Pablo worked in a car garage on Mill Street. He liked the noise of the tools. He liked the smell of oil. He did not like to talk much.
巴勃罗在米尔街的一家汽车修理厂工作。他喜欢工具的声音，喜欢机油的味道，不太爱说话。
A new mechanic started in March. Her name was Valentina. She was quick and funny. She sang while she worked. Pablo listened and said nothing.
三月，来了一位新技工，名叫瓦伦蒂娜。她手脚麻利，又很风趣，干活的时候爱唱歌。巴勃罗听着，什么也不说。
In her second week, Valentina found an old scooter. It stood behind the garage. It was blue and dirty. A tree grew through the back wheel.
在她来的第二个星期，瓦伦蒂娜发现了一辆旧踏板车。它停在修理厂后面，蓝色的，脏兮兮的，一棵小树从后轮里长了出来。
"Can we fix this?" she asked.
“我们能修好这个吗？”她问。
"No," said Pablo. "It is too old."
“不能，”巴勃罗说，“它太旧了。”
"I think we can," she said. "I will do it after work."
“我觉得可以，”她说，“我下班以后来修。”
At six o'clock the other workers went home. Pablo stayed to close the doors. He saw Valentina in the corner with the scooter. She had a wrench in her hand. She had oil on her nose.
六点钟，其他工人都回家了。巴勃罗留下来锁门。他看见瓦伦蒂娜在角落里摆弄那辆踏板车，手里拿着扳手，鼻子上沾着机油。
"You need help," he said.
“你需要帮忙。”他说。
"I thought you said no," she said, and smiled.
“我还以为你说不行呢。”她笑着说。
"I changed my mind."
“我改主意了。”
They worked for two hours. Pablo took off the old wheel. Valentina cleaned the engine. They did not talk much. But the silence felt easy.
他们干了两个小时。巴勃罗卸下旧轮子，瓦伦蒂娜清理发动机。他们说话不多，但这份安静让人觉得很自在。
The next night they came back to the scooter. And the night after that. Pablo brought a bag of sandwiches. Valentina brought a small radio. She sang along to the songs. Pablo began to hum with her.
第二天晚上，他们又回到踏板车旁边，第三天晚上也是。巴勃罗带来一袋三明治，瓦伦蒂娜带来一台小收音机。她跟着歌曲唱起来，巴勃罗也开始跟着她轻轻哼。
One night the radio stopped. Valentina hit the top of it. It did not play. Pablo took out his phone and found a song. They worked with the phone on a shelf.
一天晚上，收音机不响了。瓦伦蒂娜拍了拍它的顶部，还是不响。巴勃罗拿出手机找了一首歌。他们把手机放在架子上，继续干活。
On Friday they could not find the right spark plug. They looked in every drawer. Pablo found a box of old parts under the shelf.
星期五，他们找不到合适的火花塞。每个抽屉都翻遍了。巴勃罗在架子下面找到了一盒旧零件。
"Here," he said. He held up a small silver plug. It was a perfect fit.
“这儿。”他说着，举起一个银色的小火花塞。大小正合适。
"You are good at this," said Valentina.
“你真行。”瓦伦蒂娜说。
"You are good at everything," Pablo said. Then his face turned red. He looked at the floor.
“你什么都行。”巴勃罗说。说完他的脸红了，低头看着地面。
Valentina laughed softly. She did not say anything. But she moved a little closer.
瓦伦蒂娜轻轻笑了。她什么也没说，但往他身边靠近了一点。
By the next Thursday, the scooter was almost ready. It had a new wheel and a new seat. The paint was fresh and blue. Pablo put a little gas in the tank.
到了下个星期四，踏板车差不多修好了。它有了新轮子和新座椅，油漆又新又蓝。巴勃罗往油箱里加了一点油。
Valentina painted the seat. Pablo painted the body. Their hands touched on the brush. Neither of them moved away.
瓦伦蒂娜给座椅刷漆，巴勃罗给车身刷漆。他们的手在刷子上碰到了一起，谁也没有躲开。
"Do you want to start it?" he asked.
“你想发动它吗？”他问。
"No," said Valentina. "You do it. You worked hard."
“不，”瓦伦蒂娜说，“你来吧，你出力最多。”
Pablo sat on the seat. He turned the key. The engine coughed once. Then it made a loud, happy sound.
巴勃罗坐上座椅，转动钥匙。发动机咳了一声，接着发出响亮而欢快的轰鸣。
Valentina clapped. She jumped up and down. "It works!" she cried. "It really works!"
瓦伦蒂娜拍起手来，又蹦又跳。“它能动了！”她喊道，“真的能动了！”
Pablo rode the scooter in a slow circle. The lights moved on the walls. He stopped next to her.
巴勃罗骑着踏板车慢慢绕了一个圈，车灯在墙上晃动。他在她身旁停下。
"Where does a scooter like this go?" he asked.
“这样一辆踏板车，会去哪儿呢？”他问。
"I do not know," she said. "Somewhere nice."
“我不知道，”她说，“去个好地方吧。”
"I know a place," he said. "It has the best coffee in town. It closes at ten."
“我知道一个地方，”他说，“那里有全城最好喝的咖啡。十点关门。”
Valentina looked at the clock. It was nine fifteen.
瓦伦蒂娜看了看钟，才九点十五分。
"We have time," she said.
“我们还来得及。”她说。
Pablo moved forward on the seat. She got on behind him. He closed the garage door with his foot.
巴勃罗往座椅前面挪了挪。她坐到了他身后。他用脚把修理厂的门关上了。
