殘忍而美麗的情誼:The Kite Runner 追風箏的人(29)

Hassan shrugged. To an outsider, he didn't look scared. But Hassan's face was my earliest memory and I knew all of its subtle nuances, knew each and every twitch and flicker that ever rippled across it. And I saw that he was scared. He was scared plenty.

哈桑聳聳肩。在外人看來，他鎮定自若，但哈桑的臉是我從小就看慣了的，我清楚它所有細微的變化，他臉上任何一絲顫動都躲不過我的眼睛。我看得出他很害怕，非常害怕。

"You are right, Agha. But perhaps you didn't notice that I'm the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they'll have to change your nickname from Assef 'the Ear Eater' to 'One-Eyed Assef', because I have this rock pointed at your left eye."He said this so flatly that even I had to strain to hear the fear that I knew hid under that calm voice.

"是的，少爺。但也許你沒有看到，拉着彈弓的人是我。如果你敢動一動，他們會改掉你的花名，不再叫你'吃耳朵的阿塞夫'，而是叫你'獨眼龍阿塞夫'。因爲我這塊石頭對準你的左眼。"他泰然自若地說着，就算是我，也要費盡力氣才能聽得出他平靜的聲音下面的恐懼。

Assef's mouth twitched. Wali and Kamal watched this exchange with something akin to fascination. Someone had challenged their god. Humiliated him. And, worst of all, that someone was a skinny Hazara. Assef looked from the rock to Hassan. He searched Hassan's face intently. What he found in it must have convinced him of the seriousness of Hassan's intentions, because he lowered his fist.

阿塞夫的嘴巴抽搐了一下。瓦里和卡莫看到強弱易勢，簡直無法置信，有人在挑戰他們的神，羞辱他。更糟糕的是，這個傢伙居然是個瘦小的哈扎拉人。阿塞夫看看那塊石頭，又看看哈桑。他仔細看着哈桑的臉，他所看到的，一定讓他相信哈桑並非妄言恫嚇，因爲他放下了拳頭。

"You should know something about me, Hazara," Assef said gravely. "I'm a very patient person. This doesn't end today, believe me." He turned to me. "This isn't the end for you either, Amir. Someday, I'll make you face me one on one." Assef retreated a step. His disciples followed.

"你應該對我有所瞭解，哈扎拉人。"阿塞夫陰沉着臉說，"我是個非常有耐心的人。今天這事可沒完，相信我。"他轉向我,"我跟你也沒完，阿米爾。總有一天，我會親自讓你嚐嚐我的厲害。"阿塞夫退了一步，他的跟班也是。

"Your Hazara made a big mistake today, Amir,"he said. They then turned around, walked away. I watched them walk down the hill and disappear behind a wall.

"你的哈扎拉人今天犯了大錯，阿米爾。"他說，然後轉身離開。我看着他們走下山，消失在一堵牆壁之後。

Hassan was trying to tuck the slingshot in his waist with a pair of trembling hands. His mouth curled up into something that was supposed to be a reassuring smile. It took him five tries to tie the string of his trousers. Neither one of us said much of anything as we walked Home in trepidation, certain that Assef and his friends would ambush us every time we turned a corner. They didn't and that should have comforted us a little. But it didn't. Not at all.

哈桑雙手顫抖，努力把彈弓插回腰間。他的雙脣彎起，或是想露出一個安心的微笑吧。他試了五次，才把彈弓系在褲子上。我們腳步沉重地走回家，深知阿塞夫和他的朋友很可能在某個拐角處等着收拾我們，沒有人開口說話。他們沒有，那應該讓我們鬆一口氣。但是我們沒有，根本就沒有。