Chapter 26

A few days after the meeting on the esplanade, I took my courage into my hands and went to see Father at his office.

"Father?"

"Yes, Piscine."

"I would like to be baptized and I would like a prayer rug."

My words intruded slowly. He looked up from his papers after some seconds.

"A what? What?"

"I would like to pray outside without getting my pants dirty. And I'm attending a Christian school without having received the proper baptism of Christ."

"Why do you want to pray outside? In fact, why do you want to pray at all?"

"Because I love God."

"Aha." He seemed taken aback by my answer, nearly embarrassed by it. There was a pause. I thought he was going to offer me ice cream again. "Well, Petit Seminaire is Christian only in name. There are many Hindu boys there who aren't Christians. You'll get just as good an education without being baptized. Praying to Allah won't make any difference, either."

"But I want to pray to Allah. I want to be a Christian."

"You can't be both. You must be either one or the other."

"Why can't I be both?"

"They're separate religions! They have nothing in common."

"That's not what they say! They both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses and Jesus as prophets."

"What does this have to do with us, Piscine? We're Indians!"

"There have been Christians and Muslims in India for centuries! Some people say Jesus is buried in Kashmir."

He said nothing, only looked at me, his brow furrowed. Suddenly business called.

"Talk to Mother about it."

She was reading.

"Mother?"

"Yes, darling."

"I would like to be baptized and I would like a prayer rug."

"Talk to Father about it."

"I did. He told me to talk to you about it."

"Did he?" She laid her book down. She looked out in the direction of the zoo. At that moment I'm sure Father felt a blow of chill air against the back of his neck. She turned to the bookshelf. "I have a book here that you'll like." She already had her arm out, reaching for a volume. It was Robert Louis Stevenson. This was her usual tactic.

"I've already read that, Mother. Three times."

"Oh." Her arm hovered to the left.

"The same with Conan Doyle," I said.

Her arm swung to the right. "R. K. Narayan? You can't possibly have read all of Narayan?"

"These matters are important to me, Mother."

"Robinson Crusoe!"

"Mother!"

"But Piscine!" she said. She settled back into her chair, a path-of-least-resistance look on her face, which meant I had to put up a stiff fight in precisely the right spots. She adjusted a cushion. "Father and I find your religious zeal a bit of a mystery."

"It is a Mystery."

"Hmmm. I don't mean it that way. Listen, my darling, if you're going to be religious, you must be either a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim. You heard what they said on the esplanade."

"I don't see why I can't be all three. Mamaji has two passports. He's Indian and French. Why can't I be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim?"

"That's different. France and India are nations on earth."

"How many nations are there in the sky?"

She thought for a second. "One. That's the point. One nation, one passport."

"One nation in the sky?"

"Yes. Or none. There's that option too, you know. These are terribly old-fashioned things you've taken to."

"If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?"

A cloud of uncertainty came over her face.

"Bapu Gandhi said-"

"Yes, I know what Bapu Gandhi said."

She brought a hand to her forehead. She had a weary look, Mother did. "Good grief," she said.

  第二十六章

    在散步广场和那几位相遇之后几天，我鼓起勇气，到父亲的办公室去见他。

    “父亲？”

    “什么事，派西尼。”

    “我想要受洗，我还想要一块跪垫。”

    我的话影响父亲的速度很慢。他几秒钟以后才从文件上抬起头来。

    “一个什么？什么？”

    “ 我想在外面祷告的时候不要把裤子弄脏。我在上一所基督教教会学校，却没有受过基督的真正的洗礼。

    “你为什么想在外面祷告？实际上，你为什么想要祷告呢？”

    “因为我爱上帝。”

    “啊哈。”他似乎被我的回答吓了一跳，几乎被弄得有些窘。片刻的停顿。我以为他又要给我冰淇淋了。“嗯，小修院只是有一个基督教的名字，有很多不是基督教徒的孩子也在那里上学。你不受洗也同样能好好的毕业。向安拉祷告也不会有什么两样。”

    “但是我想向安拉祷告。我想成为一个基督教徒。”

    “你不能两者都是。你只能要不做这个要不做那个。”

    “为什么我不能两者都是？”

    “它们是不同的宗教！它们没有任何相同之处。”

    “他们不是这么说的！他们都声称自己信奉亚伯拉罕。穆斯林说希伯来人和基督教徒的上帝和穆斯林的上帝是一样的。他们都承认大卫、摩西和耶稣是先知。”

    “这和我们有什么关系，派西尼？我们是印度人！”

    “基督教徒和穆斯林已经在印度生活了好几个世纪！有人说耶稣就葬在喀什米尔。”

    他什么也没说，只是看着我，眉头紧锁o突然有工作需要他去处理。

    “去和母亲说吧。”

    她正在读书。

    “母亲？”

    “什么事，亲爱的。”

    “我想要受洗，我还想要一块跪垫。”

    “去和父亲说吧。卅

    “说过了。他让我来和你说。”

    “是吗？’’她放下书，朝窗外动物园的方向看去。我敢肯定，就在那一刻，父亲一定感到颈背上有一阵凉风吹来。她转身走到书架跟前。“这儿有本书，你会喜欢的。”她已经伸出胳膊去够书了。是罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森的书。这是她惯用的技巧。

    “我已经读过那本书了，母亲。读过三次了。”

    “噢。”她的胳膊停在了左边一本书上。

    “柯南·道尔的书我也读过了。”

    她的胳膊又转向了右边。“R．K．纳拉扬的书呢？纳拉扬的书你不可能都读过吧？”

    “母亲，这些事情对我很重要。”

    “《鲁宾孙漂流记》！”

    “母亲！”

    “但足派西尼！”她说。她坐回椅子上，脸上一副避难就易的表情，这意味着我得抓住关键，进行顽强的斗争。她重新放了一下靠垫。“我和你父亲认为你的宗教热忱有点儿神秘。”

    “这的确是依靠神的启示才能理解的奥秘。”

    “晦。我不是那个意思。听着，亲爱的，如果你要信仰宗教，那么你必须要么做印度教徒，要么做基督教徒，要么做穆斯林。你听到他们在散步广场是怎么说的。”

    “我不明白为什么不能三者都是。玛玛吉有两本护照。他是不同的宗教！它们没有任何相同之处。”

    “他们不是这么说的！他们都声称自己信奉亚伯拉罕。穆斯林说希伯来人和基督教徒的上帝和穆斯林的上帝是一样的。他们都承认大卫、摩西和耶稣是先知。”

    “这和我们有什么关系，派西尼？我们是印度人！”

    “基督教徒和穆斯林已经在印度生活了好几个世纪！有人说耶稣就葬在喀什米尔。”

    他什么也没说，只是看着我，眉头紧锁。突然有工作需要他去处理。

    “去和母亲说吧。”

    她正在读书。

    “母亲？”

    “什么事，亲爱的。”

    “我想要受洗，我还想要一块跪垫。”

    “去和父亲说吧。卅

    “说过了。他让我来和你说。”

    “是吗？’’她放下书，朝窗外动物园的方向看去。我敢肯定，就在那一刻，父亲一定感到颈背上有一阵凉风吹来。她转身走到书

    架跟前。“这儿有本书，你会喜欢的。”她已经伸出胳膊去够书了。是罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森的书。这是她惯用的技巧。

    “我已经读过那本书了，母亲。读过三次了。”

    “噢。”她的胳膊停在了左边一本书上。

    “柯南·道尔的书我也读过了。”

    她的胳膊又转向了右边。“R．K．纳拉扬的书呢？纳拉扬的书你不可能都读过吧？”

    “母亲，这些事情对我很重要。”

    “《鲁宾孙漂流记》！”

    “母亲！”

    “但足派西尼！”她说。她坐回椅子上，脸上一副避难就易的表情，这意味着我得抓住关键，进行顽强的斗争。她重新放了一

    下靠垫。“我和你父亲认为你的宗教热忱有点儿神秘。”

    “这的确是依靠神的启示才能理解的奥秘。”

    “晦。我不是那个意思。听着，亲爱的，如果你要信仰宗教，那么你必须要么做印度教徒，要么做基督教徒，要么做穆斯林。你

    听到他们在散步广场是怎么说的。”

    “我不明白为什么不能三者都是。玛玛吉有两本护照。他是 她正在读书。

    “母亲？”

    “什么事，亲爱的。”

    “我想要受洗，我还想要一块跪垫。”

    “去和父亲说吧。卅

    “说过了。他让我来和你说。”

    “是吗？’’她放下书，朝窗外动物园的方向看去。我敢肯定，就在那一刻，父亲一定感到颈背上有一阵凉风吹来。她转身走到书架跟前。“这儿有本书，你会喜欢的。”她

    已经伸出胳膊去够书了。是罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森的书。这是她惯用的技巧。

    “我已经读过那本书了，母亲。读过三次了。”

    “噢。”她的胳膊停在了左边一本书上。

    “柯南·道尔的书我也读过了。”

    她的胳膊又转向了右边。“R．K．纳拉扬的书呢？纳拉扬的书你不可能都读过吧？”

    “母亲，这些事情对我很重要。”

    “《鲁宾孙漂流记》！”

    “母亲！”

    “但足派西尼！”她说。她坐回椅子上，脸上一副避难就易的表情，这意味着我得抓住关键，进行顽强的斗争。她重新放了一下靠垫。“我和你父亲认为你的宗教热忱有点儿神秘。”

    “这的确是依靠神的启示才能理解的奥秘。”

    “晦。我不是那个意思。听着，亲爱的，如果你要信仰宗教，那么你必须要么做印度教徒，要么做基督教徒，要么做穆斯林。你听到他们在散步广场是怎么说的。”

    “我不明白为什么不能三者都是。玛玛吉有两本护照。他是印度人，同时也是法国人。为什么我不能同时是印度教徒、基督教徒和穆斯林？”

    “这不一样。法国和印度是地球上的国家。”

    “天上有多少个国家？”

    她想了一秒钟。“一个。关键就在这儿。一个国家，一本护照。"

    “天上只有一个国家？”

    “是的。或者没有。也有这种可能性．，你知道。你喜欢的是非常过时的东西。”

    “如果天上只有一个国家，那不是所有护照都有效了吗？”

    她显出不能确定的神色。

    “甘地老爹说——”

    “是的，我知道甘地老爹说过什么。¨她用一只手扶住额头。她表情疲惫，真的。“天啊。”她说。