The Flat Tire in the Mountains

Dario and Naomi had been driving for almost three hours. They were winding up through the mountains toward a cabin they'd rented for the weekend. The road grew narrower with every mile, and cell phone signal had disappeared almost an hour earlier.

达里奥和娜奥米已经开了快三个小时的车。他们正沿着山路蜿蜒而上，前往他们为周末租下的一间小木屋。路越走越窄，手机信号在将近一个小时前就消失了。

Just past a sharp curve, they heard a loud pop, followed by a strange thumping sound. Dario pulled over carefully onto a small patch of gravel at the edge of the road.

刚过一个急转弯，他们就听到“砰”的一声巨响，接着是一种奇怪的“咚咚”声。达里奥小心地把车停在路边一小块碎石地上。

"That doesn't sound good," Naomi said, already unbuckling her seatbelt.

“这声音可不妙。”娜奥米说着，已经解开了安全带。

They got out and found the back-left tire completely flat, torn open by something sharp on the road. Neither of them had ever changed a tire alone. They'd both watched videos about it at some point.

他们下了车，发现左后轮已经完全瘪了，被路上什么尖东西划开了一道大口子。他们俩谁也没有独自换过轮胎。两个人都曾在某个时候看过相关的视频。

"We should have practiced this before we left," Dario admitted, opening the trunk to look for the spare.

“我们出发前应该先练习一下的。”达里奥承认道，一边打开后备厢去找备用轮胎。

Fortunately, the car had a full-size spare and a tool kit tucked beneath the trunk floor. Naomi pulled out her phone, hoping to find instructions, but there was no signal at all. They would have to figure it out together, using only the diagrams printed on the jack itself.

幸运的是，车上有一个全尺寸的备用轮胎，还有一套工具，就收在后备厢底板下面。娜奥米掏出手机，希望能找到操作说明，可是一点信号也没有。他们只能一起摸索，靠的是千斤顶上印着的图示。

It took them almost forty minutes, since neither wanted to make a mistake that could leave them stranded. Dario held the jack steady while Naomi loosened the bolts. They switched roles whenever one of their arms got tired. By the time the spare was finally in place, both of their hands were covered in dust.

他们花了将近四十分钟，因为谁也不想出错，把自己困在这里。达里奥扶稳千斤顶，娜奥米拧松螺栓。只要有一个人的胳膊累了，他们就互换角色。等备用轮胎终于装好时，两个人的手上都沾满了灰尘。

"We actually did it," Naomi said, wiping her forehead and grinning with relief.

“我们居然真的做到了。”娜奥米一边擦着额头，一边如释重负地笑着说。

"Next time, I'm definitely watching one of those videos again before we leave the house," Dario replied. He laughed at how nervous they'd both been.

“下次出门前，我一定要再看一遍那些视频。”达里奥回答。他想到两人刚才有多紧张，不禁笑了起来。

They drove the rest of the way slowly, keeping an eye on the spare tire. They reached the cabin just as the sun began to set behind the peaks.

他们慢慢地开完了剩下的路，一直留意着那个备用轮胎。就在太阳开始落到山峰后面的时候，他们到了小木屋。