Every evening, Mateo sets the table for dinner. It is his job. He puts out four plates, four forks, and four glasses. There are four people in his family. That is easy math.
每天傍晚，马特奥都要摆好晚饭的餐桌。这是他的活儿。他摆出四个盘子、四把叉子和四个杯子。他家有四口人。这道算术很简单。
But on Monday, he finds a fifth plate. It sits at the end. It is blue, with a white fork next to it. Mateo did not put it there. He looks at it for a long time. "Quinn," he says to his sister. "Did you set a plate?"
可是星期一，他发现多了第五个盘子。它放在桌子的一头。那是蓝色的，旁边有一把白叉子。马特奥没有放它。他看了很久。“奎恩，”他对姐姐说，“你摆盘子了吗？”
"No," says Quinn. She sits on the couch with a book.
“没有，”奎恩说。她坐在沙发上看书。
"That is your job."
“那是你的活儿。”
"Then who did it?" She shrugs and does not look up from her book. So Mateo takes the plate back to the kitchen. He puts it in the cupboard and closes the door. He feels a little odd about it.
“那是谁摆的呢？”她耸耸肩，眼睛没有离开书。于是马特奥把盘子拿回厨房。他把它放进橱柜，关上门。他心里觉得有点怪怪的。
On Tuesday, the same thing happens. Four plates are on the table. A fifth sits at the end. It is blue again. The fork is on the left side. Mateo stares at it. This time, he decides to be a detective.
星期二，同样的事又发生了。桌上有四个盘子。第五个放在桌子的一头。又是蓝色的。叉子在左边。马特奥盯着它。这一次，他决定当一回侦探。
He asks his mother. She cooks rice and hardly listens. "A plate?" she says.
他去问妈妈。她正在煮饭，几乎没在听。“盘子？”她说，
"Maybe you made a mistake." He asks his father, who works late and eats later. His father laughs.
“也许是你弄错了。”他又去问爸爸，爸爸工作到很晚，吃饭也晚。爸爸笑了。
"I never set the table, Mateo. You know that."
“我从来不摆桌子，马特奥。你知道的。”
He asks his grandfather, who lives in the next room. His grandfather only says, "A plate is a plate."
他又去问爷爷，爷爷住在隔壁房间。爷爷只说：“盘子就是盘子。”
Mateo does not give up. On Wednesday, he sets the table at four o'clock. Then he sits on the stairs and watches it. He holds a notebook and a pencil. In the notebook, he writes: 4:00. Table ready. 4 plates.
马特奥没有放弃。星期三，他四点钟就摆好了桌子。然后他坐在楼梯上看着它。他拿着一个笔记本和一支铅笔。他在本子上写道：4:00。餐桌摆好。4个盘子。
Nothing happens for an hour. At five o'clock, his mother walks through the kitchen. She does not go near the table. At five-thirty, Quinn passes with a glass of water. Mateo writes it down. At six, he is hungry and bored.
一个小时过去了，什么也没发生。五点钟，妈妈走过厨房。她没有靠近餐桌。五点半，奎恩端着一杯水走过。马特奥把它记了下来。到了六点，他又饿又无聊。
At ten past six, he goes to wash his hands. He comes back. There are five plates now. "What?" he says. The blue plate sits at the end of the table. The white fork shines in the lamp light. Mateo spins around. The kitchen is empty. The hall is empty. Only the clock ticks on the wall.
六点十分，他去洗手。回来的时候，桌上已经有五个盘子了。“什么？”他说。蓝盘子放在桌子的一头。白叉子在灯光里闪着光。马特奥猛地转过身。厨房里没有人。走廊里也没有人。只有墙上的钟在滴答作响。
He looks at his notebook. He writes: 6:10. Fifth plate. Nobody here. Mateo is very serious now. He asks himself some questions. Who has a reason to add a plate? Who knows where the blue plates are? Who can move without noise?
他看着笔记本。他写道：6:10。第五个盘子。这里没有人。马特奥现在非常严肃。他问自己几个问题。谁有理由多放一个盘子？谁知道蓝盘子放在哪儿？谁能不出一点声音地走动？
He thinks about the family. His mother is busy. His sister reads. His grandfather moves slowly. His father is still at work. And then Mateo stops. His father is at work. His father always eats late.
他想起了家里人。妈妈很忙。姐姐在看书。爷爷走得很慢。爸爸还在上班。然后马特奥停住了。爸爸还在上班。爸爸总是很晚才吃饭。
He opens the oven. Inside, there is a pot with a lid. It is warm. A paper sits on the pot. It has words in his mother's writing. For Dad. Warm.
他打开烤箱。里面有一口带盖子的锅。锅是温的。锅上放着一张纸。上面是妈妈的字迹。给爸爸。热的。
Mateo takes out the pot. He holds it for a moment. Then he looks at the blue plate. It is for his father. He is tired and hungry after work. He hears the front door. His father comes in with his bag. He looks tired. He sees the table, and he sees the blue plate.
马特奥把锅拿出来。他捧了一会儿。然后他看着那个蓝盘子。它是给爸爸的。爸爸下班后又累又饿。他听见前门响了。爸爸提着包走进来。他看起来很累。他看见了餐桌，也看见了那个蓝盘子。
"Hello," says his father.
“你好，”爸爸说。
"Why is the table still ready?"
“桌子怎么还摆着？”
"I want to know who sets this plate," says Mateo. His father looks at the plate. Then he looks at the notebook. A small smile comes to his face.
“我想知道是谁摆了这个盘子，”马特奥说。爸爸看着那个盘子。然后他看了看笔记本。他脸上露出一丝小小的微笑。
"Your mother does it," he says.
“是你妈妈摆的，”他说。
"Every night. She sets my place. Then I know someone waits for me."
“每天晚上。她给我留好位子。这样我就知道有人在等我。”
"But why does she hide it?" asks Mateo.
“可是她为什么要藏起来呢？”马特奥问。
"She does not hide it," says his father.
“她没有藏，”爸爸说。
"You took it away on Monday." Mateo's face goes red. He closes the notebook.
“是你星期一把它拿走的。”马特奥的脸红了。他合上笔记本。
"I am a bad detective," he says.
“我是个糟糕的侦探，”他说。
"No," says his father.
“不，”爸爸说。
"You are a good son. Will you sit by me tonight?"
“你是个好儿子。今晚你愿意坐在我旁边吗？”
Mateo smiles. He moves his plate beside the blue one.
马特奥笑了。他把自己的盘子挪到蓝盘子旁边。
