Nia came to Mateo's flat at six o'clock. It was their first date at his home. She brought a small bag of lemon cookies. He opened the door and smiled. "I have a plan," Mateo said. "Dinner is easy. It is soup and bread. But after dinner, we do a puzzle."
妮娅六点钟来到马特奥的公寓。这是他们第一次在他家约会。她带来一小袋柠檬饼干。他开了门，笑着迎接她。“我有个计划，”马特奥说，“晚饭很简单，就是汤和面包。但是吃完饭，我们要拼一幅拼图。”
"A puzzle?" Nia said.
“拼图？”妮娅说。
"Is that a joke?"
“你是在开玩笑吗？”
"No joke," he said.
“不是开玩笑，”他说。
"It has a thousand pieces."
“有一千块呢。”
The flat was small and tidy. There was a green couch and a low table. The puzzle box sat on the table. On the box there was a picture of a harbor. It had blue boats, red roofs, and a gray sky.
公寓不大，但很整洁。有一张绿色的沙发和一张矮桌。拼图盒子就放在桌上。盒子上印着一幅港口的画：蓝色的小船，红色的屋顶，灰色的天空。
The soup was good. The bread was a little hard. Nia ate two pieces and said nothing about it. Mateo saw her face and laughed. "The bread is bad," he said.
汤很好喝。面包有点硬。妮娅吃了两块，什么也没说。马特奥看到她的表情，笑了起来。“这面包不好吃，”他说。
"The bread is fine," said Nia.
“面包挺好的，”妮娅说。
"It is just strong."
“只是比较有嚼劲。”
They washed the plates together. His dog, Pico, walked in circles around their feet. Pico was old and brown. He had one ear up and one ear down. "He likes you," said Mateo. "He likes the cookies," said Nia.
他们一起洗了盘子。他的狗皮科绕着他们的脚转圈。皮科年纪大了，毛是棕色的，一只耳朵竖着，一只耳朵耷拉着。“它喜欢你，”马特奥说。“它是喜欢饼干，”妮娅说。
They sat on the floor by the low table. Mateo poured all the pieces out. Nia looked at the mess. "This is impossible," she said.
他们坐在矮桌旁的地板上。马特奥把所有的拼图块都倒了出来。妮娅看着这一团乱。“这根本不可能，”她说。
"We start with the edges," said Mateo.
“我们先从边缘开始，”马特奥说。
"It is the only rule."
“这是唯一的规则。”
So they did. They found the corners first. Then they found the straight sides. Nia was fast. She had sharp eyes and a quick hand. Mateo was slow, but he was careful. He held each piece up to the light. After an hour, they had a blue frame. They both sat back and looked at it.
于是他们照做了。他们先找到四个角，再找到笔直的边。妮娅很快，她眼睛尖，手也快。马特奥慢一些，但是很仔细。他把每一块都举起来对着灯光看。一个小时后，他们拼出了一个蓝色的边框。两个人都往后靠，看着它。
"We are good," said Nia. "We are a team," said Mateo. Then his face went red. He looked down at the table. Nia pretended not to see. She picked up a piece. It had a red roof on it. She put it in the right place. It fit with a small click.
“我们真棒，”妮娅说。“我们是一个团队，”马特奥说。说完，他的脸红了。他低头看着桌子。妮娅假装没看见。她拿起一块，上面有一小块红色的屋顶。她把它放到正确的位置。它“咔哒”一声轻轻嵌了进去。
They talked while they worked. Nia told him about her little brother. He wanted to be a pilot. But he feared high places. Mateo told her about his first job. He washed dishes in a hotel. He broke six plates in one week. "Six?" said Nia.
他们一边拼一边聊天。妮娅给他讲她的小弟弟。弟弟想当飞行员，可是他怕高。马特奥给她讲他的第一份工作。他在一家酒店洗碗，一个星期打碎了六个盘子。“六个？”妮娅说。
"Seven," said Mateo.
“七个，”马特奥说。
"I do not count the last one."
“最后一个我不算。”
She laughed so hard that Pico barked. By ten o'clock, the harbor was almost done. The boats were blue. The roofs were red. Only the gray sky had holes in it. Nia looked at the table. "One piece is gone," she said.
她笑得那么厉害，皮科都叫了起来。到十点钟，港口的画差不多拼完了。船是蓝的，屋顶是红的，只有灰色的天空还有几个洞。妮娅看着桌子。“少了一块，”她说。
"No," said Mateo.
“不会的，”马特奥说。
"We have them all."
“我们把块都用上了。”
"Count the holes," she said.
“数数洞，”她说。
"Then count the pieces."
“再数数拼图块。”
They counted. There was one hole and no piece. Mateo looked under the table. Nia looked under the couch. They looked in the box, and they shook the box. Nothing came out.
他们数了一遍。有一个洞，却没有那一块。马特奥看了看桌子底下，妮娅看了看沙发底下。他们又看了盒子里面，还摇了摇盒子。什么也没掉出来。
Then Mateo looked at Pico. The old dog lay on his bed in the corner. He was very still. He looked at Mateo. One ear was up. One ear was down. "Pico," said Mateo. "Open your mouth." Pico did not move. Mateo gently touched his chin. A small gray piece fell out on the floor. It was wet.
这时，马特奥看向皮科。那只老狗躺在角落的窝里，一动不动。它看着马特奥，一只耳朵竖着，一只耳朵耷拉着。“皮科，”马特奥说，“把嘴张开。”皮科一动不动。马特奥轻轻碰了碰它的下巴。一小块灰色的拼图掉在了地板上。它是湿的。
Nia put her hand over her mouth. Her whole body shook with laughter. Mateo held up the piece with two fingers. "It is a little wet," he said. "It is perfect," said Nia.
妮娅用手捂住嘴。她笑得浑身发抖。马特奥用两根手指捏起那一块。“有一点湿，”他说。“太完美了，”妮娅说。
He dried it on his shirt. Then he gave it to her. She pressed it into the last hole. The picture was finished. They looked at it for a long time. At the door, Nia put on her coat. The street was dark and quiet. She held the empty cookie bag in her hand. "Mateo," she said. "Yes?"
他在衬衫上把它擦干，然后递给她。她把它按进最后一个洞里。画拼好了。他们看了很久。到了门口，妮娅穿上外套。街上又黑又安静。她手里拿着空空的饼干袋。“马特奥，”她说。“嗯？”
"Next time, I choose the puzzle," she said.
“下次，我来选拼图，”她说。
"And you keep Pico away from it."
“而且你要让皮科离它远一点。”
"There is a next time?" he asked.
“还有下次吗？”他问。
"Two thousand pieces," said Nia. Then she went down the stairs.
“两千块的，”妮娅说。然后她走下了楼梯。
