第2081期: The invitation

About seven years ago, I got an invitation to attend a dinner party at my cousin's house.I have a pretty large family and I had never actually seen this particular cousin before.I had only ever spoken to him on the phone.

大约七年前，我收到邀请参加我表弟家的晚宴。我有一个相当大的家庭，我以前从未真正见过这个表弟。我只和他通过电话。

I was surprised that his family unexpectedly invited me over, but I was curious to finally meet them. The invitation had an address that I didn't know and the GPS was unfamiliar with it too. It was in one of those areas where Google Maps doesn't work properly because of poor phone reception.

我很惊讶他的家人竟然邀请我过来，但我很好奇终于能见到他们了。 邀请函上有一个我不知道的地址，GPS 也不熟悉它。 这是谷歌地图因电话信号不佳而无法正常工作的地区之一。

So I had to use an old-fashioned paper map. I marked the location on the map, tried to get a sense of where I was headed, and set off in my car. As I was driving, I started to notice how far I'd travelled into the countryside, away from civilization.

所以我不得不使用老式的纸质地图。 我在地图上标记了位置，试图了解自己要去的地方，然后开车出发。 当我开车的时候，我开始注意到我已经进入了远离文明社会的乡村。

I saw trees, farms and fields passing by. Just trees, farms, and fields, and more trees, more farms and more fields. "Where the hell am I going?" I thought to myself. I'd never ventured out so far in that direction before.

我看到树木、农场和田野经过。 只有树木、农场和田野，还有更多的树木、更多的农场和更多的田野。 “我到底要去哪里？” 我心想。 我以前从未在这个方向上冒险过这么远。

I drove for quite a long time, trying to locate the address I had marked on the map. The thing is, in this area, a lot of the roads don't have names, or the names aren't clearly marked by road signs. I just had to try to match the layout of the streets, to the layout I could see on the map.

我开了很长时间的车，试图找到我在地图上标记的地址。 问题是，在这个地区，很多道路没有名称，或者路标上没有清楚地标出名称。 我只需要尝试将街道的布局与我在地图上看到的布局相匹配。

I finally found a place at a location that looked like the one I had noted on my map.I was pretty sure this was pretty sure that this was the right spot. so I parked and got out of the car. Approaching the house, I noticed how dull and dreary it looked. 

我终于在一个看起来像我在地图上标注的位置的地方找到了一个地方。我非常确定这是正确的地点。 所以我停车并下了车。 走近房子，我发现它看起来多么沉闷和沉闷。

It was completely covered in leaves, branches and overgrown trees. "This can't be it." I said to myself. But as soon as I walked onto the rocky driveway my aunt and uncle came out to greet me. They seemed excited and welcoming.

它完全被树叶、树枝和杂草丛生的树木覆盖。 “不可能是这样。” 我对自己说。 但当我走进岩石车道时，我的姨妈和叔叔出来迎接我。 他们看起来很兴奋，也很热情。

"Hello! Hello! Come in! Come in!" they said, beckoning me inside. Walking into the house, I asked where my cousin was.  Answering immediately one of them said, "Oh, he just went to run a few errands. He should be back later."

“喂！喂！请进！请进！” 他们一边说，一边示意我进去。 走进屋子，我问表弟在哪里。 其中一人立即接话：“哦，他只是出去办点事，应该一会儿就回来了。”

I waited in their kitchen and we spent a couple of hours talking about my mother and my family.  My aunt made a delicious homemade pot roast that I finished off in minutes. After dinner we played an enduring game of Uno. It was surprisingly fun and competitive. My aunt in particular seemed delighted to be playing.

我在他们的厨房里等着，我们花了几个小时谈论我的母亲和我的家人。 我阿姨做了一道美味的自制炖肉，我几分钟就吃完了。 晚餐后，我们玩了一场持久的乌诺游戏。 这是令人惊讶的有趣和有竞争力的。 我姨妈似乎特别高兴能玩。

When we finished the game of Uno. It was almost dark and there was still no sign of my cousin. My aunt and uncle assured me that he'd be back anytime soon. Despite what they said, I decided that I had to leave.

当我们完成《Uno》游戏时。 天已经快黑了，仍然没有表弟的踪影。 我的姑妈和叔叔向我保证他很快就会回来。 不管他们怎么说，我还是决定必须离开。

It was almost dark outside and I knew it would be a nightmare to find my way out of this dreadful place after sunset, with no streetlights or road signs. As my GPS just wasn't working, I asked my aunt and uncle the most efficient way to get to the highway. They gave me a puzzled look.

外面几乎天黑了，我知道日落后要找到离开这个没有路灯或路标的可怕地方的路将是一场噩梦。 由于我的 GPS 坏了，我向叔叔阿姨询问了到达高速公路最有效的路线。 他们向我投去疑惑的表情。

"But, we thought you were staying the night?" they said. I told them I couldn't because I had work the next day and couldn't afford to miss another day. "It's much better if you leave tomorrow morning. Trust us. You'll get lost" they said. I shrugged it off and told them not to worry, "Don't worry. I've got a pretty good sense of direction. I could find my way out of the Sahara desert." I told them.

“但是，我们以为你会留下来过夜？” 他们说。 我告诉他们我不能，因为我第二天还有工作，不能再错过一天。 “如果你明天早上离开会好得多。相信我们。你会迷路的”他们说。 我耸耸肩，告诉他们不要担心，“别担心，我的方向感很好，我能找到离开撒哈拉沙漠的路。” 我告诉了他们。

Looking aggravated, they strongly advised me to stay the night for my own sake. Their body language was weird too as they became more serious and insistent. My uncle stood shaking his head, and my aunt began to move about the place, picking up a set of keys to unlock what I assume was a spare bedroom.

他们看起来很恼怒，强烈建议我为了自己好就留下来过夜。 他们的肢体语言也很奇怪，他们变得更加严肃和坚持。 我叔叔站在那里摇着头，我姑妈开始在这个地方走动，拿起一套钥匙打开我认为是一间备用卧室的门。

At this point I was getting annoyed and irritable. I sighed, "Fine, I'll stay the night then, but I have to get up very early for work." I said. Both of them seemed strangely ecstatic that I was staying the night. As soon as they went out of the room to get bed sheets and pillows, I ran out of the door, got in my car and hastily pulled away.

此时我感到恼怒和烦躁。 我叹了口气，“好吧，那我就留宿一晚吧，不过我要起得很早去上班。” 我说。 他们俩似乎对我留下来过夜感到异常欣喜。 他们一出去拿床单和枕头，我就跑出门，上了车，急忙开走了。

I know it was rude, but I suddenly felt the urge to get out of there quickly. It seemed to take me ages, but I finally found my way back to the main highway and drove back through the night, wondering why my cousin had never turned up. I got home several hours later than I expected. It was after midnight and I didn't want to wake my parents up.

我知道这样很不礼貌，但我突然有种想赶紧离开那里的冲动。 我似乎花了很长时间，但我终于找到了回到主干道的路，连夜开车回来，想知道为什么我的表弟从来没有出现。 我比预期晚了几个小时才到家。 已经是半夜了，我不想吵醒父母。

Climbing over my fence and entering the back door, I noticed that the kitchen lights were on. As soon as I took my first step through the door, I saw my mom sitting there looking impatient. "Where have you been?" She asked. "I was at aunt Debra's. I told you" I replied. "Then why did she call saying you never arrived?" To this day, I still have no idea who I visited.
翻过栅栏进入后门，我注意到厨房的灯亮着。 我一进门，就看到妈妈坐在那里，一脸不耐烦。 “你去哪儿了？” 她问。 “我在黛布拉阿姨家。我告诉过你了。”我回答道。 “那她为什么打电话说你还没来呢？” 直到今天，我仍然不知道我拜访了谁。