《阿甘正传(英文版)》第32章

with　a　hammer　one　more　time　an　it　look　like　here　i　go　again。
they　flown　me　down　to　houston；　texas；　in　a　big　ole　plane　with　nobody　on　it　but　me　an
doctor　duke；　but　it　is　a　pleasant　sort　of　trip　cept　they　got　me　chained　to　my　seat　han　an　foot。
〃look　here；　forrest；〃　doctor　duke　say；　〃the　deal　is　this。　right　now　you　is　in　a　shitpot　of
trouble　for　thowin　that　medal　at　the　clerk　of　the　u。s。　senate。　you　can　go　to　jail　for　ten　years　for
that。　but　if　you　cooperates　with　these　people　at　nasa；　i　will　personally　see　to　it　that　you　is
released—　okay？〃
i　nod　my　head。　i　knowed　i　got　to　get　outta　jail　an　find　jenny　again。　i　am　missin　her　somethin
terrible。
i　am　at　the　nasa　place　at　houston　for　about　a　month。　they　has　examined　me　an　tested　me
an　questioned　me　so　much　i　feel　like　i　am　goin　on　the　johnny　carson　show。
i　ain'；t。
one　day　they　haul　me　into　a　big　room　an　tell　me　what　they　has　in　mind。
〃gump；〃　they　say；　〃we　wants　to　use　you　on　a　flight　to　outer　space。　as　doctor　duke　has
pointed　out；　your　mind　is　jus　like　a　puter—　only　better。　if　we　can　program　it　with　the　right
stuff；　you　will　be　extremely　useful　to　america'；s　space　program。　what　do　you　say？〃
i　thought　for　a　minute；　an　then　i　says　i　had　better　axe　my　mama　first；　but　they　make　an　even
stronger　argument—　like　spendin　the　next　ten　years　of　my　life　in　the　slammer。
an　so　i　says　yes；　which　is　usually　what　gets　me　in　trouble　ever　time。
the　idea　they　has　thought　up　is　to　put　me　in　a　spaceship　an　shoot　me　up　aroun　the　earth　bout
a　million　miles。　they　has　already　shot　people　up　to　the　moon；　but　they　didn'；t　find　nothin　there
worth　a　shit；　so　what　they　is　plannin　nex　is　a　visit　to　mars。　fortunately　for　me；　mars　is　not　what
they　got　in　mind　at　the　moment—　instead；　this　is　to　be　a　sort　of　trainin　mission　in　which　they
gonna　try　to　figger　out　what　kind　of　folks　would　be　suited　best　for　the　mars　trip。
besides　me；　they　has　picked　a　woman　an　a　ape　to　go　along。
the　woman　is　a　crabby…lookin　lady　called　major　janet　fritch；　who　is　sposed　to　be　america'；s
first　woman　astronaut；　only　nobody　knows　bout　her　cause　all　this　be　pretty　top　secret。　she　is　a
sort　of　short　lady　with　hair　look　like　it　been　cut　by　puttin　a　bowl　over　her　head；　an　she　don'；t　seem
to　have　much　use　for　either　me　or　the　ape。
the　ape　ain'；t　so　bad；　actually。　it　is　a　big　ole　female　orangutang　called　sue；　what　has　been
captured　in　the　jungles　of　sumatra　or　someplace。　actually　they　has　got　a　whole　bunch　of　them
apes　down　here；　an　have　been　shootin　them　up　into　space　for　a　long　wile；　but　they　says　sue　will
be　best　on　this　trip　on　account　of　she　is　a　female　an　will　be　friendlier　than　a　male　ape；　an　also；　this
will　be　her　third　space　flight。　when　i　find　this　out；　i　am　wonderin　how　e　they　gonna　send　us
way　up　there　with　the　only　experienced　crew　member　bein　a　ape。　kind　of　makes　you　think；　don'；t
it？
anyhow；　we　got　to　go　thru　all　kinds　of　trainin　before　the　flight。　they　puttin　us　in　cyclotrons
an　spinnin　us　aroun；　an　in　little　rooms　with　no　gravity　an　such　as　that。　an　all　day　long　they　be
crammin　my　mind　with　shit　they　want　me　to　remember；　such　as　equations　to　figger　the　distance
between　wherever　we　is；　an　wherever　they　want　us　to　go；　an　how　to　get　back　again；　all　kinds　of
crap　like　coaxiel　coordinates；　co　sine　putations；　spheriod　trigonometry；　boolean　algebra；
antilogarithms；　fourier　analysis；　quadrats　an　matrix　math。　they　say　i　is　to　be　the　〃backup〃　for　the
backup　puter。
i　have　writ　a　bunch　of　letters　to　jenny　curran　but　all　of　them　done　e　back　〃addressee
not　known。〃　also　i　done　wrote　to　my　mama；　an　she　send　me　back　a　long　letter　the　gist　of　which
is　〃how　can　you　do　this　to　your　po　ole　mama　when　she　is　in　the　po　house　an　you　is　all　she　got　lef
in　the　world？〃
i　dared　not　tell　her　that　i　am　facin　a　jail　sentence　if　i　don'；t；　so　i　jus　write　her　back　an　say　not
to　worry；　on　account　of　we　has　an　experienced　crew。
well；　the　big　day　finally　e；　an　let　me　say　this：　i　am　not　jus　a　little　bit　nervous—　i　am
scant　haf　to　death！　even　tho　it　was　top　secret；　the　story　done　leaked　to　the　press　and　now　we
gonna　be　on　tv　an　all。
that　mornin；　somebody　brung　us　the　newspapers　to　show　us　how　famous　we　was。　here　is
some　of　the　headlines：
〃woman；　ape　and　idiot　in　next　u。s。　space　effort。〃
〃america　launching　odd　messengers　toward　alien　planets。〃
〃girl；　goon；　and　gorilla　to　lift　off　today。〃
there　was　even　one　in　the　new　yawk　post　that　say；　〃up　they　go—　but　who'；s　in　charge？〃
the　only　one　that　sounded　halfway　nice　was　the　headline　in　the　new　yawk　times；　which
say；　〃new　space　probe　has　varied　crew。〃
well；　as　usual；　everthing　is　all　confusion　from　the　minute　we　get　up。　we　go　to　get　our
breakfast　an　somebody　say；　〃they　ain'；t　sposed　to　eat　no　breakfast　the　day　of　the　flight。〃　then
somebody　else　say；　〃yes　we　is；〃　an　then　somebody　else　say；　〃no　they　ain'；t；〃　an　it　go　on　like　that
for　a　wile　till　ain'；t　nobody　hungry　anymore。
they　get　us　into　our　space　suits　an　take　us　out　there　to　the　launchin　pad　in　a　little　bus　with
ole　sue　ridin　in　back　in　a　cage。　the　spaceship　is　about　a　hundrit　stories　tall　an　is　all　foamin　an
hissin　an　steamin　an　look　like　it　bout　to　eat　us　alive！　a　elevator　take　us　to　the　capsule　we　is　to　be
in；　an　they　strap　us　in　an　load　ole　sue　in　her　place　in　back。　then　we　wait。
an　we　wait　some　more。
an　we　wait　some　more。
an　we　wait　some　more。
all　along；　the　spaceship　be　boilin　an　hissin　an　growlin　an　steamin。　somebody　say　a　hundrit
million　people　out　there　watchin　us　on　television。　i　reckon　they　be　waitin　too。
anyhow；　bout　noon；　somebody　e　up　an　knock　on　the　spaceship　door　an　say；　we　is
temporarily　cancelin　this　mission　till　they　get　the　spaceship　fixed。
so　we　all　get　to　go　back　down　in　the　elevator　again；　me；　sue；　an　major　fritch。　she　be　the
only　one　moanin　an　bitchin；　cause　sue　an　me　is　very　relieved。
our　relief　was　not　to　last　long；　however。　bout