For six months, Darius had been keeping a secret from his father. While everyone at home believed he was only applying to engineering programs, he had quietly submitted an audition tape to a conservatory two states away.
六个月来，达里乌斯一直对父亲隐瞒着一个秘密。家里人都以为他只是在申请工程专业，而他却悄悄向两个州之外的一所音乐学院递交了试演录像。
His father had studied mechanical engineering himself, and he had always assumed his son would follow the same path. His father had often said, in different words, that engineering was simply the safe choice for someone who wanted a stable life.
他的父亲自己学的是机械工程，一向认为儿子会走同样的路。父亲常常用不同的话说，对想过稳定生活的人来说，工程就是稳妥的选择。
The letter arrived on a Tuesday, addressed to Darius but opened by his father before anyone noticed the return address. By the time Darius came home from school, his father was sitting at the kitchen table with the letter in his hands.
信是在一个周二到的，收信人是达里乌斯，却在大家注意到寄件地址之前就被父亲拆开了。等达里乌斯放学回到家，父亲正坐在厨房的桌子旁，手里拿着那封信。
"You were accepted into a conservatory," his father said flatly. "I didn't even know you'd applied."
“你被一所音乐学院录取了，”父亲平淡地说，“我甚至不知道你申请过。”
Darius froze in the doorway. He had planned to explain everything calmly, once he had an offer in hand and evidence that the decision was serious. Instead, the conversation was happening exactly the way he had hoped to avoid.
达里乌斯僵在门口。他原本打算等拿到录取、有了证据证明这个决定是认真的，再平静地把一切解释清楚。可现在，谈话偏偏以他最想避免的方式发生了。
"I should have told you before I sent it in," Darius admitted. "I was afraid you'd tell me not to bother."
“我应该在寄出之前就告诉你，”达里乌斯承认道，“我怕你会叫我别白费力气。”
If his father forbade it outright, Darius already knew he would apply again next year anyway. His father was quiet, turning the letter over as if it might explain itself. He had assumed, without ever really asking, that his son's plans matched his own.
如果父亲直接禁止，达里乌斯早就知道，自己明年照样会再申请。父亲沉默着，把信翻来覆去地看，仿佛它自己会解释清楚。他一直想当然地认为，儿子的计划和自己的一样，从来没有真正问过。
"If you had told me from the start, I would have had questions," his father said slowly. "I still have questions. But that's different from telling you no."
“如果你一开始就告诉我，我会有疑问，”父亲缓缓地说，“我现在仍然有疑问。但这和对你说不是两回事。”
"I know composition doesn't sound practical," Darius said. "I'm not asking you to pretend it's an easy path."
“我知道作曲听起来不实际，”达里乌斯说，“我不是要你假装这是一条轻松的路。”
His father set the letter down on the table, facing Darius. "I'm not going to pretend I understand it yet. However, I'd rather hear about it from you than find it out by opening your mail."
父亲把信放在桌上，正面朝着达里乌斯。“我不会假装我已经理解了。不过，我宁愿从你嘴里听到这件事，而不是拆你的信才知道。”
For the first time in months, Darius sat down across from his father and started explaining, from the beginning, what he actually wanted.
几个月来第一次，达里乌斯在父亲对面坐了下来，从头开始解释自己真正想要的是什么。
