The Night Bus

Ana turned round and walked back to the Second Chance. She knocked on the door. “Mick? How do you know my name?”

Ana转过身，走回“Second Chance”号船。她敲了敲门。“Mick？你怎么知道我的名字？”

Nobody answered. The curtains were closed now. She knocked again, louder. Nothing. On the next boat, the woman with the blue paint looked at her. Ana’s face went red, and she walked home.

没有人回答。现在窗帘拉上了。她又敲了敲门，声音更大了。没有动静。在旁边那条船上，那个拿着蓝油漆的女人看着她。Ana脸红了，她走回了家。

She didn’t tell Priya about Mick. She didn’t tell anybody. All weekend she thought about his tired eyes, his big hands and the box of paper squares.

她没有把Mick的事告诉Priya。她谁也没告诉。整个周末，她都在想着他疲倦的眼睛、他的大手，还有那盒方形的纸。

On Monday it was her night off again. At half past one in the morning, she was still awake. So she put on her ugly green jacket and went out to the bus stop.

星期一又是她的休息夜。凌晨一点半，她还没睡着。所以她穿上那件难看的绿色外套，走去了公交车站。

The N7 came at a quarter to two. The doors opened, and Daniel looked down at her from his seat. “Ana! What are you doing here? Are you going somewhere?”

N7路车在一截两点（一点四十五分）来了。车门开了，Daniel从座位上向下看着她。“Ana！你在这里做什么？你要去哪里吗？”

“Nowhere. I can’t sleep. Can I buy a ticket to… everywhere?”

“哪里也不去。我睡不着。我可以买一张去……任何地方的票吗？”

Daniel laughed. “A return ticket to everywhere. Two pounds fifty. Sit at the front. I’ll show you Hollin Bridge at night. It’s the best tour in Yorkshire, and it’s nearly always empty.”

Daniel笑了。“一张去任何地方的往返票。两镑五十便士。坐在前面吧。我带你看夜晚的Hollin Bridge。这是Yorkshire最好的旅行，而且车上差不多总是空的。”

It was true. There were only two other people on the bus: a nurse going home from the hospital and a young man asleep at the back. Ana sat in the first seat, next to Daniel.

确实是这样。车上只有另外两个人：一个从医院下班回家的护士，还有一个在后面睡觉的年轻人。Ana坐在第一个座位上，挨着Daniel。

The bus went up through the market square, past the dark town hall, out to the hospital and the new houses. Then it came back down along the river. Daniel knew every street and every light.

公交车开上去穿过集市广场，经过黑暗的市政厅，开到了医院和那些新房子。然后它又顺着河开下来。Daniel认识每一条街，每一盏灯。

“How long have you driven this bus?” Ana asked.

“你开这辆公交车多久了？”Ana问。

“For eight years. Every night, the same route. Twelve times a night.” He smiled. “Before that, I drove a bus in the day. But then my daughter was born, and I wanted to see her in the afternoons.”

“八年了。每天晚上，同一条路线。一晚上开十二次。”他笑了。“在那之前，我在白天开公交车。但是后来我的女儿出生了，我想在下午陪她。”

“You have a daughter?”

“你有一个女儿？”

“Grace. She’s six.” He showed her a photo on his phone at a red light: a little girl with a big smile and no front teeth. “She lives with her mum now. We’re divorced. I see her on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s not enough, but it’s something.”

“Grace。她六岁了。”他在等红灯时在手机上给她看了一张照片：一个小女孩笑得很开心，没有门牙。“她现在和她妈妈住在一起。我们离婚了。我在周六和周日看她。这不够，但总比没有好。”

“She’s beautiful,” Ana said. “And you? Are you happy, Daniel?”

“她真漂亮，”Ana说。“那你呢？你快乐吗，Daniel？”