Iker believed that every problem had a plan, and every plan needed a spare. That was why an old bicycle tyre hung on the wall of the repair café.
伊克尔相信每个问题都有对策，每个对策都需要一个备份。这就是维修咖啡馆的墙上挂着一只旧自行车胎的原因。
The café opened in the community hall every second Saturday. Volunteers sat at long tables with lamps, toolboxes and hand-written signs. Anyone could bring a broken thing and watch it come back to life. Iker's sign said, "We fix anything. Almost."
这间咖啡馆每隔一个星期六在社区会堂开张。志愿者们坐在长桌旁，桌上摆着台灯、工具箱和手写的牌子。任何人都可以带着坏掉的东西来，看着它起死回生。伊克尔的牌子上写着：“我们什么都能修。差不多。”
Samir arrived at nine with a box of screwdrivers and a worried frown. He had joined the café only a month earlier. So far he had sewn on buttons and changed three plugs.
萨米尔九点到了，带着一盒螺丝刀，眉头皱着一脸担心。他一个月前才加入这家咖啡馆。到目前为止，他缝过纽扣，换过三个插头。
"You put that sign up again," Samir said.
“你又把那块牌子挂出来了，”萨米尔说。
"It's good advertising," Iker said. "People trust honesty."
“这是很好的广告，”伊克尔说，“人们信任诚实。”
"People trust a toaster that works," Samir said.
“人们信任的是一台好用的烤面包机，”萨米尔说。
Iker laughed and tapped the tyre on the wall. "Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, we have the spare."
伊克尔笑了，拍了拍墙上的轮胎。“别担心。要是出了什么问题，我们还有备胎。”
"That tyre has hung there since March," Samir said. "Nobody has ever used it."
“那只轮胎从三月起就一直挂在那儿，”萨米尔说，“从来没人用过它。”
"That is the beauty of a spare," Iker said. "It waits for its moment."
“这正是备胎的妙处，”伊克尔说，“它在等它的时刻。”
The first customers came at ten. A woman brought a toaster that burned everything on one side. Samir found a loose wire and fixed it in ten minutes. A boy brought a toy robot with a stuck arm. Iker oiled the joint, and the robot waved at the whole hall.
第一批顾客十点来了。一位女士带来一台总是把东西一边烤焦的烤面包机。萨米尔发现一根松了的线，十分钟就修好了。一个男孩带来一个手臂卡住的玩具机器人。伊克尔给关节上了油，机器人对着整个大厅挥起了手。
By eleven the hall was loud and warm. Drills whined, a sewing machine rattled, and somebody laughed at every table. Iker felt wonderfully useful.
到十一点，大厅里热闹而温暖。电钻呜呜作响，缝纫机咔嗒咔嗒，每张桌子旁都有人在笑。伊克尔觉得自己特别有用。
Then the double doors banged open. A tall man in muddy boots pushed a wheelbarrow into the hall. One wheel squeaked, and the tyre was as flat as a pancake.
然后双开门砰的一声被撞开。一个穿着泥靴的高个子男人推着一辆独轮手推车走进大厅。一个轮子吱吱作响，轮胎扁得像张煎饼。
"Is this the place that fixes anything?" the man asked.
“这里就是什么都能修的地方吗？”男人问。
Iker pointed proudly at his sign. "Almost anything. What is the problem?"
伊克尔得意地指了指他的牌子。“差不多什么都能修。是什么问题？”
"I run the community garden," the man said. "We have a plant sale at one o'clock. I must move forty sacks of compost, and this thing won't roll."
“我管社区花园，”男人说，“一点钟有一场植物义卖。我得搬四十袋堆肥，可这东西滚不动了。”
Samir crouched beside the wheel and pressed the rubber with his thumb. "There's a hole the size of a coin," he said. "We could try the patch kit."
萨米尔蹲到轮子旁，用拇指按了按橡胶。“有个硬币那么大的洞，”他说，“我们可以试试补胎工具包。”
Iker shook his head. "A patch won't last under forty sacks. This job needs a new tyre. And we happen to have one."
伊克尔摇了摇头。“补丁撑不住四十袋的重量。这活儿需要一只新轮胎。而我们正好有一只。”
Samir looked up at the wall. "That is a bicycle tyre," he said. "It looks much bigger than this wheel."
萨米尔抬头看看墙。“那是自行车胎，”他说，“看上去比这个轮子大多了。”
"Rubber stretches," Iker said.
“橡胶会拉伸的，”伊克尔说。
"Does it stretch that far?" Samir asked.
“能拉伸那么多吗？”萨米尔问。
"I have a feeling it does," Iker said.
“我感觉能，”伊克尔说。
The man checked his watch. "I don't mind how you do it," he said. "I only need it to roll by one."
男人看了看手表。“你们怎么弄我不管，”他说，“我只要它在一点前能滚起来。”
Iker lifted the spare from its nail with a flourish. Several volunteers drifted over to see what was happening. Samir took the wheel off the wheelbarrow and set it on the table. Iker pulled the flat tyre off the rim in two minutes. It was the easiest part of the whole morning.
伊克尔潇洒地把备胎从钉子上取下来。几位志愿者晃悠过来看出了什么事。萨米尔把轮子从手推车上卸下来，放在桌上。伊克尔两分钟就把瘪胎从轮圈上扒了下来。这是整个上午最容易的一步。
Then he held up the spare against the empty rim. The bicycle tyre was far too long. It flopped around the little wheel like a loose belt.
然后他把备胎往空轮圈上比了一下。自行车胎长得太多了。它松松垮垮地耷拉在小轮子周围，像一条松掉的皮带。
"It just needs a little persuasion," Iker said.
“只需要稍微说服它一下，”伊克尔说。
"It needs a different wheel," Samir said.
“它需要的是换一个轮子，”萨米尔说。
Iker ignored him. He pushed one edge onto the rim and worked around it with two levers. He pushed, he pulled, and he breathed hard. The tyre gave a little, then a little more. A small crowd had gathered by now.
伊克尔不理他。他把一边推上轮圈，用两根撬棒一圈一圈地往里压。他推，他拉，他喘着粗气。轮胎松动了一点，又松了一点。这时已经聚了一小群人。
The lever slipped. The spare sprang off the rim with a loud smack and flew over the table. It bounced off a stool, knocked over a bowl of oranges and rolled straight through the open doors.
撬棒滑了。备胎啪的一声弹离轮圈，飞过桌子。它从一只凳子上弹开，撞翻一碗橙子，径直滚出了敞开的大门。
Everyone ran to the windows. The tyre bounced down the ramp and rolled across the car park. A delivery driver stopped his van and stared at it. Three volunteers chased it past the bins. A girl on a scooter finally stopped it with her foot.
所有人都跑到窗边。轮胎蹦下坡道，滚过停车场。一位送货司机停下货车，盯着它看。三位志愿者追着它经过垃圾桶。最后一个踩着滑板车的女孩用脚拦住了它。
The whole hall clapped. Iker bowed as if the flight had been part of the plan.
整个大厅都鼓起掌来。伊克尔鞠了个躬，好像这次飞行本来就在计划之内。
When the tyre came back, he hung it on its nail without a word. Then he sat down heavily on a stool. It was half past twelve, and the wheelbarrow still would not roll.
轮胎被拿回来后，他一声不吭地把它挂回钉子上。然后他重重地坐到一只凳子上。已经十二点半了，手推车还是滚不起来。
"I'm sorry," Iker said to the man. "I was very sure."
“对不起，”伊克尔对男人说，“我本来很有把握。”
"It's all right," the man said, though he did not look all right. "Maybe I can borrow a trolley."
“没关系，”男人说，不过他看上去并不是没关系。“也许我可以借一辆推车。”
"Wait," Samir said slowly. "My cousin has a wheelbarrow that never goes flat. He filled the tyre with foam."
“等等，”萨米尔慢慢地说，“我表哥有一辆永远不会瘪的手推车。他往轮胎里灌了泡沫。”
"Foam?" Iker said. "A tyre with no air in it is not a tyre. It is a cushion."
“泡沫？”伊克尔说，“没有空气的轮胎不是轮胎。那是个垫子。”
"Exactly," Samir said. "A cushion that rolls."
“正是，”萨米尔说，“一个会滚的垫子。”
Then the man smiled for the first time. "Does it work?" he asked.
这时男人第一次笑了。“管用吗？”他问。
"It has worked for six years," Samir said. "It is heavier, and it bumps a little. But you can't puncture a cushion."
“管用六年了，”萨米尔说，“更重一点，也有点颠。但是你没法戳破一个垫子。”
Samir was already walking to the donation corner at the back of the hall. He came back with an armful of treasure. There was a yoga mat, two pool noodles and a sofa cushion with a broken zip. Iker cut them into long strips, and he was grateful to have a job again.
萨米尔已经走向大厅后面的捐赠角。他回来时抱着一大堆宝贝。有一张瑜伽垫，两根泳池水条，还有一个拉链坏了的沙发垫。伊克尔把它们剪成长条，能重新有活干，他心存感激。
"These pieces must be tight," Samir said. "If they are loose, the tyre will feel like a sack of socks."
“这些条必须塞得紧，”萨米尔说，“要是松了，轮胎摸起来就像一袋袜子。”
They fitted the old flat tyre back on the rim, leaving one side open. Samir pushed the first strip inside. It stuck at once and would not move. He tried a second strip, and the first came out again.
他们把原来的瘪胎重新装上轮圈，留了一边敞开。萨米尔把第一根泡沫条推进去。它立刻卡住，一动不动。他试了第二根，第一根又掉了出来。
"This is not working," Iker said.
“这行不通，”伊克尔说。
"It is working slowly," Samir said. "I need something slippery."
“行得通，只是慢，”萨米尔说，“我需要点滑的东西。”
The man held up a bottle from the kitchen. "Washing-up liquid?" he asked.
男人举起一个从厨房拿来的瓶子。“洗洁精行吗？”他问。
"Perfect," Samir said.
“太好了，”萨米尔说。
He rubbed the liquid around the inside of the tyre. This time the foam slid in like a letter into a post box. Iker held the tyre open, and Samir fed in strip after strip. The man pressed the foam down with a rolling pin that somebody had donated.
他把液体涂抹在轮胎内侧。这一次泡沫像一封信滑进邮筒一样滑了进去。伊克尔撑着轮胎，萨米尔一根接一根地往里塞。男人用别人捐的擀面杖把泡沫压实。
At ten to one, the last strip went in. Samir closed the rubber over it and tightened the wheel onto the frame. The tyre looked round and plump. When Iker pressed it, it felt firm like a ripe apple.
一点差十分，最后一根塞进去了。萨米尔把橡胶合拢，把轮子拧紧在车架上。轮胎看上去又圆又饱满。伊克尔按了按，感觉结实得像熟透的苹果。
The man loaded one sack of compost into the wheelbarrow and pushed it across the hall. The wheel squeaked once, then rolled smoothly. He loaded a second sack, then a third. The wheelbarrow kept rolling.
男人往手推车里装了一袋堆肥，推着它穿过大厅。轮子吱了一声，然后平稳地滚了起来。他装上第二袋，第三袋。手推车一直滚着。
"It's heavy," the man said, grinning. "But it will never be flat again."
“很重，”男人咧嘴笑着说，“但它再也不会瘪了。”
"Welcome to the cushion wheel," Samir said.
“欢迎使用垫子轮，”萨米尔说。
The man shook hands with both of them. He promised to bring two pots of tomato plants next month. Then he rolled the wheelbarrow out of the hall. The sound of the wheel faded across the car park.
男人和两人都握了手。他答应下个月带两盆番茄苗来。然后他推着手推车走出了大厅。轮子的声音渐渐消失在停车场上。
Iker watched him go. "I was wrong about the spare," he said.
伊克尔目送他离开。“我对备胎的看法错了，”他说。
"Only about the size," Samir said. "The idea of keeping it was good."
“只错在尺寸上，”萨米尔说，“留着它的想法是好的。”
"What idea?"
“什么想法？”
"The idea of not stopping when the first plan fails," Samir said.
“第一个计划失败时不要停下来的想法，”萨米尔说。
Iker laughed. He went back to his table, took a marker and added two words below his sign. When he finished, it said, "We fix anything. Almost. Ask Samir."
伊克尔笑了。他回到桌前，拿起一支马克笔，在牌子下面添了几个字。写完后，牌子上写着：“我们什么都能修。差不多。去问萨米尔。”
The afternoon passed quickly. By four o'clock most of the visitors had gone home. The volunteers stacked the chairs and switched off the lamps one by one.
下午过得很快。到四点，大多数访客都回家了。志愿者们把椅子堆起来，一盏一盏地关掉台灯。
Samir was the last to leave. He closed the door gently behind him. In the quiet hall, the old bicycle tyre swung slowly on its nail.
萨米尔是最后一个离开的。他轻轻地带上了门。在安静的大厅里，那只旧自行车胎在钉子上慢慢地晃荡。
