Odette moved to a new neighborhood in March. She wanted to make new friends quickly. Two groups asked her to join them.
奥黛特三月搬到了一个新街区。她想快点交到新朋友。有两个团体邀请她加入。
The book club met on Tuesday nights at the library. The hiking group met early on Saturday mornings. Odette could not decide which one to try.
读书会每周二晚上在图书馆聚会。徒步小组每周六清晨出发。奥黛特拿不定主意先试哪一个。
That week, a small note appeared in her mailbox. "Welcome to the street," it said. "We hope you feel at home here."
那一周，她的邮箱里出现了一张小字条。“欢迎来到这条街，”上面写着，“希望你在这里有家的感觉。”
More notes kept coming, one every few days. Each one was short, kind, and unsigned. Odette wondered who wrote them.
字条接连不断地来，每隔几天一张。每一张都很短，很亲切，也没有署名。奥黛特想知道是谁写的。
She asked her neighbors, but nobody knew. She checked the handwriting against old letters. Nothing matched anything she owned.
她问了邻居们，可没人知道。她拿笔迹去对照旧信件。可是和她手里的东西都对不上。
On Saturday, Odette made her choice. She decided to try the hiking group. She picked it over the book club. She wanted fresh air and new faces. She walked to the meeting spot near the park.
星期六，奥黛特做出了选择。她决定试试徒步小组。她选了它，而没选读书会。她想呼吸新鲜空气，认识新面孔。她走到公园附近的集合地点。
A tall man named Marek led the group that morning. He handed her a trail map and a warm smile. Something about his handwriting looked familiar.
那天早上，一个名叫马雷克的高个子男人带队。他递给她一张步道地图，还有一个温暖的微笑。他的笔迹看起来有点眼熟。
"Do you write the notes in my mailbox?" Odette asked. Marek turned a little red. "That was me," he said. "I just wanted you to feel welcome."
“我邮箱里的字条是你写的吗？”奥黛特问。马雷克微微红了脸。“是我，”他说，“我只是想让你感到被欢迎。”
Odette laughed and shook her head. "The notes worked," she said. "Here I am."
奥黛特笑着摇了摇头。“字条奏效了，”她说，“我这不是来了嘛。”
She joined the hiking group that day. Marek walked next to her the whole way. They talked about the street and the trail.
那天她加入了徒步小组。马雷克一路都走在她身旁。他们聊着这条街，聊着这条步道。
