The Ten-Year-Old Surf Teacher

Maxim was forty years old, and he had never stood on a surfboard. On a short trip to a beach town, he saw a sign that said "Beginner lessons, every morning". His wife was reading a novel under an umbrella.

马克西姆四十岁了，从来没有站上过冲浪板。在一次去海滨小镇的短途旅行中，他看到一块牌子，上面写着“初学者课程，每天早晨”。他的妻子正躺在遮阳伞下看小说。

"Go," she said. "You have been talking about it for ten years."

“去吧，”她说，“你都念叨了十年了。”

The instructor was a tall woman with sun-dried hair and a very patient voice. On the sand, she explained the basics: lie down, paddle, push up, stand. It sounded easy. In the water, it wasn't. Maxim paddled, he jumped, and the board flew out from under him. Then he did it again.

教练是一位高个子的女人，头发被太阳晒得干枯，声音非常有耐心。她在沙滩上讲解了基本要领：趴下，划水，撑起，站稳。听起来很容易。到了水里，就不容易了。马克西姆划水，跳起来，板子却从他脚下飞了出去。然后他又试了一次。

He swallowed more sea water than he thought possible. After an hour, his shoulders hurt, and his pride hurt even more.

他喝下的海水比他想象的还要多。一个小时后，他的肩膀很疼，自尊心更疼。

On the beach, the instructor's daughter was sitting on a towel with a small board beside her. She was about ten years old, and she was watching him with the serious face of a judge. After his eleventh fall, she put her hands around her mouth.

沙滩上，教练的女儿坐在一条毛巾上，身旁放着一块小冲浪板。她大约十岁，用法官一样严肃的表情看着他。他第十一次摔倒之后，她把双手拢在嘴边。

"Your feet are too close together!" she shouted. "And you keep looking at them. Don't look at your feet!"

“你的脚靠得太近了！”她喊道，“而且你老是盯着它们看。别看你的脚！”

Maxim wiped the water from his face. A ten-year-old was giving him orders, and she was right. On the next wave, he moved his feet apart. He stayed up for almost a second before the board threw him off.

马克西姆擦掉脸上的水。一个十岁的孩子在对他发号施令，而且她说得对。下一个浪来的时候，他把双脚分开了。他站稳了将近一秒钟，才被板子甩了出去。

"Better!" she shouted. "Look at the beach! Bend your knees like you're sitting on a chair!"

“好多了！”她喊道，“看着沙滩！膝盖弯下来，就像坐在椅子上一样！”

For the next hour, she called out her tips between sips of hot chocolate. "Wait for a big one." "Don't stand up too early." "You're thinking too much." Her mother laughed and let her continue. Maxim was too tired to be embarrassed, and he began to do exactly what she said.

接下来的一个小时里，她一边抿着热巧克力，一边喊出她的小窍门。“等一个大浪。”“别太早站起来。”“你想得太多了。”她的妈妈笑着，由她说下去。马克西姆累得顾不上难为情，开始一字不差地照她说的做。

At the end of the lesson, the instructor said, "Last wave." Maxim almost said no. His arms felt like wet rope. But the girl on the sand raised both thumbs, so he paddled out one more time.

课程结束时，教练说：“最后一个浪。”马克西姆差点说不。他的手臂像湿绳子一样软。可是沙滩上的那个女孩竖起了两个大拇指，于是他又划了出去。

The wave lifted him gently. He pushed up, put his feet apart, bent his knees, and looked at the beach. One second, two seconds, three seconds. He was standing, and the whole sea was carrying him. Then he lost his balance and fell with a huge splash.

浪轻轻地托起了他。他撑起身子，双脚分开，膝盖弯曲，眼睛望向沙滩。一秒，两秒，三秒。他站住了，整片大海都在带着他前行。然后他失去了平衡，溅起一大片水花，摔了下去。

When he came up, the girl was on her feet, clapping with her arms above her head.

他浮出水面时，那个女孩已经站了起来，双臂举过头顶拍着手。

"Three seconds!" she shouted. "I counted!"

“三秒！”她喊道，“我数了！”

"You're hired as my coach," Maxim shouted back. "Same time tomorrow?"

“我聘你当我的教练，”马克西姆也喊着回答，“明天同一时间，行吗？”