The Broken Washing Machine

Patrick's washing machine had been making a strange noise for a week. On Thursday morning, it finally stopped working. He opened the door and found a soaking wet, half-washed load of towels sitting inside.

帕特里克的洗衣机已经发出怪声一个星期了。星期四早上，它终于不转了。他打开门，看到里面是一堆湿透的、只洗了一半的毛巾。

He tried restarting it twice, but the machine only buzzed and refused to turn. Patrick sighed and called the building's maintenance line. A recorded voice told him a technician could come on Tuesday, five days away.

他试着重启了两次，可机器只是嗡嗡响，就是不转。帕特里克叹了口气，给大楼的维修热线打了电话。一个录音告诉他，技术人员星期二才能来，还要等五天。

"Five days," Patrick muttered, looking at the growing pile of laundry in the corner of his bathroom. He had work clothes, gym clothes, and a stack of towels that all needed washing before then.

“五天，”帕特里克嘟囔着，看着浴室角落里越堆越高的脏衣服。他有上班穿的衣服，有健身穿的衣服，还有一摞毛巾，这些都得在那之前洗好。

He called Gabriel, the building superintendent, hoping for better news. "I'm sorry," Gabriel said. "We're short-staffed this week, and Tuesday is the earliest anyone is available."

他给大楼管理员加布里埃尔打了电话，希望能听到好一点的消息。“很抱歉，”加布里埃尔说，“这个星期我们人手不够，星期二已经是最早有人的时候了。”

Patrick decided he couldn't wait. He looked up the nearest laundromat, which turned out to be a fifteen-minute walk from his building. If he carries everything in one trip, he can finish it all in one afternoon.

帕特里克决定不能再等。他查了最近的自助洗衣店，发现从他住的楼走过去要十五分钟。如果他一趟就把所有东西都带去，一个下午就能全部洗完。

He filled two large bags with dirty clothes and set out early Saturday morning. The laundromat was quiet, with only one other customer folding sheets near the window.

他把脏衣服装满两个大袋子，星期六一大早就出了门。洗衣店里很安静，只有另一位顾客在窗边叠床单。

Patrick had never used a laundromat before, and the machines looked more complicated than his own. A woman working there noticed him studying the instructions and walked over. "First time here?" she asked kindly.

帕特里克以前从没用过自助洗衣店，这里的机器看起来比他家的复杂。店里的一位女士看见他在研究说明，就走了过来。“第一次来吗？”她和气地问。

"Is it that obvious?" Patrick said, laughing.

“有那么明显吗？”帕特里克笑着说。

She showed him which machines took coins and which used a card. She also explained how long each cycle usually took. Patrick thanked her and loaded his first machine.

她告诉他哪些机器投硬币，哪些刷卡。她还讲了每个程序大概要多久。帕特里克向她道了谢，把衣服放进了第一台机器。

While he waited, he sat by the window with his phone. He half-read the news and half-watched people walk by outside. It was strange, but not unpleasant, to have nowhere to be for an hour.

等待的时候，他拿着手机坐在窗边。他一半在看新闻，一半在看外面走过的人。一个小时哪儿都不用去，这种感觉有点奇怪，但并不讨厌。

By early afternoon, Patrick had finished all of his laundry, folded and bagged. He walked home with clean clothes for the first time in days.

到了下午早些时候，帕特里克把所有衣服都洗完了，叠好，装了袋。几天来第一次，他穿着干净的衣服走回了家。

On Tuesday, the technician arrived and fixed the machine within twenty minutes. Patrick thanked him, closed the door behind him, and loaded the first real wash in almost a week.

星期二，技术人员来了，二十分钟就修好了机器。帕特里克向他道了谢，关上门，放进了将近一个星期以来的第一桶真正的衣服。