Laszlo had played drums with the same three friends since he was twelve. They practiced in Zoran's garage every Thursday, and they were not very good. But they had a name, a few songs of their own, and, at last, a real concert. It was on Saturday night, at the youth café.
拉斯洛从十二岁起，就和同样的三个朋友一起打鼓。他们每周四都在佐兰的车库里排练，水平算不上好。但他们有一个乐队名字，有几首自己的歌，终于还有了一场真正的演出。演出在周六晚上，就在青少年咖啡馆。
Three weeks before the concert, a tall boy named Aldo came up to Laszlo after school. "I heard you play at the talent show," he said. "My band needs a drummer for the city competition. The final is on Saturday."
演出前三周，一个叫阿尔多的高个子男孩放学后找到拉斯洛。“我在才艺表演上听过你打鼓，”他说，“我们乐队需要一个鼓手，去参加市里的比赛。决赛在周六。”
Laszlo's heart jumped. Aldo's band was well known. They had won prizes, and they had real equipment. "Which Saturday?" Laszlo asked, already afraid of the answer.
拉斯洛的心猛地一跳。阿尔多的乐队很有名。他们得过奖，还有真正的专业设备。“哪个周六？”拉斯洛问，心里已经害怕听到答案。
Aldo told him. It was the same night.
阿尔多告诉了他。正是同一天晚上。
That evening, Laszlo lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Aldo's band would push him to play better. A good result in the competition could open doors: lessons, new people, maybe even a future in music. His friends' concert would be small, and nobody important would be there.
那天晚上，拉斯洛躺在床上，盯着天花板。阿尔多的乐队会逼着他打得更好。在比赛中取得好成绩，也许会打开许多扇门：上课学习、结识新朋友，说不定还能有一个音乐的前程。朋友们的演出会很小，不会有什么重要人物到场。
But he kept thinking about Zoran, who had spent two months making posters. He thought about the Thursday practices, where nobody minded mistakes. If he left, the band would have to cancel, or find a stranger in two weeks. For three days, he told nobody.
可他一直想着佐兰，那个花了两个月做海报的佐兰。他想起周四的排练，那里没有人在乎出错。要是他走了，乐队就得取消演出，或者在两周内找一个陌生人来顶替。三天里，他没有告诉任何人。
On the fourth day, he asked himself a different question. Ten years from now, which Saturday would he be sorry to have missed? The answer came faster than he expected. There would be other competitions. His friends' first concert would only happen once.
第四天，他问了自己一个不一样的问题。十年以后，他会为错过哪个周六而后悔？答案来得比他预想的还快。以后还会有别的比赛。朋友们的第一场演出，却只有这一次。
He found Aldo first. "Thank you for asking me," Laszlo said. "It means a lot. But I can't play that Saturday. I promised my friends."
他先找到了阿尔多。“谢谢你邀请我，”拉斯洛说，“这对我意义很大。但那个周六我去不了。我答应了我的朋友们。”
Aldo nodded slowly. "That's fair. If there is a next time, I'll ask again."
阿尔多慢慢地点了点头。“这很公平。如果还有下一次，我会再来问你。”
Then Laszlo went to Zoran's garage and told him everything, including the offer. Zoran was quiet for a while.
然后拉斯洛去了佐兰的车库，把一切都告诉了他，包括那次邀请。佐兰沉默了好一会儿。
"Why are you telling me?" he said at last. "You could have just said nothing."
“你为什么要告诉我？”他终于开口，“你完全可以什么都不说。”
"Because it's true," Laszlo said. "And because I chose you. Nobody made me."
“因为这是真的，”拉斯洛说，“还因为是我选了你们。没有人逼我。”
On Saturday night, the youth café was almost full. They played badly in places, and Zoran forgot a verse. But when the last song ended, thirty people shouted for more. Laszlo sat behind his drums, hot and out of breath, and could not stop smiling.
周六晚上，青少年咖啡馆几乎坐满了。他们有几处弹得很糟，佐兰还忘了一段歌词。可最后一首歌结束时，三十个人喊着要再来一首。拉斯洛坐在鼓后面，浑身发热，气喘吁吁，怎么也停不下笑。
Later, his phone buzzed with a message from Aldo: "We came second. Next time I'm asking early."
后来，他的手机嗡嗡响了一下，是阿尔多发来的消息：“我们得了第二名。下次我要早点问你。”
Laszlo typed back one word: "Ask."
拉斯洛回了一个字：“问。”
