Noa bought a green sofa from a man named Rafe. He said he could bring it to her flat. She lived on the fourth floor.
诺亚从一个叫雷夫的男人那里买了一张绿色沙发。他说可以把它送到她的公寓。她住在四楼。
Rafe came on Saturday morning. He looked at the narrow stairs. Then he looked at the sofa.
雷夫星期六上午来了。他看了看狭窄的楼梯，又看了看沙发。
"Which floor?" he asked.
“几楼？”他问。
"The fourth," Noa said.
“四楼，”诺亚说。
"There is no lift?"
“没有电梯？”
"No lift," she said. "Only stairs. And you."
“没有电梯，”她说，“只有楼梯，还有你。”
"I am a man with a sofa," Rafe said. "I am not a man with magic."
“我是个搬沙发的人，”雷夫说，“不是变魔术的人。”
Noa laughed. She took the front end. Rafe took the back end. The sofa was heavy and very wide.
诺亚笑了。她抬起前端，雷夫抬起后端。沙发又重又宽。
"Go slowly," he said. "I cannot see my feet."
“慢点走，”他说，“我看不见自己的脚。”
"I cannot see anything," Noa said. "The sofa is in my face."
“我什么都看不见，”诺亚说，“沙发都顶到我脸上了。”
They climbed to the first floor. Then the stairs turned left. The sofa did not turn.
他们爬到了二楼。接着楼梯向左拐，可沙发不会拐。
"Push," Noa said.
“推，”诺亚说。
"I push," Rafe said. "The sofa does not listen."
“我在推，”雷夫说，“沙发不听话。”
"Now pull," he said a moment later.
“现在拉，”过了一会儿他又说。
"I pull," Noa said. "The sofa hates me."
“我在拉，”诺亚说，“沙发恨我。”
"It does not hate you. It hates the wall."
“它不恨你，它恨的是墙。”
A door opened above them. A man named Bram looked down. He held a cup of coffee.
头顶上有一扇门开了。一个叫布拉姆的男人探头往下看，手里端着一杯咖啡。
"Good morning," Bram said. "Do you need help?"
“早上好，”布拉姆说，“需要帮忙吗？”
"No," said Rafe.
“不用，”雷夫说。
"Yes," said Noa.
“要，”诺亚说。
Bram drank some coffee. "I think I will watch," he said. "It is a good show." Then he went back inside and shut his door.
布拉姆喝了一口咖啡。“我想我还是看着吧，”他说，“这场戏挺好看。”说完他回屋关上了门。
Noa sat on the stair and looked at the sofa. She thought for a minute. Then she stood up.
诺亚坐在台阶上看着沙发，想了一分钟，然后站了起来。
"Let us stand it on its end," she said. "Like a tall door."
“我们把它竖起来吧，”她说，“像一扇高高的门。”
"That is clever," Rafe said.
“这主意真聪明，”雷夫说。
They lifted the sofa together. It stood up with a loud bump. Now Noa and Rafe stood face to face. The sofa stood between them.
他们一起把沙发抬了起来，它“砰”的一声立住了。现在诺亚和雷夫面对面站着，沙发立在两人中间。
Rafe had kind brown eyes and dust in his hair. Noa looked at him for too long.
雷夫有一双温和的棕色眼睛，头发上沾着灰尘。诺亚看了他好久。
"Hello," he said.
“你好，”他说。
"Hello," she said. "We are stuck."
“你好，”她说，“我们卡住了。”
"I know. I like it here."
“我知道。我喜欢这儿。”
"You like a dusty stair?"
“你喜欢一个满是灰尘的楼梯？”
"I like the company," Rafe said. "The sofa is a bit rude."
“我喜欢有人作伴，”雷夫说，“就是这沙发有点没礼貌。”
Noa laughed again. She pushed hard. The sofa slid around the corner. They went up the last two floors. They had only one small argument.
诺亚又笑了。她使劲一推，沙发滑过了拐角。他们爬完了最后两层，中间只吵了一次小架。
At the fourth floor, Noa opened her door wide. Rafe pushed the sofa forward. It went in an inch and stopped.
到了四楼，诺亚把门大大地打开。雷夫往前推沙发，它进去了一寸就卡住了。
"The door is small," Rafe said.
“门太小了，”雷夫说。
"The door is normal," Noa said. "The sofa is huge."
“门是正常的，”诺亚说，“是沙发太大了。”
They tried it on its side. They tried it on its back. They tried it with Rafe on one side. Then Noa tried the other side. Both of them said, "Gently, gently."
他们试着把它侧过来，又试着把它放倒。先是雷夫在一边使劲，然后诺亚换到另一边。两个人都说：“轻点，轻点。”
At last they sat on the sofa in the hall. It was a very good sofa. It was soft and cool. After the stairs, it felt wonderful.
最后，他们坐在门厅里的沙发上。这是一张非常好的沙发，又软又凉。爬了那么多楼梯之后，坐上去感觉太棒了。
"I want to say something," Rafe said.
“我有话想说，”雷夫说。
"Please do."
“请说。”
"I forgot to measure your door."
“我忘了量你家的门。”
"I forgot to measure my sofa," Noa said.
“我忘了量我的沙发，”诺亚说。
"You did not forget. You bought it from me."
“你没忘。你是从我这儿买的。”
"Then it is your fault."
“那就是你的错。”
"Yes," Rafe said. "It is." He looked at the sofa and then at the door. Then he looked at the window down the hall. "Do you have a rope?"
“对，”雷夫说，“是我的错。”他看了看沙发，又看了看门，然后望向走廊尽头的窗户。“你有绳子吗？”
Noa stood up and looked at the window too. "Yes," she said. "In the kitchen."
诺亚站起来，也看了看那扇窗。“有，”她说，“在厨房里。”
Rafe took off his shoes and put his feet up. "I am not moving," he said. "I live here now."
雷夫脱下鞋，把脚翘了起来。“我不走了，”他说，“我住这儿了。”
"Then you pay rent," Noa said. She gave him the rope. "Start with the window."
“那你得付房租，”诺亚说。她把绳子递给他。“先从窗户开始。”
