A Question of Rights [一項權利問題]
Unfortunately , a crime was about to be committed but at that moment Lesley was unaware of the impending(即將發(fā)生的,迫近的) event , which would affect her life so drastically(極端地,徹底地) for the next years .
一項犯罪就要得逞了。而不幸的是，就在那時，萊斯利對即將發(fā)生的事毫無察覺。這件事將徹底改變她此后兩年的生活。
For the moment at least, her holiday at the cottage had been ideal. She had spent many idle hours relaxing on the deck , reading ,eating a sandwich when she was hungry and in the evening watching the sky turn from brilliant orange to peach and finally to pale purple , eventually the light becoming dim . It was about this time that the mist would begin to rise from the cool water hiding in the dense forest that hugged(環(huán)繞,擁抱) the shoreline(海岸線). Late evening dew(露水) glistened(閃耀,反光) on every bush and soon the loons' (潛鳥) call would resound (回響) across the water . She decided to take on last dip in the lake. As the cool night air touched her arms. She gave a little shiver and decided it was time to move inside.
至少在那個時候，她在小別墅的假期還是很愜意的。她在平臺上度過了很多閑適輕松的時光，讀書、餓了吃塊三明治;晚上，看著天空由鮮橙色變?yōu)樘壹t色，然后變?yōu)榈仙?，最后光線終于黯淡下來。就在這時，薄霧開始從隱藏在環(huán)繞岸邊的密林里的冷水中升起;再晚些，灌木上的露珠開始閃爍，不久，潛水鳥的叫聲就會在水面上回蕩起來。她決定在湖里最后再泡一會兒。當她的手臂觸到夜晚涼爽的空氣時，不禁有些發(fā)抖，于是她決定該是回到屋里去的時候了。
This was to be her last evening alone as Jeff, her former mate, would be returning Zac to her early in the morning. As the case in many marriages these days, problems had arisen between Lesley and Jeff, but they did not extend to Zac. He was a good kid, just entering kindergarten. The couple had come to a mutual agreement , as dictated by the legal custody(監(jiān)管,保管) agreement .It stated that each parent would share Zac's care every second weekend and this had been her weekend to be alone.
這是她在家中獨處的最后一個晚上，因為她的前夫杰夫會在早上把扎克送回來。與當時許多婚姻情況一樣，萊斯利和杰夫之間出現(xiàn)了許多問題，但并未影響到扎克。他是個好孩子，剛剛上幼兒園。他們達成了一個依法監(jiān)護的協(xié)議，協(xié)議規(guī)定雙親每兩個周末輪換照顧孩子，這是她獨處的周末。
Jeff was an architect, with a high-profile reputation, who worked in downtown Toronto, a partner in a private corporation which mostly did consultant work for the university. Lesley’s company had been hired to advertise the new science complex in order to raise corporate(公司的) money for the proposed building. She liked her work and she harbored a secret ambition to manage her division of the company some day.
杰夫是個建筑師，名聲很大，在多倫多市區(qū)工作，是一家私人公司的合伙人，該公司主要為大學做咨詢工作。萊斯利的公司已經(jīng)接下了為新的科學綜合大樓做廣告的工作，以便為計劃中的大樓籌集合作基金。她喜歡她的工作，并且心懷抱負：有一天她要管理這個部門。
After a whirlwind(旋風般的) courtship(求愛,熱戀) and a fairytale wedding the couple had settled down to an urban lifestyle. However, after three years and one child the dreamlike marriage came smashing down. One disadvantage(不利條件) of being young and ambitious(有抱負的) was that both of them needed to devote untold hours to their busy schedules. As a result of these late hours, Lesley became suspicious(猜疑的) of Jeff’s after hours activities. She accused him of making her part of a love triangle. The whole miserable scene was to set the proceedings(過程,訴訟,訴訟程序) for an ugly(不愉快的) divorce in motion.
在一段旋風般的熱戀和一個童話式的婚禮之后，夫妻倆定居下來，過起了都市生活。然而，在過了三年并有了孩子之后，這段夢幻般的婚姻開始破裂了。年輕而又雄心勃勃的不利之處，就是兩個人都要把數(shù)不清的時間花在忙不完的事業(yè)上。由于經(jīng)常工作到很晚，萊斯利開始懷疑杰夫工作之余的活動，她指責他讓她成了三角愛情的一部分。事情發(fā)展到最痛苦的場面就是提出不愉快的離婚訴訟。
Daydreaming(幻想,白日夢) about those earlier days would not help tonight. So with a shrug of her shoulders she tackled the advertising assignment she needed to complete. Tomorrow would be a busy day with Zac arriving home.
那些對最初美好時光的回憶，對今夜也無濟于事。于是，她聳了聳肩，著手處理她必須完成的廣告業(yè)務。明天扎克到家后將會非常忙碌。
The next day, as the morning wore on, Lesley became more and more agitated(煩躁), and her mood became apprehensive(憂慮的,不安的), when Jeff did not appear. When noon hour arrived and he still had not appeared, she started making some phone calls. None of their mutual friends had either seen or talked with Jeff that day. Until today, Jeff had always been very punctual about returning the boy at the appointed time. Lesley felt a knot forming in her stomach as a crazy thought persisted at the back of her mind. She was absolutely sure something was wrong.
Jeff sat with his head bowed. He was undecided what to do. The domestic arrangement with his former wife was proving to be awkward. He was frustrated at being able to see his son only on weekends and felt he was always making concessions to accommodate(適應,遷就) Lesley’s work schedule. Every meeting was turning into a competition for the boy’s affection. His one desire was to take Zac away for good. The enormous decision to undertake this plan appeared to be presenting itself. Today he would depart for a conference in California. This appeared to be a marvelous opportunity to take the boy and leave the country for good. He bet that he could pack sufficient baggage into his vehicle and then disappears across the border, gaining entry the U.S.A. He gave little thought to whatsoever of the fact this act could lead to his conviction if he was tracked down by the cops.
第二天，隨著上午的時間慢慢逝去，萊斯利越來越感到不安。杰夫沒有出現(xiàn)，她變得焦躁起來。到了中午，他還沒出現(xiàn)，于是她開始打電話。他們共同的朋友都說那天沒看見他，也沒和他通過電話。以前，杰夫總是非常準時地將孩子送回來。一種不祥的想法在下意識地困擾著她，萊斯利感到恐懼。她絕對肯定是出事了。杰夫低頭坐著，他不知該做些什么。和前妻商定的對家庭的安排看來是蠢笨的，只能在周末看看兒子令他沮喪極了。為了萊斯利的工作安排，他覺得一直在遷就。每次相見都變成一場爭奪“孩子到底愛誰”的競爭。他有一個心愿就是把扎克永遠帶走，現(xiàn)在就應做出實施這個計劃的重大決定了。今天，他要前往加利福尼亞參加一個會議，這顯然是一個帶走孩子，永遠離開這個國家的絕好機會。他確信他能夠把足夠多的行李裝上車，然后跨過邊境，進入美國后就消失掉。如果被警察抓住，這種行為是可以構成犯罪的，可他不再多想了。
Meanwhile, for Lesley the nightmare continued to unfold(展現(xiàn),顯露) as the reality of the situation deepened. After 48 hours, the spokesman for the district police department assured her they would investigate Zac’s disappearance. Her faith that justice would be realized was faint. The shock of the past two days’ events made her realize that possibly her son would become one more statistic in the missing children file. The police completed a preliminary survey after asking hundreds of detailed(詳細的) questions. Hot lines proved fruitless(無結果的).
Meanwhile, over the next year there were countless visits and interviews at the police station and her home. The police appeared to be making no progress in tracking Zac’s whereabouts(行蹤). As the days passed, Lesley’s frustration(挫敗) mounted and she felt a sense of alarm. Eventually, she decided to take the initiative in continuing the search and she began to use well-established child find agencies. At times, boosted by hopes, she appeared to be on the right trail with a sense of disgust, but her hopes were dashed at the final moment. These obstacles hope. After Zac’s picture was circulated nationwide, telephone calls followed from strangers reporting sightings(被看見的人或事物) of a Zac look alike. Month by month her plan evolved into a campaign equal to a full-scale battle plan. She paid an exceedingly high fee for specialized help, such as the services of an attorney. Lesley became determined to target every major city where Jeff normally contracted business. As the months slopped by, Lesley’s exhaustion became noticeable in her eyes. Her cheeks became hollow pits. Most days she felt as though she did not have an ounce of energy left because proof of Zac’s existence seemed impossible to find.
Another year passed and her hopes dimmed. Unexpectedly, late in August a promising lead brought her to Los Angeles.
與此同時，對于萊斯利，隨著事件真相的不斷深入，噩夢也在繼續(xù)顯現(xiàn)。48小時后，地區(qū)警察部門發(fā)言人向她保證，他們將對扎克的失蹤展開調(diào)查。她對正義會得到伸張的信心減弱了。最近兩天發(fā)生的事使她認識到，他的兒子很可能成為失蹤兒童名單中增加的又一個新數(shù)字。在詢問了許許多多的細節(jié)問題之后，警察完成了初步調(diào)查。熱線電話絲毫沒有結果。
在接下來的一年多時間里，她在警察局和家中接受了無數(shù)次的訪問和會見。在尋找禮物的下落上，警察似乎并沒有取得什么進展。時間一天天地過去，萊斯利感到日益失望，她有一種恐慌的感覺。終于，她決定要爭取主動，繼續(xù)找尋，她開始求助于專門的兒童尋找機構。有時，盡管感到有些厭煩，由于希望的驅使，她還是加入到搜尋線索的行列，但她的希望都在最后時刻破滅了。這些挫折只會令她更堅定不放棄尋找或不喪失希望的決心。扎克的照片在全國傳閱，不斷有陌生人打來電話，報告說看見了像扎克模樣了人。一月又一月，她參與活動的計劃安排相當于一場大規(guī)模的戰(zhàn)役部署。她出高薪請專家?guī)兔?，例如聘請代理人為她服務。萊斯利開始決定在杰夫平日聯(lián)系生意的每一個主要城市去尋找目標。幾個月過去了，從萊斯利的眼里，可以明顯感覺到她的確精疲力竭了。她的臉頰深深地凹了下去。大多數(shù)日子里，她覺得好像一點兒精力也沒有了，因為證明扎克還在的證據(jù)看來是不可能找到了。
The interior of the bar was dark. Her quest to locate Jeff and Zac had taken two years. She had paid private investigators in American currency to help her locate her ex-husband. In her handbag she carried the necessary proof that would identify her to the authorities if she was successful in being able to bring Zac home again, to Canada. She had been impatient for this moment to arrive for so long and yet now she just wanted to secure her son with a minimum of fuss. Now, right on cue, a tall stranger slipped into the bar and sat down. One glimpse told her it was Jeff. He looked weary(疲勞的) and older but definitely familiar. A chill ran up her spine(脊椎,脊柱). Close to success, she refused to concede defeat. It was the time to remedy the enormous sadness. This time she wanted a guarantee of success. She stared straight ahead with a vacant look, trying to grasp the important moment. Vivid scenes, from the pass two years’ search, flashed(思想等的閃現(xiàn)) through her mind.
又一年過去了，她的希望變得更加渺茫。但出乎意料，八月底，一個很有希望的線索把她帶到洛杉磯。
酒吧里面很暗。追尋杰夫和扎克和下落已經(jīng)花了她現(xiàn)年時間。她付費給在美國的私家偵察機構，幫她查找前夫的下落。在她的手提包里，有可以向當局證明的必要材料，一旦成功，她就可以將扎克帶回家，回到加拿大。她焦急地等待著這一刻的到來已經(jīng)很久了，而現(xiàn)在她只想找回她的兒子，發(fā)行量不要出什么亂子。就在這個時候，一個高個的陌生人溜進酒吧坐下來。她一眼就認出那是杰夫。他看起來很疲憊，顯得更蒼老了，但還是相當熟悉。一陣寒氣掠過她的背脊。馬上就要成功了!她拒絕承認失敗，這正是治療巨大傷痛的時刻。這次，她要確保成功。她帶著迷茫的神情凝視著前方，努力要抓住這重要的時刻。過去兩年的搜尋情景，一幕幕清晰地在她的腦海中閃現(xiàn)。
The following day, happily for Lesley, the headline of the local paper read, “Father turns over child, Mother slams system.”
翌日，使萊斯利感到高興的是當?shù)貓蠹埖念^條新聞：“父親將孩子送回，母親猛烈抨擊體制”。
Lesley and Zac’s subsequent life could now resume some form of normalcy(正常狀態(tài)), however, the stress and strain of the past two years would always remain as a part of this renewed relationship in the memory.
至于萊斯利和扎克后來的生活，現(xiàn)在可能恢復到某種正常狀態(tài)了。然而，過去兩年的壓力和緊張將成為這種重新恢復起來的關系中的一部分，永遠留在記憶里。
For the moment at least, her holiday at the cottage had been ideal. She had spent many idle hours relaxing on the deck , reading ,eating a sandwich when she was hungry and in the evening watching the sky turn from brilliant orange to peach and finally to pale purple , eventually the light becoming dim . It was about this time that the mist would begin to rise from the cool water hiding in the dense forest that hugged(環(huán)繞,擁抱) the shoreline(海岸線). Late evening dew(露水) glistened(閃耀,反光) on every bush and soon the loons' (潛鳥) call would resound (回響) across the water . She decided to take on last dip in the lake. As the cool night air touched her arms. She gave a little shiver and decided it was time to move inside.
This was to be her last evening alone as Jeff, her former mate, would be returning Zac to her early in the morning. As the case in many marriages these days, problems had arisen between Lesley and Jeff, but they did not extend to Zac. He was a good kid, just entering kindergarten. The couple had come to a mutual agreement , as dictated by the legal custody(監(jiān)管,保管) agreement .It stated that each parent would share Zac's care every second weekend and this had been her weekend to be alone.
Jeff was an architect, with a high-profile reputation, who worked in downtown Toronto, a partner in a private corporation which mostly did consultant work for the university. Lesley’s company had been hired to advertise the new science complex in order to raise corporate(公司的) money for the proposed building. She liked her work and she harbored a secret ambition to manage her division of the company some day.
After a whirlwind(旋風般的) courtship(求愛,熱戀) and a fairytale wedding the couple had settled down to an urban lifestyle. However, after three years and one child the dreamlike marriage came smashing down. One disadvantage(不利條件) of being young and ambitious(有抱負的) was that both of them needed to devote untold hours to their busy schedules. As a result of these late hours, Lesley became suspicious(猜疑的) of Jeff’s after hours activities. She accused him of making her part of a love triangle. The whole miserable scene was to set the proceedings(過程,訴訟,訴訟程序) for an ugly(不愉快的) divorce in motion.
Daydreaming(幻想,白日夢) about those earlier days would not help tonight. So with a shrug of her shoulders she tackled the advertising assignment she needed to complete. Tomorrow would be a busy day with Zac arriving home.
The next day, as the morning wore on, Lesley became more and more agitated(煩躁), and her mood became apprehensive(憂慮的,不安的), when Jeff did not appear. When noon hour arrived and he still had not appeared, she started making some phone calls. None of their mutual friends had either seen or talked with Jeff that day. Until today, Jeff had always been very punctual about returning the boy at the appointed time. Lesley felt a knot forming in her stomach as a crazy thought persisted at the back of her mind. She was absolutely sure something was wrong.
Jeff sat with his head bowed. He was undecided what to do. The domestic arrangement with his former wife was proving to be awkward. He was frustrated at being able to see his son only on weekends and felt he was always making concessions to accommodate(適應,遷就) Lesley’s work schedule. Every meeting was turning into a competition for the boy’s affection. His one desire was to take Zac away for good. The enormous decision to undertake this plan appeared to be presenting itself. Today he would depart for a conference in California. This appeared to be a marvelous opportunity to take the boy and leave the country for good. He bet that he could pack sufficient baggage into his vehicle and then disappears across the border, gaining entry the U.S.A. He gave little thought to whatsoever of the fact this act could lead to his conviction if he was tracked down by the cops.
Meanwhile, for Lesley the nightmare continued to unfold(展現(xiàn),顯露) as the reality of the situation deepened. After 48 hours, the spokesman for the district police department assured her they would investigate Zac’s disappearance. Her faith that justice would be realized was faint. The shock of the past two days’ events made her realize that possibly her son would become one more statistic in the missing children file. The police completed a preliminary survey after asking hundreds of detailed(詳細的) questions. Hot lines proved fruitless(無結果的).
Meanwhile, over the next year there were countless visits and interviews at the police station and her home. The police appeared to be making no progress in tracking Zac’s whereabouts(行蹤). As the days passed, Lesley’s frustration(挫敗) mounted and she felt a sense of alarm. Eventually, she decided to take the initiative in continuing the search and she began to use well-established child find agencies. At times, boosted by hopes, she appeared to be on the right trail with a sense of disgust, but her hopes were dashed at the final moment. These obstacles hope. After Zac’s picture was circulated nationwide, telephone calls followed from strangers reporting sightings(被看見的人或事物) of a Zac look alike. Month by month her plan evolved into a campaign equal to a full-scale battle plan. She paid an exceedingly high fee for specialized help, such as the services of an attorney. Lesley became determined to target every major city where Jeff normally contracted business. As the months slopped by, Lesley’s exhaustion became noticeable in her eyes. Her cheeks became hollow pits. Most days she felt as though she did not have an ounce of energy left because proof of Zac’s existence seemed impossible to find.
Another year passed and her hopes dimmed. Unexpectedly, late in August a promising lead brought her to Los Angeles.
The interior of the bar was dark. Her quest to locate Jeff and Zac had taken two years. She had paid private investigators in American currency to help her locate her ex-husband. In her handbag she carried the necessary proof that would identify her to the authorities if she was successful in being able to bring Zac home again, to Canada. She had been impatient for this moment to arrive for so long and yet now she just wanted to secure her son with a minimum of fuss. Now, right on cue, a tall stranger slipped into the bar and sat down. One glimpse told her it was Jeff. He looked weary(疲勞的) and older but definitely familiar. A chill ran up her spine(脊椎,脊柱). Close to success, she refused to concede defeat. It was the time to remedy the enormous sadness. This time she wanted a guarantee of success. She stared straight ahead with a vacant look, trying to grasp the important moment. Vivid scenes, from the pass two years’ search, flashed(思想等的閃現(xiàn)) through her mind.
The following day, happily for Lesley, the headline of the local paper read, “Father turns over child, Mother slams system.”
Lesley and Zac’s subsequent life could now resume some form of normalcy(正常狀態(tài)), however, the stress and strain of the past two years would always remain as a part of this renewed relationship in the memory.
