The math study group met every Saturday at ten. It had five students. That was the plan. But on one rainy Saturday, only two came.
数学学习小组每个星期六十点碰面。小组有五个学生，这是原本的安排。但在一个下雨的星期六，只来了两个人。
Alba arrived first. She chose the big table by the window. She put out her books. The library was nearly empty. The rain hit the glass in long lines.
阿尔芭先到。她挑了窗边的大桌子，把书摆了出来。图书馆里几乎没有人。雨点在玻璃上划出一道道长长的线。
At five past ten, Viktor came in. His coat was wet. He stopped at the door. He looked at the empty chairs.
十点零五分，维克托走了进来。他的外套湿了。他在门口停住了，看着空荡荡的椅子。
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
“大家呢？”他问。
"I think they stayed at home," said Alba. "It is a bad day."
“我想他们待在家里了，”阿尔芭说，“天气太糟了。”
Viktor stood still for a moment. Alba knew him from class. He sat two rows behind her. He was tall and quiet. He always had a pencil behind his ear. They never spoke.
维克托静静地站了一会儿。阿尔芭在班上认识他。他坐在她后面两排，个子高，不爱说话，耳朵后面总夹着一支铅笔。他们从来没说过话。
"Should I go?" he asked.
“我该走吗？”他问。
"No," Alba said quickly. Then her cheeks felt warm. "I mean, we have a test on Monday. We can work together."
“不用，”阿尔芭赶紧说。然后她觉得脸颊发热。“我是说，我们星期一要考试。我们可以一起学。”
"Okay," said Viktor. He sat down across from her.
“好吧。”维克托说。他在她对面坐了下来。
They opened their books. For ten minutes, neither of them spoke. Alba looked at the same problem again and again. It was about fractions. She did not understand it.
他们翻开书。有十分钟，两个人都没说话。阿尔芭一遍又一遍地看着同一道题。那是一道分数题，她不会做。
"I cannot do this one," she said at last. She pushed the book across the table.
“这道我不会，”她终于说，把书推到桌子对面。
Viktor leaned over. He read the problem. Then he smiled. "This is easy," he said. "Wait."
维克托凑过来，读了题，然后笑了。“这个很简单，”他说，“等一下。”
He opened his bag. He took out a bar of chocolate. It had twelve squares.
他打开包，拿出一块巧克力。它有十二小格。
"What is that for?" Alba asked.
“这是干什么用的？”阿尔芭问。
"A teacher," said Viktor. "Look. This whole bar is one. I break it in four parts. Each part is one quarter."
“一位老师，”维克托说，“你看。整块巧克力是一。我把它掰成四份，每一份是四分之一。”
He broke the bar into four parts. Each part had three squares. He put one part in front of Alba.
他把巧克力掰成四份，每份有三小格。他把其中一份放到阿尔芭面前。
"You have one quarter," he said. "Now I give you half of my part."
“你有了四分之一，”他说，“现在我把我那份的一半给你。”
He broke his part in two and gave her half. Alba counted the squares. She had four and a half squares now.
他把自己那份掰成两半，给了她一半。阿尔芭数了数小格，她现在有四格半。
"I see," she said slowly. "A quarter and a half of a quarter."
“我明白了，”她慢慢地说，“一个四分之一，再加四分之一的一半。”
"Yes. Write it as a number," Viktor said. "One quarter plus one eighth."
“对。把它写成数，”维克托说，“四分之一加八分之一。”
Alba wrote it. The answer came out right. She looked up. "That is a good teacher," she said.
阿尔芭写了下来，答案对了。她抬起头。“这位老师真好。”她说。
"The chocolate is a very good teacher," he said.
“巧克力是非常好的老师。”他说。
They ate the squares. Then they did the next problem, and the next. Viktor explained. Alba listened. She laughed at his silly drawings of cakes.
他们把那些小格吃掉了。然后做下一道题，再下一道。维克托讲，阿尔芭听。她被他画的傻乎乎的蛋糕逗笑了。
After a while, Alba helped him too. He had to write a short story for English class. He did not know how to start.
过了一会儿，阿尔芭也帮了他。他要为英语课写一篇短故事，却不知道怎么开头。
"Start with a place," Alba said. "Where is your story?"
“从一个地方开始，”阿尔芭说，“你的故事发生在哪儿？”
"At the sea," said Viktor.
“在海边。”维克托说。
"Then write: The sea was cold and gray."
“那就写：海又冷又灰。”
He wrote it down. He looked at her with surprise. "That is good," he said.
他把它写了下来，惊讶地看着她。“这样很好。”他说。
By noon, the rain was lighter. The library was still quiet. They finished four pages of math. They also wrote one page of the story.
到中午，雨小了些。图书馆里依然安静。他们做完了四页数学题，还写了一页故事。
The librarian came by. She said it was time to close. Alba and Viktor packed their bags.
图书管理员走了过来，说要闭馆了。阿尔芭和维克托收拾好包。
At the door, Viktor opened his big black umbrella. "My home is on your street," he said. "Can I walk with you?"
在门口，维克托撑开了他那把黑色的大伞。“我家就在你那条街上，”他说，“我能和你一起走吗？”
"Yes," said Alba. They stepped out into the rain under the one umbrella.
“好。”阿尔芭说。他们走进雨里，共撑一把伞。
At her gate, Alba stopped. "Same table next Saturday?" she asked.
到了她家门口，阿尔芭停下脚步。“下个星期六还在同一张桌子吗？”她问。
"Same time," said Viktor. He took out the rest of the chocolate. "I bring a bigger bar."
“同一个时间，”维克托说。他拿出剩下的巧克力。“我会带一块更大的。”
