错过的舞会 Missing the Dance

佚名/Anonymous

“Would you like to be my date for the ROTC dance?”asked Rick. I couldn't believe he was asking me. My two best friends had gotten dates weeks ago, so I had given up hope of anyone from ROTC asking me. Rick was the cutest guy in the club! He wanted to go with me?“Are you serious?”“It's semiformal, so you'll need a dress, but my parents will pay for the tickets and the limo,”he responded. How could I ask for more? A chariot taking Prince Charming and me to the ball? My mouth worded,“Yes,”as my heart leapt with joy. I had never been to a semiformal dance before, and now was my chance. This would be the best night of my life!

The moment got home, I told my mom about Rick's asking. Immediately, she took me shopping to find the perfect dress. We went to the hairdresser's to make an appointment for Friday before the dance to have my hair and nails done. I wanted Rick's eyes to literally pop out of his head when he saw me. I wanted him to take one look at me and fall in love. Could it happen ? Would it? Could I be transformed into a beautiful princess? Before I knew it, days had passed. I couldn't sleep at all. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and my head was throbbing. Friday morning I woke up and the whole world seemed to spin. I tried to lift my head off the pillow but I couldn't move.

“Honey, you're going to be late for school... are you okay?”My mom came into the bedroom. Her hand flew to my forehead.“Oh no! You've got a fever.”I didn't feel hot; I felt cold, so cold. My mother helped me dress, and she drove me to my doctor. I had been there only a few minutes before my doctor called an ambulance. I couldn't understand all that my doctor was telling me. All I could hear was a muffled“One-hundred-four-degree fever.”

The hospital's bright lighting was blinding as a nurse with long, dark hair stuck two IVs in my arm. I didn't remember seeing her come into my room, only the blanket being thrown on top of me.“Cold, very cold,”I said,“The blanket is filled with ice.”She explained,“You have a bad infection. Your doctor ordered fluids and antibiotics for you. Just rest.”I closed my eyes.

It seemed only a few minutes later when I heard,“Good morning.”My doctor woke me.“I'm glad you slept through the night. Luckily, we've brought your temperature down. You are one special little girl. You have a very serious ear, nose, and throat infection, but it seems we now have it under control.”“Mom?”I gasped.“Dad...”“I'm right here.”My mother grabbed my hand. I looked and my parents were there beside me.“Did I miss the dance?”My mom smiled.“I called Rick. I got his number out of your address book and let him know that you were in the hospital.”“Oh no!”I cried.“There'll be other dances,”said my doctor.“Be thankful you'll be alive to see them.”Days passed.

I got increasingly stronger and no longer had a temperature. They discovered that I had developed a very bad strep infection that was treated with antibiotics. I hadn't heard from Rick at all. That bothered me. I worried that he was angry. Not only had I missed the dance, but his parents had also spent that money on a limo. I had let them all down. Who could blame him if he never spoke to me again? I cared so much about looking good, I had worn myself down. The same nurse who had given me my IVs came into my room holding another hospital gown.“Put this on backwards so your rump won't show,”she said.

“Why do I need to do that? Aren't I going home today? I've got one gown on already.”She left, shutting the door, and although I didn't feel like putting on another gown, I did what she asked. Maybe there was another X-ray or test my doctor needed before I could be released. Suddenly the door swung open and standing before me were my parents holding balloons and a tape player, my two best friends in formals, their dates, and Rick in a tuxedo.

“Would you care for a dance?”Rick asked.“Just because you missed the ROTC dance doesn't mean we can't have our own right here——right now.”Tears came to my eyes.“Sure,”I stammered. The nurse closed the curtains and left only the bathroom light on. My friends coupled together as Rick wrapped his arms around me and began to sway to the music.“I'm so glad you are okay,”he said.“I called your parents every night to check up on you.”“They didn't tell me.”I pulled at my hair so it wouldn't look unbrushed.“Don't worry.”He smiled.“You look beautiful.”

For what seemed like hours, my friends and I danced. We didn't mind the people watching from the hall or my parents dancing beside us. My two hospital gowns were less than formal, but I didn't care. When the tape was over, Rick helped me into a wheel-chair and took me downstairs to the limousine waiting to take me home. Never will I forget that afternoon for as long as I live. I didn't have my hair fancily done or even a pretty dress, but I learned how to feel truly beautiful——to be loved.

“在后备军官训练队的舞会上做我的舞伴，好吗？”里克问。我简直无法相信他这么问我。几周前我的两个最好的朋友已接到了邀请，因此对于训练队的邀请我已放弃了希望。里克是俱乐部里最聪明可爱的男孩！他想跟我一起去吗？“你是认真的吗？”“那是一个半正式的舞会，因此你需要一件礼服，而门票和豪华轿车的钱会由我父母支付。”他回答道。我还能要求更多吗？一辆马车把我和我的白马王子送到城堡的舞会！我内心充满了喜悦，应了一句，“我愿意。”我从未参加过半正式的舞会，现在有机会了。那将是我生命中最美丽的夜晚！

我一进家，就把里克邀请我的事告诉了妈妈。于是她马上带我去寻找完美的礼服。我们还去了理发店，预约星期五去做头发和修指甲。我想让里克在看到我时，惊叹不已。我想让他在看我的第一眼时就爱上我。这种事可能吗？会吗？我会变成美丽的公主吗？在答案尚未揭晓之前，真是度日如年。我根本睡不着，紧张得胃痛，头也痛。星期五的早上起床时，我感到整个世界都在旋转。我试着从枕头上抬起头，但我根本无法动弹。

“亲爱的，你上学要迟到了……你还好吧？”母亲走进卧室，摸了摸我的额头。“噢，天哪！你发烧了。”我一点也没觉得热，反而有点冷，很冷。母亲帮我穿上衣服，开车带我去看病。在那儿没呆几分钟，医生就叫了救护车。我完全不明白医生在说什么。我能听到的就是一个低沉的声音：“（华氏）104度。”

一位有着黑色长发的护士在我的胳膊上打了两针，这时，我感到医院明亮的灯光有些炫目。我不记得她什么时候走进了我的病房，只知道有人给我盖好了毯子。我说：“冷，真冷，毯子里都是冰。”她解释道，“你被严重感染了。医生准备为你打吊针，并注射抗生素。休息一下吧。”我合上了眼睛。

感觉只是几分钟之后，我就听到一声“早上好。”医生叫醒了我。“看到你一夜都睡得很好，我很高兴。你已经退烧了，感谢上帝。你这个小姑娘真是特别。你的耳、鼻、喉都被严重感染了，但现在看来，我们已经控制住了。”“妈妈？”我气喘吁吁地叫着。“爸爸？……”“我在这儿。”妈妈一把抓住我的手。我看到父母都在身边。“我错过了舞会吗？”母亲笑着说：“我在你的通讯录里找到了里克的电话号码，给他打了电话，告诉他你住院了。”“噢，不！”我大哭起来。医生说：“还会有别的舞会呢。你应该心存感激，因为将来你还可以参加很多舞会的。”日子慢慢过去了。

我渐渐强壮起来，不再发烧了。他们发现我感染上了链球菌，需要抗生素治疗。我没有听到关于里克的任何消息，为此我感到很烦恼。我担心他生气，不仅是因为我错过了舞会，还因为他的父母支付了豪华轿车的钱。是我让他们失望了，又怎能怪他不再跟我说话了呢？我太介意美丽的外表，而把自己折腾病了。之前给我输液的那位护士给我拿来了另一件病号服。“把它反着穿，这样就不会露出臀部了。”

“为什么要这样做？我今天不能回家吗？我已经有一件了。”她关上门离开了。尽管我不想再穿一件，但还是听了她的话。也许在我出院前要做X光或其他检查。突然间，门开了，父母拿着气球和录音机出现在我面前，同时还有我那两个最好的朋友和她们的舞伴，他们都穿得很正式，还有穿着半正式晚礼服的里克。

“可以和我跳支舞吗？”里克邀请我说，“虽然错过了训练队的舞会，但并不意味着我们不能在这儿跳舞。”我顿时满眼泪水。“当然。”我吞吞吐吐地说。那位护士把窗帘合上，只留下浴室的灯开着。我的朋友们双双跳起了舞，里克也搂住我的腰，随着音乐翩翩起舞。“我很高兴你恢复了健康。”他说，“每晚，我都会给你父母打电话问你的消息。”“他们没有跟我说。”我整了整头发，希望别太乱。他笑着说：“不用担心，你看起来很漂亮。”

我们大概跳了好几个钟头，根本不在乎走廊中旁观的人，还有在旁边跳着舞的父母。我穿着两件极不正式的病号服，但我并不介意。音乐结束了，里克把我扶到轮椅上，推我下了楼，又把我扶进接我回家的豪华轿车里。我永远无法忘记所经历的那个下午。没有美丽的头发，也没有华丽的礼服，但我体会到了真正的美丽——被爱的幸福。

词汇笔记

respond [ri'spɔnd] v.回答；作出反应；承担责任

People do not merely passively respond to the world.

人们不只是被动地对外部世界做出反应。

flutter ['f lʌtə] v.飘动；鼓翼；烦扰

A moth was fluttering round the lamp.

有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。

ambulance ['æmbjuləns] n.救护车；战时流动医院

Do I want to call the ambulance?

我要不要打电话叫救护车？

infection [in'fekʃən] n.感染；传染；传染病

He suffered from a lung inftection.

他的肺部受到了感染。

小试身手

我根本睡不着，紧张得胃痛，头也痛。

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一位有着黑色长发的护士在我的胳膊上打了两针，这时，我感到医院明亮的灯光有些炫目。

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也许在我出院前要做X光或其他检查。

短语家族

The girl gave up halfway.

give up：放弃；投降

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We went to the hairdresser's to make an appointment for Friday before the dance to have my hair and nails done.

make an appointment：预约；约定；与……约好

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