Yosef joined the town choir in September. He did not join because he sang well. He joined because his doctor said, "Do something new."
约瑟夫九月加入了镇上的合唱团。他加入并不是因为唱得好，而是因为医生对他说：“做点新鲜事吧。”
The choir met on Thursday nights in a church hall. There were thirty singers. Yosef stood in the back row with the men.
合唱团每周四晚上在教堂的礼堂里聚会。一共有三十位歌手。约瑟夫站在后排，和男士们站在一起。
He had one big problem. He could not read music. The black dots on the page meant nothing to him. When the choir sang, he waited one second. Then he followed the man next to him.
他有一个大问题：他不会看乐谱。纸上那些黑色的小点对他来说毫无意义。合唱团唱歌时，他先等一秒，然后跟着身边的男人唱。
The man next to him was often wrong.
身边的那个男人常常唱错。
Zoe sat in the row in front. She was the youngest singer in the choir. She had a loud, clear voice. She turned around a lot.
佐伊坐在前一排。她是合唱团里最年轻的歌手，嗓音洪亮清澈，还总爱回头。
On the second Thursday, Zoe turned around after a song. "You are always a little late," she said. "Do you know that?"
第二个周四，一首歌唱完后，佐伊转过身来。“你总是慢一点点，”她说，“你知道吗？”
Yosef's face went hot. "I know," he said. "I cannot read the notes."
约瑟夫的脸一下子热了起来。“我知道，”他说，“我看不懂音符。”
"Not at all?"
“一点都看不懂？”
"Not at all."
“一点都看不懂。”
Zoe looked at him. She did not laugh. "Give me your page," she said.
佐伊看着他，没有笑。“把你的谱子给我，”她说。
He gave it to her. She took a blue pencil from her hair. She made marks on the music. She drew a small arrow where the tune went up. She drew a line where it went down. She made a little circle where he must breathe.
他把谱子递给她。她从头发里抽出一支蓝铅笔，在乐谱上做起记号。曲调往上走的地方，她画一个小箭头；往下走的地方，她画一条线；他该换气的地方，她画一个小圆圈。
"Now it is a picture," she said. "Not dots. Follow the arrows."
“现在它是一幅图了，”她说，“不是小黑点。跟着箭头走就行。”
"Thank you," said Yosef. "That is very kind."
“谢谢你，”约瑟夫说，“你真好心。”
"It is a pencil," said Zoe. "Pencils are cheap."
“这只是一支铅笔，”佐伊说，“铅笔很便宜的。”
The next Thursday, Yosef sang the first line on time. Zoe turned around and gave him a small smile. He felt taller.
下一个周四，约瑟夫准时唱出了第一句。佐伊转过身，对他露出一个浅浅的微笑。他觉得自己高大了不少。
Every week she marked his new page before the lesson. She came early. She sat next to him in the back row. They shared a chair and talked while the others arrived.
每个星期，她都会在排练前给他的新谱子做好记号。她来得很早，坐在后排他的身边。两个人共用一把椅子，趁别人还没到，聊聊天。
She told him about her job at a pet shop. He told her about his old job. It was at the post office. She told him her favorite song. He told her his. It was a slow, sad song about a river.
她给他讲她在宠物店的工作。他给她讲自己以前的工作，在邮局。她说了自己最喜欢的歌，他也说了他的，那是一首关于河流的慢悠悠、悲伤的歌。
"We will sing it at the spring concert," Zoe said. "I will ask the leader."
“我们在春季音乐会上唱它吧，”佐伊说，“我去跟指挥说。”
"Do you think she will say yes?"
“你觉得她会答应吗？”
"She always says yes to me," Zoe said. "I am loud."
“她总是答应我，”佐伊说，“因为我嗓门大。”
In March, the leader said yes. The river song was on the program. Yosef had a solo of four lines. He practiced at home every night. He sang to his cat.
三月，指挥答应了。那首河之歌排进了节目单。约瑟夫有一段四句的独唱。他每天晚上在家练习，唱给他的猫听。
On the night of the concert, the church was full. Yosef stood on the stage. His hands were cold. He opened his folder and looked at the page.
音乐会那天晚上，教堂里坐满了人。约瑟夫站在台上，双手冰凉。他打开文件夹，看着那一页谱子。
The marks were there. The arrows and the lines and the circles for breathing. At the bottom of the page, he saw something new.
记号都在：箭头、线条，还有换气用的小圆圈。在页面底部，他看见了新的东西。
In small blue letters, Zoe wrote, "Slow down. Smile here. I hear every note."
那是用蓝色小字写的一行话：“慢一点。在这里微笑。我听得见每一个音。”
Yosef looked up. Zoe stood in the front row. She did not turn around. She lifted her pencil over her shoulder, just a little.
约瑟夫抬起头。佐伊站在第一排，没有回头。她把铅笔举过肩头，只举了一点点。
He took a breath in the circle. Then he sang his four lines. He was not late.
他在圆圈的地方吸了一口气，然后唱出了自己的四句。他没有慢。
