Marguerite works in the back room of the pharmacy. The room is small and cool. It has shelves of white boxes from the floor to the ceiling. She knows every box.
玛格丽特在药店的后间工作。那间屋子又小又凉爽，货架上摆满了白色的药盒，从地板一直堆到天花板。每一只盒子她都熟悉。
At ten to three, Wolfgang runs in through the side door. He is new, and he is always late. Today he carries a big bag and a paper cup.
差十分钟三点，沃尔夫冈从侧门跑了进来。他是新来的，总是迟到。今天，他拎着一个大包，手里拿着一只纸杯。
"Sorry, sorry," he says. "The alarm did not ring."
“对不起，对不起，”他说，“闹钟没响。”
Marguerite looks at him. Then she looks at his feet. "Wolfgang, what are you wearing?"
玛格丽特看着他，然后又看向他的脚。“沃尔夫冈，你穿的是什么？”
He looks down. On his left foot is a black shoe. On his right foot is a brown one. They are not even the same shape.
他低头一看。左脚穿的是一只黑鞋，右脚穿的是一只棕鞋，连形状都不一样。
"Oh no," he says. "It was dark in my room."
“哎呀，不好，”他说，“我房间里太黑了。”
"You walked here like that?"
“你就这么走过来的？”
"Nobody said anything. I think people are polite."
“没人说什么。我想大家都很有礼貌。”
Marguerite laughs and goes back to her work. She counts tablets into a small tray. The back room is quiet, except for the clock above the door. It ticks loudly.
玛格丽特笑了起来，又回去干她的活。她把药片一粒粒数进一只小托盘里。后间很安静，只有门上方的钟在响亮地滴答作响。
At three o'clock the shop phone rings. The pharmacist at the front, a young man, calls through the door. "Marguerite, it is the school! They need you!"
三点整，店里的电话响了。前面的药剂师是个年轻人，他隔着门喊道：“玛格丽特，是学校打来的！他们要你听电话！”
She picks up the phone in the back room. A woman's voice is fast and tight. "This is the sports teacher at the school across the field. A girl here has a race at three twenty. She left her inhaler at home. Her mother says you have the same one in the shop."
她拿起后间的电话。一个女人的声音又快又紧张。“我是对面操场那边学校的体育老师。我们这儿有个女孩三点二十有一场比赛。她把吸入器落在家里了。她妈妈说你们店里有一模一样的。”
Marguerite checks the screen. "Yes. It is ready on the shelf. It has her name on it."
玛格丽特查了一下屏幕。“有的。已经备好放在架子上了，上面写着她的名字。”
"Can someone bring it? The girl is very scared. Without it, she cannot run."
“能派人送来吗？这孩子吓坏了。没有它，她就跑不了。”
"We will send it now," says Marguerite.
“我们现在就送过去，”玛格丽特说。
She puts down the phone. She takes the small box from the shelf. She checks the time. It is three o'clock. The race starts in twenty minutes.
她放下电话，从架子上取下那只小盒子，看了看时间。三点整。比赛二十分钟后开始。
"Wolfgang!" she calls. "Take this to the school. Run!"
“沃尔夫冈！”她喊道，“把这个送到学校去。快跑！”
"Where is the school?"
“学校在哪儿？”
"Go out the front door and turn left. Follow the road around the park. Then the long road to the gate. It is a fifteen-minute drive. We have no car today."
“出了前门往左拐，沿着公园绕过去，再走一条长路到校门口。开车要十五分钟。我们今天没有车。”
"Fifteen minutes by car?" Wolfgang says. "I cannot run that fast. Not in these shoes."
“开车十五分钟？”沃尔夫冈说，“我跑不了那么快，穿着这双鞋更不行。”
Marguerite thinks hard. She does not want to waste the time. She looks at the box in her hand. She looks at the clock. Then she looks at the back door.
玛格丽特使劲想着。她不想浪费时间。她看看手里的盒子，看看钟，然后看向后门。
It is a plain grey door with a heavy lock. It leads to the small yard where the staff keep the bins. Behind the yard there is a low fence. Behind the fence is a long green field.
那是一扇普通的灰色门，装着一把沉重的锁。门通向一个小院子，店员们在那里放垃圾桶。院子后面有一道矮围栏，围栏后面是一大片绿色的操场。
"The field!" she says.
“操场！”她说。
"What about the field?"
“操场怎么了？”
"It is the school field. Their sports day is on it right now. If you cross the field, it is three minutes. Five, in your shoes."
“那就是学校的操场。他们的运动会此刻就在上面举行。要是你穿过操场，三分钟就到了。穿着你那双鞋，就是五分钟。”
Wolfgang stares at the door. "Nobody uses that door."
沃尔夫冈盯着那扇门。“没人用那扇门的。”
"Everybody uses it for the bins," says Marguerite. "Come on."
“倒垃圾的时候谁都用，”玛格丽特说，“快来。”
She opens the lock with a big key. The door sticks, so she pushes it with her shoulder. A bright light comes into the dark room.
她用一把大钥匙打开了锁。门卡住了，她就用肩膀去顶。一道明亮的光射进了昏暗的屋子。
They step into the yard. The fence is low and old. Wolfgang climbs it first. His brown shoe slips on the top bar.
他们走进院子。围栏又低又旧。沃尔夫冈先爬了过去。他的棕色鞋子在最上面那根横杆上打了滑。
"Be careful!" says Marguerite.
“小心！”玛格丽特说。
"I am careful!" says Wolfgang. "These shoes are not!"
“我很小心！”沃尔夫冈说，“是这双鞋不小心！”
He jumps down on the other side. Marguerite passes him the box. Then she pulls a stool from the yard and climbs after him. She is not young, but she moves fast.
他跳到另一边。玛格丽特把盒子递给他。然后她从院子里拖来一只凳子，也爬了过去。她年纪不轻了，可动作很快。
The field is wide and green. Far away, children in blue shirts stand by a white line. A referee with a loud whistle waves his arm. Everyone is ready to start.
操场宽阔而翠绿。远处，穿蓝衬衫的孩子们站在一条白线旁。一位裁判拿着响亮的哨子，挥了挥手臂。大家都准备好起跑了。
"Go!" says Marguerite. "I will follow."
“去！”玛格丽特说，“我跟在后面。”
Wolfgang runs. His left shoe is smooth and quick. His right shoe is heavy and slow. He looks like a man who runs in two different races.
沃尔夫冈跑了起来。他的左脚鞋子光滑轻快，右脚的鞋子又重又慢。他看上去就像一个同时参加两场不同比赛的人。
Marguerite watches him go. She holds her side and walks quickly behind him.
玛格丽特看着他跑远，捂着腰侧，快步跟在他身后。
At the line, the children see him first. They laugh and point at his feet. Some of them cheer. A small girl in a blue shirt stands alone. Her hands press against her chest. Her breath is short and shaky.
到了起跑线，孩子们最先看到了他。他们笑着，指着他的脚。有的还欢呼起来。一个穿蓝衬衫的小女孩独自站着，双手按在胸口。她的呼吸又短又发抖。
Wolfgang stops in front of her. He bends over, out of breath, and holds out the box.
沃尔夫冈在她面前停下，弯着腰，上气不接下气，把盒子递了过去。
"Delivery," he says. "From the pharmacy. Special, for you."
“送货，”他说，“药店送来的。特别为你准备的。”
The girl takes the inhaler and puts it to her mouth. She breathes in slowly. She holds it. She breathes out. Her shoulders drop, and her eyes get wide again.
女孩接过吸入器，放到嘴边。她慢慢地吸气，屏住，再呼出去。她的肩膀松了下来，眼睛又睁得大大的。
"Thank you," she says.
“谢谢你，”她说。
"Good," says the sports teacher. She is still holding her whistle. "You are two minutes early."
“好，”体育老师说，她手里还握着哨子，“你提前了两分钟。”
Marguerite arrives a moment later, with her hair flying. She sees the girl standing straight and smiling. She puts a hand on her heart.
玛格丽特过了一会儿也到了，头发被风吹得乱飞。她看见女孩站得笔直，脸上带着笑。她把一只手按在心口上。
The referee looks at Wolfgang's shoes. "Excuse me, sir," he says. "Did you run here with those?"
裁判看了看沃尔夫冈的鞋子。“请问，先生，”他说，“您就是穿着这个跑过来的吗？”
Wolfgang looks down. Then he looks up and smiles.
沃尔夫冈低头看了看，然后抬起头，笑了。
"They are a pair," he says. "Just not the same pair."
“它们是一双，”他说，“只不过不是同一双。”
