Amir has two job offers sitting on his desk. He has exactly two days to decide between them.
阿米尔的桌上放着两份工作邀请。他只有两天时间，要在它们之间做出选择。
The first is at the bookstore downtown, a few hours a week, helping customers and restocking shelves. It pays less than minimum wage would somewhere else. But the owner has already said he can write during slow afternoons, if the store is empty. The second is at a warehouse near the highway, sorting packages for almost twice the pay. More hours are available too, if he wants them.
第一份在市中心的书店，每周工作几个小时，帮顾客找书，整理补充书架。它的薪水比别处的最低工资还低。不过老板已经说了，要是店里没人，他可以在清闲的下午写东西。第二份在高速公路旁的一个仓库，分拣包裹，薪水差不多是书店的两倍。如果他愿意，还可以多排一些班。
His parents don't say much about it directly. But he can tell his father thinks the warehouse job is the obvious choice. "You're saving for a car," his father reminds him at dinner. "The extra money adds up faster than you'd think."
他的父母没有直接多说什么。但他看得出来，父亲认为仓库那份工作显然是更好的选择。“你不是在攒钱买车吗，”父亲在晚饭时提醒他，“多出来的钱，攒起来比你想的要快。”
Amir knows that's true. He has done the math more than once. If he takes the warehouse job, he could have a car by next spring, maybe even sooner.
阿米尔知道这是真的。他已经算过不止一次了。如果去仓库工作，他到明年春天就能有一辆车，说不定还会更早。
But the bookstore keeps pulling at him in a way he can't fully explain. He has been writing stories in a notebook since he was twelve. He has never once had somewhere quiet to actually do it. His house is noisy, and the school library is always crowded.
可是书店总是以一种他说不清的方式吸引着他。他从十二岁起就在笔记本上写故事。可他从来没有过一个真正安静的地方来写。他家里很吵，学校的图书馆又总是挤满了人。
That night, he calls his older cousin, who works two jobs herself. She rarely has time for anything else. "Money problems are real," she tells him, "but so is losing time you'll never get back. I took the higher-paying job at your age. I don't regret it exactly, but I also stopped writing completely. I still wonder sometimes what I gave up."
那天晚上，他给堂姐打了电话。她自己打着两份工，几乎没有时间做别的事。“钱的问题是真实的，”她对他说，“可是失去再也找不回来的时间，也是真实的。我在你这个年纪选了薪水高的那份工作。我也不能说后悔，但是我从那以后完全不写东西了。我有时还会想，我到底放弃了什么。”
Her words stay with him longer than he expects.
她的话在他心里停留的时间，比他预料的要长。
The next morning, Amir tells his father he's chosen the bookstore. His father looks disappointed for a moment, then nods. "It's your decision. Just don't let me hear you complaining about the car taking longer."
第二天早上，阿米尔告诉父亲，他选了书店。父亲的脸上闪过一瞬失望，然后点了点头。“这是你的决定。不过以后别让我听到你抱怨买车要等更久。”
"Deal," Amir says.
“一言为定。”阿米尔说。
Six months later, the car is still a distant goal, and Amir is still counting coins some weeks. But he has also filled half a notebook with stories he actually likes. He wrote them during slow Tuesday afternoons between customers. For now, that feels like the better trade.
六个月后，那辆车仍然是个遥远的目标，有些星期阿米尔还在一枚一枚数着硬币。但是他也已经写满了半本笔记本的故事，而且是他真心喜欢的故事。那些故事是他在书店里一个个清闲的星期二下午，趁着顾客之间的空当写下的。就目前来说，这样的交换似乎更值得。
