am not rude. I will try to be careful."
“我知道。我不慢，但我也不是不讲礼貌。我会尽量小心的。”
He tries. On the next lap, he passes her and kicks again. Hazel shakes her head. She swims to the wall and holds on. A sign on the wall says, "Swim on the right."
他试了试。可下一圈，他从她身边超过去，又溅了她一身水。黑兹尔摇摇头。她游到池边，扶住池壁。墙上有块牌子写着：“靠右游。”
"Sir," she says.
“先生，”她说。
"Please swim on the right."
“请靠右游。”
"I am on the right," he says.
“我就在右边啊。”他说。
"No. You are in the middle."
“不对，你在中间。”
The man looks around. He laughs. "You are correct. I am Imran."
男人四下看了看，笑了起来。“你说得对。我叫伊姆兰。”
"Hazel," she says.
“黑兹尔。”她说。
"Twenty laps for me. How many for you?"
“我游二十圈。你游几圈？”
"Forty," Imran says.
“四十圈，”伊姆兰说。
"But I only count to ten. Then I start again."
“可我只会数到十，然后就重新开始数。”
On Tuesday, he comes back. He swims on the right this time. He still kicks water, but only a little. Hazel does not mind. At the wall, he says, "Good morning, lane four."
星期二，他又来了。这次他靠右游。他还是会溅起水花，不过只溅一点点。黑兹尔并不介意。到了池边，他说：“早上好，四号道。”
On Wednesday, they talk for five minutes between laps. He says he works at a bank. He hates his tie. He loves the pool. Nobody wears a tie in the water. She says she teaches music to small children. Her day is loud, so she wants a quiet morning.
星期三，两人在两圈之间聊了五分钟。他说他在银行上班，讨厌自己的领带，却喜欢游泳池，因为没有人在水里系领带。她说她教小朋友音乐，白天吵吵闹闹，所以她想要一个安静的早晨。
On Thursday, Imran is early. He waits at the wall. "Today I swim slowly," he says. "I want to see how it feels."
星期四，伊姆兰来得很早。他在池边等着。“今天我要游得慢一点，”他说。“我想看看是什么感觉。”
He swims very slowly. It looks strange. His arms are too big for the speed. Hazel tries not to laugh. When he finishes, he is tired. "Slow swimming is hard," he says.
他游得非常慢，样子很奇怪。他的胳膊太有劲了，跟这个速度不相配。黑兹尔忍着不笑。游完后，他累坏了。“慢慢游真难，”他说。
"How do you do it?"
“你是怎么做到的？”
"I think about songs," Hazel says.
“我会想歌，”黑兹尔说。
"One song for each lap."
“每游一圈，想一首歌。”
On Friday, Hazel does not come. She has a cold, so she stays in bed. Imran arrives and looks at the empty lane. He swims forty laps. But he cannot count them. He starts at ten again and again. The lifeguard laughs at him.
星期五，黑兹尔没有来。她感冒了，躺在床上。伊姆兰到了泳池，看着空空的泳道。他游了四十圈，可他数不清了，一次又一次从十开始重数。救生员笑话他。
On Saturday, Hazel comes back. She has a red nose. Imran is at the wall with a small bottle. "What is that?" she asks.
星期六，黑兹尔回来了。她的鼻子红红的。伊姆兰在池边等着，手里拿着一个小瓶子。“那是什么？”她问。
"Honey and lemon," he says.
“蜂蜜柠檬水，”他说。
"For your cold. I lost count on Friday. I swam all morning. I do not know how many laps I did."
“给你治感冒的。星期五我数乱了。我游了一整个早上，不知道到底游了多少圈。”
"Maybe fifty," Hazel says. "Maybe a hundred. I was lonely, so it felt like a hundred." Hazel smiles. She drinks a little from the bottle. It is warm and sweet. Then she puts her swimming cap on.
“也许五十圈，”黑兹尔说。“也许一百圈。我很孤单，所以感觉像一百圈。”黑兹尔笑了。她从瓶子里喝了一小口，又暖又甜。然后她戴上了泳帽。
"Today I want to try a fast lap," she says. "Then I will swim a slow one," says Imran.
“今天我想试试快游一圈，”她说。“那我就游一圈慢的，”伊姆兰说。
They stand at the wall. Hazel counts to three. They push off together. Halfway down, they meet in the middle, side by side. Neither of them is fast, and neither is slow. They swim on the right, all the way.
他们站在池边。黑兹尔数到三。两人一起蹬离池壁。游到一半，他们在中间相遇，肩并着肩。谁也不快，谁也不慢。他们一路靠右游到了终点。
