“Howdoyouknowthat?”(你怎麼知道?)
“Vivianandmewasherclassmate.”(薇薇安和我是她的同學。)
“Oh.”(哦。)
“Aftershefinishedthehighschool,shewenttoBerlinforuniversity.”(讀完高中後,她就去柏林上大學。)
“So,thisisthereasonshecanspeakGerman.”(所以,這就是她會說德文的原因吧。)
“That‘sright.”(沒錯。)
然後他喝了口茶,扯開了話題:“EveryChristmas,IwilldrinkteawithmymuminfrontofChristmastree.”(每年聖誕,我都會和我母親一齊在聖誕樹前喝茶。)
“Why?”(為什麼呢?)
“Todayismybirthday.”(今天我生日。)
“Oh.”(噢。)我忽然想起了什麼,然後從口袋裏拿出了在那個美軍準尉的屍體上找到的香煙,然後遞給他。
“HappybirthdayandMerryChristmas.”(祝你生日和聖誕快樂。)
“ThanksKraut.”(謝了,德國佬。)
“Mynameisn‘tKraut,Yankee,mynameisVoss,AlbertVoss.”(我不叫“德國佬”,死老美,我叫沃斯,阿爾伯特·沃斯。)
他友好地伸出手:“MynameisWalker,PierceWalker.”(我叫沃克,皮爾斯·沃克。)
“PierceWalker......PeaceWalker?”(皮爾斯·沃克。。。。。。和平行者?)
(PS:因為Pierce和Peace讀音有少許相似,所以。。。。。。)
我們兩個都笑了,接著皮爾斯開口道:“Wehavenevermeteachotherbefore.Whydowefightwitheachother?Howcanwekilleachother?(我們素未謀麵,為何要互相爭鬥?怎麼能互相殘殺?)
“Becausethis**ingwar,that‘swhy.”(因為這場扯淡的戰爭。)
皮爾斯喝了口茶,歎了口氣:”Enoughgreatmenweredied,butthewarisnotendyet.”(很多勇敢的人已經失去了生命,但這場戰爭距結束還遙遙無期。)
“Itwillbeendsoon,Icanfeel.WewillSurrender,oryouwillgiveupwhenwecatchedHollandagain,thentheRussianswillbedefeatedbyus.”(很快了,我有這種感覺。不是我們舉手投降,就是我們重新占領荷蘭,然後你們退出戰爭,蘇聯人再乖乖舉白旗。)
“Anyway...Don‘tbekilled...IhaveneverthoughtIspeaktoaGerman.”(不管怎麼樣……總之別掛掉……沒想到我會對一個德國人說這句話。)
“Huh,maybeIwillinviteyouforacupofcoffeeinacafeofFrankfurtwhenthewarisend.”(嗬,或許戰爭結束後我會請你在法蘭克福的咖啡廳裏喝杯咖啡。)
“Deal.”(一言為定。)
——未完持續