Kirra needs something special for the school's Heritage Evening. Every student has to bring an object that tells a family story. Her grandfather keeps an old silver watch in a wooden box in his bedroom. He wears it only on holidays.
基拉需要一件特别的东西，参加学校的传承之夜。每个学生都要带一件讲述家族故事的物品。她的爷爷在卧室里的一只木盒中收着一块旧银表。他只在节假日才戴。
She knows she should ask him. But he is staying at his sister's house until Sunday, and the evening is on Friday. Kirra decides that one small borrowing can't hurt.
她知道自己应该问问他。可他要到周日才回来，之前一直住在他姐姐家，而活动就在周五。基拉觉得，借用一下，小小的，没什么关系。
On Friday afternoon, she wraps the watch in a scarf and puts it in her bag. Her presentation goes well. Her classmates ask about the words engraved on the back. She tells them how her grandfather received it from his own father. Then, while she is hurrying to pack up, the watch slips from her hand and hits the floor.
周五下午，她用一条围巾把表包好，放进书包。她的展示进行得很顺利。同学们问起表背面刻的字。她讲了爷爷是怎么从他自己的父亲那里得到它的。然后，在她匆忙收拾东西时，表从她手里滑落，掉在了地上。
The sound is small and sharp. When she picks it up, a line runs across the glass, from the edge almost to the middle. The hands are still moving, but the watch looks hurt.
声音又小又脆。她捡起来时，表面玻璃上有一道裂纹，从边缘几乎延伸到中间。指针还在走，可这块表看上去像是受了伤。
Her stomach drops. All the way home, she thinks of ideas. She could put it back in the box with the cracked side down. He might not notice for months. Maybe he would think it had happened years ago.
她的心一沉。回家的一路上，她都在想办法。她可以把它放回盒子里，裂的那面朝下。他也许几个月都不会发现。说不定他会以为这是多年前的事了。
That night, she opens the box and looks at the empty velvet. The idea of hiding the damage makes her feel worse, not better. She remembers how carefully her grandfather winds the watch. "Time is the one thing you can't borrow," he always says.
那天夜里，她打开盒子，看着空空的丝绒衬垫。想到要把损坏藏起来，她反而觉得更难受，而不是好受些。她想起爷爷给这块表上发条时有多小心。“时间是你唯一借不来的东西，”他总是这么说。
On Saturday morning, she takes the watch to a small repair shop near the station. The repairer turns it over under a lamp. "The glass is easy to replace," he says. "It will cost sixty dollars, and it will be ready on Tuesday."
周六早上，她把表带到车站附近的一家小修表店。修表师傅把它翻过来，放在灯下查看。“换玻璃很容易，”他说，“要六十美元，星期二就能好。”
Kirra has exactly seventy dollars in savings. She was keeping it for new headphones. She counts out the money slowly, and then she pays.
基拉的存款正好是七十美元。她本来是留着买新耳机的。她慢慢数出钱，然后付了款。
On Sunday, her grandfather comes home. She waits until after dinner, then puts the empty box on the table. "I need to tell you something," she says. "I took your watch without asking. It fell, and the glass cracked. It's at the repair shop, and I've already paid for it."
周日，爷爷回到了家。她等到晚饭后，才把空盒子放在桌上。“我得告诉你一件事，”她说，“我没问你就拿了你的表。它掉了，玻璃裂了。它在修表店，我已经付了钱。”
Her grandfather is silent. He rubs his chin. "You should have asked," he says at last.
爷爷沉默着。他摸了摸下巴。“你应该先问我。”他终于说。
"I know," Kirra says. "I'm sorry."
“我知道，”基拉说，“对不起。”
"I would have said yes," he says. "That is the part that bothers me." He shakes his head slowly, but his voice is softer now. "Thank you for telling me the truth. Many grown people wouldn't."
“我会答应的，”他说，“让我难受的就是这一点。”他慢慢地摇了摇头，但声音已经柔和下来。“谢谢你对我说实话。很多大人都做不到。”
On Tuesday, they collect the watch together. Back at home, he fastens it around her wrist for a moment. "Next time, ask," he says. "Then it's a gift, not a secret."
周二，他们一起去取表。回到家，他把它戴到她的手腕上，戴了一会儿。“下次，先问我，”他说，“那样它就是礼物，而不是秘密。”
