Sasha got two party invitations for the same Friday night. Her friend Cass planned a small dinner party. Her friend Onyeka planned a big backyard party.
萨莎收到了两张邀请，都是同一个星期五的晚上。她的朋友卡丝准备办一场小型晚餐聚会。她的朋友奥涅卡准备办一场盛大的后院派对。
Sasha liked both friends equally. She did not want to hurt anyone's feelings. She stared at both invitations for a long time.
萨莎对两位朋友一样喜欢。她不想伤任何人的心。她盯着两张邀请函看了很久。
She called Cass first. "I really want to come," Sasha said. "But I also got invited to Onyeka's party that night."
她先给卡丝打了电话。“我真的很想去，”萨莎说，“可是那天晚上奥涅卡也邀请了我去她的派对。”
Cass paused, then laughed. "Onyeka invited me too," she said. "I already told her I can't go. I really like small dinner parties."
卡丝停顿了一下，然后笑了。“奥涅卡也邀请了我，”她说，“我已经告诉她我去不了。我真的很喜欢小型晚餐聚会。”
Sasha thought about her own taste. She really liked quiet dinners. Loud parties felt tiring to her. She decided to go to Cass's dinner.
萨莎想了想自己的喜好。她真的喜欢安静的晚餐。吵闹的派对让她觉得累。她决定去卡丝的晚餐聚会。
She called Onyeka next and explained everything. "I choose Cass's dinner this time," Sasha said. "I hope you understand."
接着她给奥涅卡打了电话，把一切都解释清楚。“这次我选卡丝的晚餐，”萨莎说，“希望你能理解。”
"No problem at all," Onyeka said. "Come by after dinner. The party runs late."
“一点问题都没有，”奥涅卡说，“晚饭后过来吧。派对会开到很晚。”
On Friday, Sasha had a warm, quiet dinner with Cass. They talked for hours over homemade pasta. It felt exactly right for that night.
星期五，萨莎和卡丝共度了一顿温馨安静的晚餐。她们就着自制的意大利面聊了好几个小时。那个晚上这样过正合适。
Around ten o'clock, Sasha and Cass walked to Onyeka's backyard. Music and lights filled the yard. Onyeka waved them both inside.
大约十点钟，萨莎和卡丝走到奥涅卡的后院。院子里满是音乐和灯光。奥涅卡朝她们俩招手，请她们进去。
Sasha hugged Onyeka at the gate. "We made it," she said. "Two parties, one great night."
萨莎在院门口拥抱了奥涅卡。“我们赶到了，”她说，“两场聚会，一个美好的夜晚。”
After that night, Sasha made a new habit. She checked every invitation twice. She never wanted to choose between friends again.
那天晚上之后，萨莎养成了一个新习惯。每张邀请函她都要看两遍。她再也不想在朋友之间做选择了。
