Raquel woke up the morning of her twentieth birthday feeling like a million bucks.

She got out of bed as soon as her alarm went off. Usually, Raquel was not a morning person and she felt tired until her first cup of coffee of the day, but the morning of her twentieth birthday, she felt amazing! She got up and stretched with a big yawn and went into the bathroom to get ready for class.

like a million bucks - exp.感覺很棒

go off - （警報器） 突發巨響

morning person - exp.愛早起的人

amazing - adj.令人驚異的

stretch - v.伸展；舒展

yawn - n.哈欠

"Wow," said Raquel as she looked in the mirror. She was having a good hair day. She had long, thick, dark brown hair that usually had a mind of its own. This morning, her hair already looked almost perfect. She brushed her hair with her favorite baby blue hairbrush until it was smooth and shiny, then she pulled it back into a bouncy ponytail on the top of her head. Because it was her birthday, Raquel was feeling fancy, so she decided to put on some makeup too. First, she applied black eyeliner and made sure that the lines were winged like she saw in fashion magazines. Then she put on some black mascara, which made her eyelashes look thick and long. Then she put on some bright red lipstick, which was fashionable and festive. To top it all off, Raquel splashed on some of her favorite perfume;it was expensive, over a hundred dollars a bottle, but it made her smell like a movie star.

good hair day - exp. 頭發狀態良好

mind of its own - exp.有自己的想法

baby blue - 淡藍色

bouncy ponytail - 動感馬尾

fancy - adj.精致的

makeup - n.彩妝；化妝品

apply - v.應用

eyeliner - n.眼線筆；眼線膏

fashion magazine - 時尚雜志

mascara - n.睫毛膏

eyelash - n.睫毛

lipstick - n.唇膏；口紅

fashionable - adj.流行的；時髦的

festive - adj.節日的；喜慶的

Next, Raquel went to get dressed. She chose a bright red blouse that matched her lipstick, a black ballerina skirt and cute black flats. She admired herself in the mirror, thinking that she was the most beautiful girl on campus. And why shouldn't she be? It was her birthday!

blouse - n.女裝襯衫

ballerina skirt -芭蕾短裙

flats - n.平跟鞋

Raquel went to the kitchenette in her dorm room and started brewing a cup of coffee. She loved coffee. Dark roast was her favorite and once she had a nice strong cup brewed, she put lots of cream and sugar in it. Usually, Raquel liked to eat a very healthy breakfast with yogurt and some fresh fruit, but she decided, because it was her birthday, that she could indulge in her favorite breakfast pastry: a Boston cream doughnut. The only problem was, Raquel didn't have any Boston cream doughnuts at home so she had to stop at the campus coffee shop to buy one.

kitchenette - n. 小廚房

brew - v.釀造；沖泡

indulge - v.沉溺；放任

pastry - n.油酥點心

Boston cream doughnut -波士頓奶油甜甜圈

She approached the counter at the coffee shop and smiled brightly. The cashier was a very cute boy that Raquel recognized from one of her classes. He smiled back at her and he was so handsome when he smiled that Raquel forgot to order.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked. Raquel looked at his name tag. His name was Michael.

"Oh! Yes, I want a Boston cream doughnut, please." She pointed at the one she wanted sitting in the glass case.

Michael took out the doughnut using a little piece of waxed paper and put it in a doughnut-sized paper bag. He handed it across the counter to Raquel, still smiling. Boy, was he handsome when he smiled!

"Thanks," said Raquel, "how much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything, we're having a special promotion today," Michael said. "Pretty girls get one Boston cream doughnut for free."

Raquel erupted in a fit of giggles and blushed, hiding her face behind the paper bag containing the doughnut. "It's perfect!" she exclaimed.

"What is?" Michael asked.

"Today is my birthday," Raquel explained shyly, "so it's like a birthday present!"

"Happy birthday!" Michael exclaimed. "Do you have any big plans for celebrating your birthday?"

"I don't know," Raquel admitted, "I have classes all day, but I was going to ask my friends to go to dinner later." She paused, then beamed at Michael. "Do you want to come to dinner?"

"That would be awesome," said Michael, still smiling his ridiculously handsome smile.

"Can I get your number?" asked Raquel. She handed her phone across the counter and let Michael type in his cell phone number and name. He handed the phone back to her and she thanked him. "I'll text you later! I'm finished with class around four."

"Great! I get off at four. See you later."

"Bye!"

handsome - adj.英俊的

Boy - exp.好家伙！

promotion - n.促銷；提升

erupt - v.爆發

giggle - n.咯咯的笑聲

blush - v.臉紅

exclaim - v.大叫；呼喊

shyly - adv.羞怯地

beam - v.堆滿笑容；照射；發送

awesome - adj.極好的

ridiculously - adv.相當地；十分；荒謬地

text - v.發信息

See you later - exp.再見

Michael watched the girl walk away, admiring her legs and her puffy black skirt. He felt a little bit dizzy because the girl was so beautiful, and friendly, and she smelled nice, and Michael had decided that she was pretty much perfect. He could hardly believe that she invited him to dinner on her birthday! He was practically a stranger.

admire - v.欣賞；欽佩

dizzy - adj.暈眩的

hardly believe - exp.難以置信

stranger - n.陌生人

The rest of Michael's shift at the coffee shop went by very, very slowly. He kept thinking about how red the girl's lips looked, and how white her teeth were, and how brown her hair was. He got butterflies in his stomach when he remembered her giggling when he flirted with her.

shift - n.輪班

butterflies in his stomach - exp.忐忑；緊張

flirt - v.調情

Time slowed to a crawl. Michael was very distracted while he worked. He was usually a very good employee, but today, he got orders wrong, burned the milk while making a latte, and even accidentally ignored a customer while staring into space and thinking about the girl! The customer berated him and his manager scolded him, but Michael didn't care because he had a date tonight with the most perfect girl in the world.

Time slowed to a crawl - exp. 時光慢慢流逝

burn - v.燒掉；燒糊

latte - n.拿鐵[1]咖啡

accidentally - adv.意外地

staring into space - exp.呆呆地凝視前方

berate - v.嚴責

scold - v.責罵；訓斥

When Michael clocked out, he checked his phone and, sure enough, he had a text from the girl.

Hey! Meet me at Tony's Pizza at 7. See you there!

Michael felt giddy as he responded to her text: Okay! Looking forward to it. And it was true, he really was looking forward to seeing the girl again. He had just enough time to go home, get cleaned up, and get a birthday card. Michael still lived with his parents at their house, which was close enough to campus that he could ride his bike. It was a beautiful day: sunny and not too hot. There was very little traffic, so his ride home was easy. He went inside the house, said hello to his mom, and went upstairs to change.

giddy - adj.頭暈的

campus - n.大學；校園

traffic - n.交通

upstairs - n.樓上

Michael was a very tall boy. He had just turned twenty-one, and his mom said he was probably finished growing. He was six and a half feet tall and sometimes it was hard to find trousers that were long enough. He had one nice pair of trousers that fit him perfectly, so he decided to wear them to meet the girl, even though he had also worn them to work and they smelled a little bit like steamed milk and coffee. He put on a red polo shirt, thinking that the girl might still be wearing her red blouse and it would be funny if they matched. To cover up the smell of coffee, Michael put on some cologne and then he was ready to leave.

turn - v.變成；轉變

feet - n.英尺

steamed - adj.蒸熟的

funny - adj.有趣的

cologne - n.古龍香水

He had just enough time to stop by a gift shop on the way. He knew he had already given the girl the doughnut for a present, but he liked her a lot and wanted to impress her so he also got a card. He didn't know what kind of card she would like, though! Would she want a card with a funny joke and a silly picture? Would she want a card with a sentimental message? Was she religious;would she want a card wishing her a blessed year? Michael settled on a card that was decorated with cute drawings of pink flowers and a happy cartoon puppy wishing her a happy birthday. He bought the card and started to write on it, but then he realized that he did not know her name!

gift shop -禮品店

impress - v.給人印象

sentimental - adj.傷感的；多愁善感的

religious - adj.宗教的；虔誠的

blessed - adj.受祝福的

cartoon - n.卡通；漫畫

Michael began to panic. How stupid could he be? He asked a girl on a date without even knowing her name! She had his phone number and everything. How embarrassing! Michael groaned out loud and thumped his head down on the counter.

"What's wrong, buddy?" The guy behind the counter was an older man with gray hair and glasses.

"I don't know this girl's name," Michael moaned. "I asked her on a date and I don't even know her name!"

"Tough luck, kiddo," the man said. He was trying not to laugh, but he thought it was pretty funny.

"I feel so stupid," Michael grumbled. "It's her birthday, too."

"Everyone makes mistakes," the man said, and he shrugged.

panic - n.恐慌

stupid - adj.愚蠢的

on a date - exp.約會

embarrassing - adj.令人尷尬的

groan - v.呻吟；嘆息

buddy - n.伙伴；小男孩

moan - v.抱怨；呻吟著說

pretty funny - exp.很有意思

stupid - adj.傻瓜

grumble - v.嘟囔；抱怨

mistake - n.錯誤

shrug - v.聳肩

Michael decided he would just not write anything on the card and hope that she didn't notice. He had been feeling excited and happy all day, but now he just felt nervous. If she found out that he didn't know her name, she would probably think he was some kind of creep or maybe she would think he was stupid. Michael didn't know what she would think, but it probably would not be good!

He got on his bike with the blank birthday card in his backpack and started the ride to Tony's Pizza. At least the food will be good, he thought.

notice - v.注意到

nervous -adj.緊張的

creep -adj.極討厭的人

Raquel was so happy about Michael coming to dinner that she almost forgot to eat her doughnut.She ate it during class and spilled a little bit of the sweet cream filling on her notebook. It wasn't that big of a deal, but her notebook would smell like pastries for weeks to come!

forgot - v.忘記

sweet cream filling - 甜奶油餡

that big of a deal - exp. 沒什么大不了

The lecture was so boring that Raquel barely took any notes. It was a statistics class, and Raquel didn't really like math. She liked history class better, and this semester she was taking a dance class which she enjoyed a lot.

barely - adv.幾乎不

statistics -n. 統計學

dance - n.舞蹈

Raquel couldn't even enjoy her history lecture that day though, because she kept thinking about Michael. She kept thinking about his big, handsome, goofy smile. She thought about his black coffee shop uniform and wondered what he would wear later. She thought about his shaggy black hair. She thought about how tall he was, and she wondered if he had very big hands. She wondered if he would care that she was a whole foot shorter than him. She wondered about Michael all day long, until her last class ended and she was free to go.

goofy -adj.傻瓜的

uniform -n.制服

shaggy - adj.蓬松的

wonder -v.想知道

foot -n.英尺

She went to the library to do some studying but still kept thinking about Michael. She texted a bunch of her friends to invite them to dinner at Tony's Pizza later on, and after that she was able to study for a little bit, but Raquel really could not focus on her notes! So she decided to go take a walk because it was such a beautiful day.

studying - n.學習；研究

text -v. 發短信

focus - v. 集中（注意力）

Outside, the sky was a deep blue color and the air was cool and refreshing. It was springtime, so the grass and trees were a happy shade of green and there were flowers all over the place. Some of the trees had lots of tiny pink flowers, other trees had big white flowers, and some trees had no flowers at all: only buds and leaves. Bright yellow daffodils and tulips in a multitude of colors smiled up at Raquel from the ground, and because it was her birthday, she smiled right back.

deep blue -adj.碧藍

refreshing - adj.提神的

springtime - n.春季

buds - n.嫩芽；蓓蕾

leaves -n.樹葉

daffodils - n.水仙花

tulips -n.郁金香

multitude -n.多數

Raquel saw a few of her friends while she was walking, and asked them to come to her birthday dinner later that night, but they all said they were busy! Jolisa had to work, Mary Beth had an exam the next day, Carrie had a paperdue, and Thomas had to take his cat to the veterinarian. Raquel felt disappointed but it was still her birthday, so she tried not to let it get her down.

exam -n. 考試

paper due -論文上交日期

veterinarian -n.獸醫

disappointed - adj.失望的

get her down -讓自己失落

At last, seven o'clock came around. Raquel walked in to Tony's Pizza and chose a great big table so that everyone she had invited could sit with her. She ordered a soda and eagerly watched the door, waiting for her friends to show up.

But they didn't.

Seven o'clock became seven-thirty, and then it was eight o'clock. Raquel drank three sodas and was still sitting all by herself at the great, big, empty table. She tried not to be sad but, when eight o'clock came and no one was there to celebrate with her, Raquel felt tears in her eyes and she looked down at the table.

"Hey!" said a familiar voice.

Raquel looked up and saw Michael standing beside her. He looked very nice in his red polo shirt[2], except he had a scrape on his arm and his hair was mussed!

"What happened?" Raquel cried, leaping to her feet. "Are you okay?"

came around - exp.來訪

eagerly -adv.急切地；渴望地

to show up - exp.出現

tears -n.眼淚

familiar-adj熟悉的

scrape - n.刮痕

mussed - adj.混亂

cry- v.大叫；哭喊

leap - v.跳

"Yeah, I just crashed my bicycle," Michael said sheepishly, "that's why I'm late. I'm really sorry."

"Oh my gosh. You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine! I promise. Um... where is everyone else?" Michael asked. He looked at the empty table with a concerned expression.

crash - v. 撞

sheepishly - adv.怯懦地

Oh my gosh - 我的天！

Concerned expression -擔憂的表情

"That is a good question," Raquel grumbled. "No one showed up."

"Let me buy you some pizza," Michael offered as he and Raquel sat down together.

Together, Michael and Raquel finished a whole pepperoni pizza. It was the best pizza either of them had ever tasted. Raquel felt much better after she ate, and she thanked Michael for coming to dinner.

"It's my pleasure," Michael told her, "I've been looking forward to it all day!" He took the card out of his backpack and handed it to her, "For you."

"Thank you!" Raquel exclaimed. She opened the card, and as she read it, she smiled. "That's so sweet of you, Michael."

Michael smiled and squirmed a little in his seat when she said his name, because he still didn't know her name. He had asked her on a date, bought her dinner, and given her a birthday card;and he still didn't know her name! The evening ended after they sat and talked for a few hours. They both had class early the next day and needed to get home and go to bed.

"Let me give you a ride home, since your bike is broken," Raquel offered. Michael agreed, and she drove him home. Once they got to Michael's house, Raquel said, "Thanks again, Michael, this was the best birthday I've ever had!"

Michael smiled and, feeling brave, he leaned over and kissed the girl's cheek!

Raquel giggled. Michael said goodnight and went inside. He still didn't know her name.

"How was your date, honey?" Michael's mom asked when he came in.

"It was... good," Michael said.

"You don't seem too sure about that," his mother said, looking at him over the top of her glasses.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know her name. The girl I asked out. I don't know her name! I forgot to get it when I met her, but she knows my name and she has my number and everything," Michael groaned.

"Why don't you just ask her?" his mom said.

"I can't just ask her! She'll think I'm so dumb!" Michael said.

"If she is the right girl for you, she'll understand," Michael's mom reassured him, but this didn't make Michael feel any better. "Can you ask one of her friends?"

"I can't just ask someone!" Michael scoffed, "They might tell her."

"Didn't you say you have a class with her? Maybe you can ask the professor," his mom suggested.

So, the next day during his class with the girl Michael approached the professor and asked for the girl's name. He described Raquel, but Michael wasn't very good at describing, and the professor thought he meant a different girl!

"Her name is Brittany," the professor said confidently.

When the girl walked in the room, Michael marched right up to her and smiled.

"Hi, Brittany," he said. His smile went away as the girl frowned.

"My name is Raquel," she grumbled.

Michael was mortified. He felt about as tall as a grasshopper's knee. He wanted to disappear into the floor. His cheeks turned bright red. Raquel saw how embarrassed he was and she relaxed.

"That's okay, Michael. Everyone makes mistakes!" Raquel took his hand and they sat down together in the front row.

Raquel thought that Michael was the best birthday present she had ever gotten.

It's my pleasure - exp. 我很榮幸

looking forward to it - exp.期待

so sweet of you - exp.你太貼心了

squirm - v.扭動；局促不安

offer -v.提議，提供

agree-v.同意

brave - adj.勇敢的

kiss - v.吻

cheek - n.臉頰

honey -n.寶貝

groan -v.呻吟

reassure-v.使安心

scoff - v.嘲笑

suggest - v.建議

approach - v.接近

describe -描述

confidently - adv.自信地

march -v.（堅定地）向某地行進

frown -v.皺眉

mortified -adj.窘迫的

as tall as a grasshopper's knee - exp.矮到塵埃里

relax - v.使放松

Summary

It was Raquel's birthday, and she felt incredible. She dolled herself up before going to class, put on perfume, and even decided to get herself a doughnut for breakfast from a local coffee shop. This is where Raquel meets Michael, a handsome boy who gives her a Boston cream doughnut for free and flirts with her. Raquel is so smitten with Michael that she invites him to her birthday dinner with friends that evening.

All day long Raquel and Michael daydream about each other, but Michael has one worry—he doesn't have Raquel's name. When it's time for the big dinner, nobody shows up but Michael, and he's an hour late—Raquel had just started to cry before he arrived. They end up having a wonderful date, but, even after kissing her good night, Michael still doesn't know Raquel's name.

The next day, Michael asks a professor about Raquel's name, but he is given the wrong name, and calls her Brittany instead. Michael is then terribly embarrassed, but Raquel handles the situation with grace and forgives him immediately, proving that she is the right girl for him.

詞匯表

like a million bucks - exp. 感覺很棒

go off - （警報器） 突發巨響

morning person - exp.愛早起的人

amazing - adj.令人驚異的

stretch - v.伸展；舒展

yawn - n.哈欠

good hair day - exp.頭發狀態良好

mind of its own - exp.有自己的想法

baby blue - 淡藍色

bouncy ponytail - 動感馬尾

fancy - adj.精致的

makeup - n.彩妝；化妝品

apply - v.應用

eyeliner - n.眼線筆；眼線膏

fashion magazine - 時尚雜志

mascara - n.睫毛膏

eyelash - n.睫毛

lipstick - n.唇膏；口紅

fashionable - adj.流行的；時髦的

festive - adj.節日的；喜慶的

blouse - n.女裝襯衫

ballerina skirt -芭蕾短裙

flats - n.平跟鞋

kitchenette - n.小廚房

brew - v.釀造；沖泡

indulge - v.沉溺；放任

pastry - n.油酥點心

Boston cream doughnut -波士頓奶油甜甜圈

handsome - adj.英俊的

Boy - exp.好家伙！

promotion - n.促銷；提升

erupt - v.爆發

giggle - n.咯咯的笑聲

blush - v.臉紅

exclaim - v.大叫；呼喊

shyly - adv.羞怯地

beam - v.堆滿笑容；照射；發送

awesome - adj.極好的

ridiculously - adv.相當地；十分；荒謬地

text - v.發信息

See you later - exp.再見

admire - v.欣賞；欽佩

dizzy - adj.暈眩的

hardly believe - exp.難以置信

stranger - n.陌生人

shift - n.輪班

butterflies in his stomach - exp.忐忑；緊張

flirt - v.調情

Time slowed to a crawl - exp.時光慢慢流逝

burn - v.燒掉；燒糊

latte - n.拿鐵咖啡

accidentally - adv.意外地

staring into space - exp.呆呆地凝視前方

berate - v.嚴責

scold - v.責罵；訓斥

giddy - adj.頭暈的

campus - n.大學；校園

traffic - n.交通

upstairs - n.樓上

turn - v.變成；轉變

feet - n.英尺

steamed - adj.蒸熟的

funny - adj.有趣的

cologne - n.古龍香水

gift shop -禮品店

impress - v.給人印象

sentimental - adj.傷感的；多愁善感的

religious - adj.宗教的；虔誠的

blessed - adj.受祝福的

cartoon - n.卡通；漫畫

panic - n.恐慌

stupid - adj.愚蠢的

on a date - exp.約會

embarrassing - adj.令人尷尬的

groan - v.呻吟；嘆息

buddy - n.伙伴；小男孩

moan - v.抱怨；呻吟著說

pretty funny - exp.很有意思

stupid - adj.傻瓜

grumble - v.嘟囔；抱怨

mistake - n.錯誤

shrug - v.聳肩

notice - v.注意到

nervous -adj.緊張的

creep -adj.極討厭的人

forgot - v.忘記

sweet cream filling - 甜奶油餡

that big of a deal - exp.沒什么大不了

barely - adv.幾乎不

statistics -n.統計學

dance - n.舞蹈

goofy -adj.傻瓜的

uniform -n.制服

shaggy - adj.蓬松的

wonder -v.想知道

foot -n.英尺

studying - n.學習；研究

text -v.發短信

focus - v.集中（注意力）

deep blue -adj.碧藍

refreshing - adj.提神的

springtime - n.春季

buds - n.嫩芽；蓓蕾

leaves -n.樹葉

daffodils - n.水仙花

tulips -n.郁金香

multitude -n.多數

exam -n.考試

paper due -論文上交日期

veterinarian -n.獸醫

disappointed - adj.失望的

get her down -讓自己失落

came around - exp.來訪

eagerly - adv.急切地；渴望地

to show up - exp.出現

tears - n.眼淚

familiar- adj熟悉的

scrape - n.刮痕

mussed - adj.混亂

cry- v.大叫；哭喊

leap - v.跳

It's my pleasure - exp.我很榮幸

looking forward to it - exp.期待

so sweet of you - exp.你太貼心了

squirm - v.扭動；局促不安

offer -v.提議，提供

agree-v.同意

brave - adj.勇敢的

kiss - v.吻

cheek - n.臉頰

honey -n.寶貝

groan -v.呻吟

reassure-v.使安心

scoff - v.嘲笑

suggest - v.建議

approach - v.接近

describe -描述

confidently - adv.自信地

march -v.（堅定地）向某地行進

frown -v.皺眉

mortified -adj.窘迫的

as tall as a grasshopper's knee - exp.矮到塵埃里

relax - v.使放松

中文譯文

最好的生日

今天是拉克爾的20歲生日，清晨醒來，她感覺好極了。

鬧鐘一響，拉克爾便立刻跳下了床。平日里，她不愛早起，而且往往要喝一杯咖啡才能精神起來。但在今天早晨，她感覺神清氣爽！拉克爾起身打了個大大的呵欠，伸了伸懶腰，走進浴室，準備洗漱一下去學校。

“哇。”拉克爾照了照鏡子，不禁發出感嘆，今天的發型太棒了。她有一頭濃密的深棕色長發，但往往難以打理。而今天早上，她的頭發看上去已經幾近完美了。拉克爾用她最愛的淡藍色發梳將頭發梳理得柔順光亮，在腦后扎了一個高高的馬尾辮，動感十足。

今天是拉克爾的生日，她想把自己打扮得精致一點，所以她決定畫個妝。她首先畫了個上挑的黑色眼線，就像在時尚雜志上看到的那樣；接著涂上黑色的睫毛膏，讓睫毛看上去又長又密；然后擦上亮紅色唇膏，既時髦又喜慶。最后，拉克爾噴上了自己最愛的香水——這香水挺貴的，要100多美元一瓶呢，但能讓她聞起來像個電影明星。

接下來，拉克爾去穿衣服。她選了一件紅色襯衫，鮮艷的紅色與她的紅唇相配，一條黑色芭蕾短裙，一雙俏皮的黑色平底鞋。拉克爾欣賞著鏡子里的自己，感覺自己是整個校園最美麗的女孩，她理應是最美的？今天可是她的生日！

拉克爾走進宿舍的小廚房給自己煮了杯咖啡。她喜歡喝咖啡，而且最喜歡深烘焙咖啡。每次喝濃咖啡，她都會加許多糖和奶油。早飯她通常吃得很健康，還要配上酸奶和新鮮水果。但今天過生日，她決定放縱自己吃一些最愛的點心——波士頓奶油甜甜圈。唯一的問題是，宿舍里沒有波士頓奶油甜甜圈了，所以她必須到學校的咖啡店去買一些。

拉克爾帶著燦爛的笑容，走近咖啡店的柜臺。收銀的男孩子很可愛，拉克爾認出來他們上過同一門課。男孩回以微笑，男孩笑起來的樣子帥氣極了，讓拉克爾忘記了點單。

“來點什么？”男孩問道。拉克爾看了一眼他的胸牌，得知他叫邁克爾。

“哦哦！我要一個波士頓奶油甜甜圈，謝謝。”她指著靜靜躺在玻璃櫥中的甜甜圈。

邁克爾用一小塊蠟紙包起甜甜圈，放在專用紙袋里，遞給了柜臺外的拉克爾。笑容自始至終都掛在他的臉上。天哪，他笑起來太帥了！

“謝謝，”拉克爾說道，“我該付你多少錢？”

“不用付錢，我們今天有促銷活動，”邁克爾回答，“漂亮的女孩可以免費得到一個波士頓奶油甜甜圈。”

拉克爾忍不住“咯咯”地笑了起來，臉蛋“唰”一下紅透了。她羞澀地把臉藏在紙袋后，驚喜地叫道：“太完美了！”

“什么太完美了？”邁克爾不解。

“今天是我的生日，”拉克爾害羞地解釋，“所以這就像是給我的生日禮物！”

“生日快樂！”邁克爾大聲說道，“準備怎么慶祝？有沒有計劃？”

“我不知道，”拉克爾老實回答，“我一整天都有課，但我打算邀請朋友晚上聚餐。”她停了停，微笑著問邁克爾，“你愿意一起來嗎？”

邁克爾果斷答應：“那真是太棒了！”依然是一副迷死人的笑容。

“可以把你的電話號碼給我嗎？”拉克爾問著，將手機遞給邁克爾，讓他輸上自己的電話和名字。邁克爾照做了，然后遞回手機。拉克爾道了謝，“遲些給你發信息，我大約四點下課。”

“好極了，我四點下班。再見！”

“拜！”

邁克爾目送拉克爾離開，欣賞著她修長的腿和蓬蓬的黑色短裙，感到一陣目眩神迷。她是如此美麗親切，笑起來那么甜美，簡直太完美了！這么優秀的女孩居然邀請自己去參加她的生日聚餐！而自己只不過是個陌生人！

邁克爾覺得剩下的上班時間變得分外漫長，他一直在回想女孩紅潤的嘴唇、潔白的牙齒和美麗的棕色長發。回憶起調笑時她銀鈴般的笑聲，邁克爾不禁心猿意馬。

時間慢得就像蝸牛在爬。邁克爾根本無心工作。他一貫是模范員工，今天卻頻頻失誤：一會兒下錯單，一會兒在調配拿鐵的時候煮糊了牛奶，甚至還因為發呆沒聽到顧客的要求而遭到顧客的指責。邁克爾被經理狠狠訓斥了一番，但他一點兒也不在乎。因為今晚，他要和世界上最美麗的女孩約會！

終于打卡下班了，邁克爾拿起手機，果然看到了女孩發來的信息。

“嗨！7點托尼披薩店見！不見不散！”

邁克爾幸福得快要暈過去了，立刻回復道：“好！萬分期待！”這可是大實話，他確實十分期待再次見到那個姑娘。時間還充足，他可以回家把自己整理利索，再準備張生日賀卡。邁克爾仍與父母住在一起，住的地方離學校很近，他可以騎自行車回去。今天天氣很好，晴空萬里，溫度適宜。路上車很少，他很快就騎到了家。進門后跟媽媽打了聲招呼，邁克爾就上樓換衣服去了。

邁克爾個子很高。他剛滿21歲，媽媽說他應該不會再長個兒了。他身高足足六尺半（1.96米），有時候都買不到合適的褲子。他有一條非常合身的褲子，雖然上班穿的就是這條，聞起來有熱牛奶和咖啡的味道，但他還是決定穿著它去見女孩。邁克爾套上一件紅色的馬球衫，因為他覺得很可能女孩還穿著早上那件紅色的襯衫，那兩人將是多么相配。最后，邁克爾噴上一些古龍水來遮蓋身上的咖啡味，準備出發。

還有時間順路去禮品店。雖然自己已經給了女孩甜甜圈作為禮物，但強烈的愛慕之情驅使邁克爾打算給女孩留下更好的印象。不知道女孩喜歡什么樣的生日卡片，是印著小笑話和搞笑圖片的，還是寫著煽情的文字的？她有宗教信仰嗎？會喜歡帶有宗教色彩的祝福卡片嗎？最后，邁克爾選了一張十分可愛的卡片，上面畫著粉紅色的花朵，還有一只笑瞇瞇的卡通小狗在祝女孩生日快樂。買下卡片后，邁克爾打算寫些祝福的話語，卻突然意識到，自己還不知道女孩的名字！

邁克爾開始慌了，自己怎么這么笨？他邀請女孩約會，卻連對方名字都不知道！而對方卻知道自己的電話號碼和一切信息！太尷尬了！邁克爾懊惱地呻吟了一聲，手撐著額頭頹然靠在柜臺上。

“怎么了小伙子？”柜臺后的男人問道。他一頭白發，戴著眼鏡。

“我不知道那個女孩的名字。”邁克爾抱怨道，“我約她出來，卻連她的名字都不知道！”

“真不走運，孩子，”男人安慰著邁克爾，雖然覺得很好笑，但努力不讓自己笑出來。

“我覺得自己蠢透了。”邁克爾嘟囔著，“今天還是她的生日呢。”

“人人都會犯錯。”男人聳了聳肩，繼續安撫著可憐的邁克爾。

邁克爾決定什么都不寫，暗自希望女孩不會注意到。整整一天他都沉浸在開心和興奮中，現在卻緊張萬分。如果她發現我連她的名字都不知道，會不會覺得我很討厭，或者覺得我很傻？邁克爾不知道她會怎么想，但一定不是什么好印象！

想到邁克爾會來參加自己的生日聚餐，拉克爾高興地差點忘了吃甜甜圈。課間她吃掉了甜甜圈，還往筆記本上掉了些甜奶油餡。這沒什么大不了的，只不過未來幾周，她的筆記本聞起來會像是香噴噴的甜點！

這節統計課太無聊了，拉克爾沒怎么記筆記，因為她不是很喜歡數學。她更喜歡歷史課，而且這學期她還選了自己喜歡的舞蹈課。

然而今天拉克爾連歷史課都沒能好好聽，因為她一直在想邁克爾，想著他燦爛、帥氣又傻傻的笑；想著他黑色的咖啡店制服，好奇晚些時候他是不是還會穿著赴約；想著他蓬松烏黑的頭發，猜測著他有多高，手掌會不會很寬大；會不會在意自己比他矮了足足一英尺……整整一天，直到最后一節課結束，她都沉浸在對邁克爾的遐想中。

下課后拉克爾去圖書館溫習功課，卻仍然忍不住得想邁克爾。她給一堆朋友發了信息，邀請大家晚些時候在托尼披薩店聚餐。發完信息，她勉強學了一會兒，可注意力根本沒法集中在筆記上！外面天氣正好，拉克爾決定出去走走。

正值春日，晴空碧藍，風清氣爽，芳草連天，綠樹成蔭，鮮花遍地。有些樹上點綴著小小的粉色花朵，有些盛開著大大的白花，有些樹沒有開花，只有含苞待放的蓓蕾和層層疊疊的樹葉。鮮艷的黃水仙和色彩斑斕的郁金香怒放，仿佛在對拉克爾微笑。拉克爾也沖著這些嬌艷的花兒報以微笑，因為今天是她的生日。

散著步，拉克爾看到了幾個朋友，便邀請他們參加晚上的聚餐，但大家都說太忙了！喬麗薩要去工作，瑪麗?貝絲要準備第二天的考試，嘉莉要趕論文，湯姆斯要帶自己的寵物貓去看獸醫。拉克爾有些失望，但她努力不讓這些小插曲影響自己的好心情。

馬上七點了，拉克爾走進托尼披薩店，選了一張巨大的桌子，這樣大家能都和她坐在一起。她點了杯蘇打水，急切地盯著店門，等著朋友的出現。

但是沒有人來。

時針從七點指向七點半，又指向了八點。拉克爾已經喝了三杯蘇打水，依然孤零零地坐在空蕩蕩的大桌子上。她努力不讓自己難過，但當時針指向八點，還是沒有人出現時，她的眼淚忍不住開始打轉，拉克爾垂頭看著桌下。

“嘿！”一個熟悉的聲音響起。

拉克爾抬起頭，看到邁克爾站在她身邊，穿著一件紅色polo衫，看上去帥極了。他的手臂上有擦傷，頭發也一團糟。

“發生什么了？”拉克爾驚叫著跳了起來，“你沒事吧？”

“沒事，我騎車的時候撞了下，”邁克爾怯怯地說，“所以我來遲了，真的很抱歉。”

“我的天，你沒傷到吧？”

“沒有，我好得很！我保證！嗯……其他人呢？”看著空空如也的桌子，邁克爾面露擔憂。

“問得好，”拉克爾抱怨道，“一個人都沒來。”

“我給你點些披薩。”邁克爾說道。兩人一起在桌前坐下。

他們吃光了整個意大利臘香腸披薩，這是他們吃過的最美味的披薩。拉克爾感覺好多了，對邁克爾能來參加聚餐表達了感激之情。

“榮幸之至，”邁克爾告訴她，“我一整天都在等待這一刻！”他從背包里拿出賀卡遞給拉克爾，“送給你。”

“謝謝你！”拉克爾大聲說道。她打開賀卡，讀著上邊的祝福，開心地笑了。“你真是太貼心了，邁克爾。”

聽到她叫自己的名字，邁克爾一邊笑，一邊不安地在凳子上扭了扭身體，因為他還不知道拉克爾的名字。他邀請她約會，為她買單，給她買生日賀卡，卻仍然不知道她的名字！夜晚在幾個小時的暢聊中度過了，第二天早上兩人都有課，于是他們準備回家睡覺。

“你車子壞了，我送你回家吧。”拉克爾提出，邁克爾欣然同意，于是拉克爾送邁克爾回了家。到邁克爾家時拉克爾說：“再次謝謝你，邁克爾，這是我有史以來最美好的生日！”

邁克爾笑了，感覺勇氣倍增，他靠過去親吻了女孩的面頰。

拉克爾咯咯笑了。邁克爾道過晚安，進了家——他還是不知道女孩的名字。

“約會怎么樣，寶貝？”進家的時候媽媽問邁克爾。

“嗯……挺好。”邁克爾老實答道。

“你看上去不是很有把握。”媽媽說，視線從眼鏡上方瞥向邁克爾。

“媽媽。”

“嗯？”

“我不知道她的名字。我約會的這個女孩，我不知道她的名字！遇到她的時候我忘記問，但她知道我的名字，知道我的號碼，知道我的一切！”邁克爾嘟囔道。

“為什么不問她？”媽媽疑惑。

“我不能問！她會覺得我是個木頭！”邁克爾反駁道。

“如果你是她的真命天子，那她會理解的。”媽媽安慰道，但這并沒有讓邁克爾好受些。“你能問問她的朋友嗎？”

“我誰都不能問！”邁克爾自嘲，“他們會告訴她的。”

“你不是說和她選了同一門課嗎？或許你能問問教授。”媽媽建議道。

于是第二天一起上課的時候，邁克爾找到教授，詢問女孩的名字。他形容了拉克爾的樣子，但是他笨拙的形容讓教授給出了另一個女孩的名字！

“布里特妮，錯不了。”教授肯定地說。

當女孩走進教室，邁克爾徑直走向她，笑著打招呼：“嗨！布里特妮！”但看見女孩皺起眉頭時，邁克爾的笑容凝固了。

“我叫拉克爾。”女孩抱怨道。

邁克爾尷尬極了，感覺自己瞬間矮到了塵土里，臉頰燒得通紅，恨不得找個地洞鉆進去。看著他尷尬的樣子，拉克爾忙安慰道：“沒關系，邁克爾。人人都會犯錯！”拉克爾拉起他的手，一起在前排坐下。

拉克爾認為，邁克爾是她收到過的最棒的生日禮物。

小結

今天是拉克爾的生日，她感覺棒極了。去學校之前她先好好打扮了一番，噴了香水，甚至還決定去附近的咖啡廳買個甜甜圈當早餐。就在那里，她遇見了馬克爾，他是個英俊的小伙子，免費給了她一個波士頓奶油甜甜圈，還一直跟她調笑。拉克爾簡直迷上了邁克爾，所以邀請他和朋友們一起參加當天晚上她的生日晚餐。

整整一天，拉克爾和邁克爾都在想著對方，但是邁克爾有個麻煩——他不知道拉克爾的名字。到了晚餐的時候，除了邁克爾，一個人都沒來，而邁克爾還遲到了一小時，在他到餐廳之前，拉克爾差點兒就要哭了。不過最后他們的約會非常棒，互道晚安的時候他還吻了她，但是邁克爾仍然不知道拉克爾的名字。

第二天，邁克爾去向教授打聽拉克爾的名字，但是得到了一個錯誤的名字，他叫了她布里特妮。邁克爾尷尬極了，但是拉克爾對此的反應卻非常優雅，她馬上原諒了他，這也證明了她是邁克爾命中注定的姑娘。

注釋

[1]拿鐵：由濃縮咖啡加鮮奶沖泡而成的一種咖啡。

[2]馬球衫：一種帶領子的短袖運動衫。