In August, Nia left for university. She packed two bags and a box of books. Her father drove her to the train station. Tobias stayed at home. He watched the car turn the corner.
八月，妮娅去上大学了。她收拾了两个包和一箱书。爸爸开车送她去火车站。托拜厄斯留在家里，看着车子拐过街角。
Tobias was fifteen. He and Nia shared a wall all his life. Her room was next to his. At night, he often heard her laugh on the phone. In the morning, he heard her radio. Now there was only a thick, quiet wall.
托拜厄斯十五岁。他和妮娅隔着一堵墙住了一辈子，她的房间就在他隔壁。夜里，他常常听见她打电话时的笑声，早上，他会听见她的收音机。现在，只剩下一堵又厚又安静的墙。
He walked into her room on the first night. It was strange. The bed was made. The desk was empty. The walls were light blue. Old tape left small marks. He sat on the floor and felt like a stranger.
第一天晚上，他走进了她的房间。感觉很陌生：床铺得整整齐齐，书桌空空的，墙是浅蓝色的，旧胶带留下了一些小印子。他坐在地板上，觉得自己像个陌生人。
On the second night, he came again. He did not turn on the light. He lay on her bed and looked at the ceiling. It had a brown stain. It looked like a rabbit. Nia once told him she named it Gerald. "Hello, Gerald," he said. His voice sounded loud in the dark.
第二天晚上，他又来了。他没有开灯，躺在她的床上看着天花板。天花板上有一块棕色的污渍，像一只兔子。妮娅曾告诉他，她给它起名叫杰拉尔德。“你好，杰拉尔德，”他说。他的声音在黑暗中显得很响。
On the third night, his mother found him there. She stood at the door with a laundry basket. "Tobias," she said.
第三天晚上，妈妈发现了他。她端着一筐要洗的衣服，站在门口。“托拜厄斯，”她说。
"What are you doing?"
“你在干什么？”
"Nothing," he said. She sat on the edge of the bed. She was quiet for a while.
“没什么，”他说。她在床边坐下，安静了好一会儿。
"I miss her too," she said.
“我也想她，”她说。
"I do not miss her," said Tobias.
“我不想她，”托拜厄斯说。
"She was loud."
“她太吵了。”
"She was very loud," said his mother, and smiled. They sat together and said nothing. Then his mother cleared her throat.
“她是很吵，”妈妈笑着说。他们并肩坐着，什么也没说。过了一会儿，妈妈清了清嗓子。
"I want to talk about this room," she said.
“我想和你谈谈这个房间，”她说。
"What about it?" said Tobias.
“怎么了？”托拜厄斯问。
"Your father and I think about an office. We need a place for the computer. And the room is empty."
“你爸爸和我在考虑把它改成书房。我们需要一个放电脑的地方，而这个房间空着。”
Tobias sat up. "An office?"
托拜厄斯坐了起来。“书房？”
"Only an idea," said his mother.
“只是个想法，”妈妈说。
"We do not decide yet." Tobias did not sleep that night. He stared at the wall between the two rooms. He thought of the blue paint. He thought of Gerald. He thought of Nia's voice. She always said, "Goodnight, Toby." He hated that name.
“我们还没决定。”那天夜里托拜厄斯没有睡着。他盯着两个房间之间的那堵墙，想着那片蓝色的油漆，想着杰拉尔德，想着妮娅的声音。她总是说：“晚安，托比。”他讨厌这个称呼。
In the morning, he went to the kitchen. His father made coffee. His mother read the news on her phone. Tobias stood in the door with his arms crossed. "I have something to say," he said. They both looked at him.
早上，他走进厨房。爸爸在煮咖啡，妈妈在用手机看新闻。托拜厄斯抱着胳膊站在门口。“我有话要说，”他说。他们俩都看向他。
"Please do not make it an office," said Tobias.
“请别把它改成书房，”托拜厄斯说。
"Not yet."
“现在先别。”
His father put down his cup. "Why not?"
爸爸放下杯子。“为什么不行？”
"Because she comes home for the holidays," said Tobias.
“因为她假期会回家，”托拜厄斯说。
"And she needs a bed. And a desk. And her stuff."
“她需要床，需要书桌，还需要她的东西。”
"She can sleep in your room," said his father.
“她可以睡你的房间，”爸爸说。
"She can sleep in her room," said Tobias. His voice was rough. He did not like the sound of it. "It is her room. She should not come home and find a computer there." His parents were quiet. His mother looked at his father. His father looked at the floor. For a moment, nobody spoke.
“她可以睡她自己的房间，”托拜厄斯说。他的声音很沙哑，他不喜欢这个声音。“那是她的房间。她回到家，不该发现那里放着一台电脑。”父母都没有说话。妈妈看了看爸爸，爸爸低头看着地板。有那么一会儿，谁也没开口。
"Tobias," said his mother, very gently.
“托拜厄斯，”妈妈非常温柔地说。
"She will not live here again. Not the same way. That is how it is when children grow up."
“她不会再像从前那样住在这里了。孩子长大就是这样。”
"I know that," he said. He looked at the table. His eyes were wet, and he was angry about it.
“我知道，”他说。他看着桌子，眼睛湿了，他为此很生气。
"I know. But not yet."
“我知道。可是现在先别。”
His mother stood up and put her arms around him. He was taller than her now. But he put his head on her shoulder. His father came and put a hand on his back. "All right," said his father.
妈妈站起来抱住了他。他现在比她高了，但还是把头靠在她肩上。爸爸走过来，把一只手放在他背上。“好吧，”爸爸说。
"We leave the room for now."
“这个房间暂时留着。”
"For how long?" asked Tobias.
“留到什么时候？”托拜厄斯问。
"Until the holidays," said his mother. "Then we ask her." That night, Tobias went into the room again. This time, he turned on the light. He picked up a pen from the desk. He drew a small rabbit near the door. It was a bad rabbit. It had one long ear.
“留到假期，”妈妈说，“到时候我们问问她。”那天晚上，托拜厄斯又走进了那个房间。这一次，他开了灯。他从书桌上拿起一支笔，在门边画了一只小小的兔子。那是一只很糟糕的兔子，只有一只长耳朵。
He took out his phone. He wrote a message to Nia. He wrote it, deleted it, and wrote it again. At last, he sent a short one. Gerald misses you. A reply came in two minutes. Tell him I come home in December. And Toby, I miss the wall too.
他拿出手机，给妮娅写了一条消息。写了，删了，又重新写。最后，他发出了一条很短的。杰拉尔德想你了。两分钟后收到了回复。告诉它我十二月回家。还有，托比，我也想念那堵墙。
