Ludo has worked at the café on Market Square for three years, and he usually talks to everyone. Customers, delivery drivers, even the old man who only ever wants a glass of water. Then a new coworker starts on Monday. She is deaf, and Ludo does not know how to say a single word to her.
卢多在集市广场的咖啡馆工作三年了，他通常和每个人都聊得来。顾客、送货司机，甚至那位只要一杯水的老先生。然后，星期一来了一位新同事。她是聋人，而卢多不知道怎么跟她说哪怕一个字。
She is friendly, fast and good at her job. They write notes on a small pad by the till. "Two flat whites, table four." "Milk is running low." It works, but every note feels like a closed door. Ludo wants to ask how her weekend was, or what music she likes. A note is too slow for that.
她友好、手脚麻利，工作也做得好。他们在收银台边的一个小本子上写字条。“两杯澳白，四号桌。”“牛奶快没了。”这样行得通，可每张字条都像一扇关着的门。卢多想问问她周末过得怎么样，或者她喜欢什么音乐。写字条对这些来说太慢了。
He could ask her to teach him, but that feels like giving her extra work. So he decides to learn by himself. He finds an evening class at a community centre, taught by a deaf teacher called Bastian. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, after his shift, Ludo sits in a bright room with eight other beginners. Nobody speaks. There are only hands.
他可以请她教他，可那样好像是给她添了额外的工作。所以他决定自己学。他在社区活动中心找到一个晚间班，老师是一位叫巴斯蒂安的聋人。每个星期二和星期四，下班之后，卢多就和另外八个初学者一起坐在一间明亮的教室里。没有人说话，只有手。
At first, he is terrible. His fingers move in the wrong order, and he forgets half of the signs by the next lesson. Bastian is patient. He repeats each sign slowly and moves Ludo's fingers into the right place. At home, Ludo practises in the bathroom mirror with the door closed, like someone keeping a secret.
起初，他糟糕透了。他的手指顺序总是错，下一节课时一半的手势都忘了。巴斯蒂安很有耐心。他把每个手势慢慢重复一遍，再把卢多的手指摆到正确的位置。在家里，卢多关着门，对着浴室的镜子练习，像个守着秘密的人。
For two months, he tells nobody. His coworker notices that he looks tired, but he only shrugs and writes, "Long week."
两个月里，他谁也没告诉。同事发现他看起来很疲惫，可他只是耸耸肩，写道：“这星期有点累。”
On a rainy Monday morning, she opens the café door and shakes out her umbrella. Ludo takes a breath, lifts his hand to his chin, and moves it forward. Good morning.
一个下雨的星期一早上，她推开咖啡馆的门，抖了抖雨伞。卢多深吸一口气，把手抬到下巴，再向前移动。早上好。
Her eyes go wide. Then she laughs, a bright, surprised laugh that fills the empty café. She steps closer, gently turns his wrist a little, and shows him the correct hand shape. Then she signs something much longer, fast and happy, and Ludo understands about half of it.
她的眼睛睁得大大的。然后她笑了，那是一阵明亮又惊喜的笑声，充满了空荡荡的咖啡馆。她走近一步，轻轻地把他的手腕转了一点，给他看正确的手形。然后她比划了一句长得多的话，又快又开心，而卢多只看懂了大约一半。
He puts the notepad away in the drawer. Then he grins, shakes his head, and signs the one thing he has practised for weeks: "Slowly, please."
他把便条本收进了抽屉。然后他咧嘴笑了，摇了摇头，打出了他练了好几个星期的那句话：“请慢一点。”
