LinMu 名博

负空间

作者：库尔特格 林木译

我爸教我打包行李：把所有东西摊开，放回去一半。能卷的卷起来。易皱的放在棉质的上面。然后是裤子，按腰到裤脚的顺序叠好。袜子塞进缝隙和角落。皮带像蛇那样绕在边缘。放上塑料。再放鞋子。重的衣服穿在飞机上。

我小时候我们就开始这样了。我卷袜子。后来他假装要把我塞进箱子，我们会一起笑。有些父子拉近感情是通过打篮球，或聊雪佛兰。我们是在行李箱旁完成的。

等我十二岁时，如果他太忙，我就替他打包。我妈也试过，但不太在行。他到了某个地方，打开箱子，给我发短信——“完美。”他的一个词意义重大。

葬礼太糟了——他躺在那个大盒子里，我哭着，心想：看看那些被浪费的空间。

“Negative Space” by Ron Koertge

My dad taught me to pack: lay out everything. Put back half. Roll things

that roll. Wrinkle-prone things on top of cotton things. Then pants, waist-

to-hem. Nooks and crannies for socks. Belts around the sides like snakes.

Plastic over that. Add shoes. Wear heavy stuff on the plane.

      We started when I was little. I’d roll up socks. Then he’d pretend to put me

in the suitcase, and we’d laugh. Some guys bond with their dads shooting

hoops or talking about Chevrolets. We did it over luggage.

      By the time I was twelve, if he was busy, I’d pack for him. Mom tried

but didn’t have the knack. He’d get somewhere, open his suitcase and text

me—”Perfect.” That one word from him meant a lot.

      The funeral was terrible—him laid out in that big carton and me crying

and thinking, Look at all that wasted space.