[Marvin Redpost] #6 A flying birthday cake?

 

 

6권은 그리 재미있지 않았다. Marvin이 새로 전학온 Joe라는 친구를 사귀는 내용이었다. 처음에 Joe는 굉장히 독특하게 행동하여 학급 아이들로부터 놀린감이 된다. 그리고 Marvin은 친구들로부터 놀림 당하는 기분을 이전에 느껴본 적이 있기에 최대한 Joe를 감싸주려고 노력한다. 그리고 Joe와 친해지면서 그를 학급 아이들과 친해지게 하는데도 성공한다. 그러나 바로 그 다음날 Joe는 부모님과 함께 리무진을 타고 Marvin의 집에 와서 이제 부모님의 일 때문에 다른 곳으로 이사를 가야 한다고 말한다. Joe의 부모님이 2년 이내로 다시 이 마을에 올 일이 있으며, 그 때에는 Marvin을 다시 초대한다고 이야기한다. 그리고 Marvin은 그 날을 기대하며 이야기가 끝난다. 

 

Chapter01

Marvin didn’t know if it was after midnight yet.

He had drunk too much punch.

 Now that he thought about it, the green thing had looked like a flying birthday cake.

 

Chapter02

Marvin could tell Joe was nervous. He knew he’d be nervous, too, if he had to move someplace and go to a new school.

Joe bit his lip and shrugged.

 

I like your attitude, Joe. Why don’t I put you next to Nick? Maybe some of you good attitude will rub off on him.

* rub off on sb ~에게 전이되다. 에게 영향을 미치다.

*jerk: 주로 남자. 바보. I was a jerk.

*nerd: 사회적으로 어색해 하고, 매력이 없는 남자. What a nerd!

 

“Who can name a kind of mammal?”

That was what Marvin was going to say. He lowered his hand.

“No, I mean, can you name another kind of mammal?”

 

Marvin felt bad for Joe. He knew what it was like to forget a word. Once he couldn’t think of the word parade.

*feel bad for: ~를 측은하게 느끼다. 마음이 편치 않다. = feel ashamed and sorry

 

Mrs. North reminded the class that there would be a test on Wednesday. She asked if anybody had any questions.

“How much does the human brain weigh?” ~은 얼마나 무거울까요?

 

Chapter03

“Duh, what’s an elephant?” asked Stuart. Then he and Nick cracked up.

He saw Joe standing all by himself, on the edge of the blacktop.

* all by himself: 혼자

* on the edge of ~의 가장자리에

* blacktop: 아스팔트

 

Stuart beat Kenny, and now it was Nick’s turn.

* beat 물리치다. 물리쳤다.

 

“You get how it’s played?” Marvin asked.

“There is nobody on this planet who can return Nick Tuffle’s world-famous cross-court slam!”

“Who’s he talking to?” asked Joe.

 

Nick hit a long, high bouncer.

* bouncer: 높게 튀어오르는 공

Marvin found himself rooting for Joe, even though Nick was one of his best friends.

*root for sb ~를 응원하다.

 

Nick smashed the return, but Joe ran backward and got to that one, too.

*smash: 공을 위에서 아래로 세게 내리치다.

“Besides, I would have beaten him, but I wore out my hand beating you and Marvin.”

 

“Well, no wonder!” Nick exclaimed. “Beginner’s luck!”

* no wonder! 어쩐지! (놀랍지도 않군)

 

Chapter04

 “I hope I learn a lot today.” Then he took his seat next to Nick. Marvin could practically see the hate coming out of Nick’s eyes.

*dorky: stupid and awkward

 

“Well, maybe that’s what they do it Chicago,” said Marvin. “Instead of saying the pledge, they kiss the flagpole. He was probably just being patriotic.”

* patriotic: 자신의 국가에 대한 사랑과 자랑스러움을 보여주는; 애국심을 보여주는

 

Chapter05

 Marvin lay in bed.

Marvin knew what it was like to be picked on. Earlier in the year, everyone had picked on him.

 

He wanted to be Joe’s friend. But he was afraid that everyone would pick on him again. And then if Joe moved back to Chicago, Marvin would be friendless.

 

“I mean, who'd you want to know about?” 누구에 대해 알길 원하는 거야?

“We go to school to learn. If we already knew everything, then we wouldn’t have to go to school.”

 

“How come you’re always sticking up for him?” asked Nick.
* stick up for sb: 비난 받는 누군가를 지지하다. 변호하다. = defend or support a person who is being criticized or attacked.

 

He crumbled the potato chips in his fist and dropped the crumbs into his carton of milk.

* crumble 부수다. / * the crumbs 부스러기

 

Chapter06

 After school, Nick and Stuart had to stay inside while Mrs. North talked to them about running in the hallways.

“I guess it’s hard being new,”

 

“We have to bathe Fluffy.”

*bathe: 남을 욕조에 넣다, 목욕시키다.

I like the way the cool metal feels when it squashes my nose.

 

Chapter07

I’ve been lots of places.

“I try to be like the other kids. But somehow they always know I’m different.”

 

“Back where I come from, the houses are a lot more colorful than they are here.”

“Boy, I’d like to go to Chicago sometimes,”

 

“What holds it together?” he asked.

Linzy thought it over. “It’s sticky,” she explained. “It sticks to itself.”

Joe finished his bowl of Jell-O, then ate a second bowlful, and then a third.

 

“I like Joe,” Linzy said to Marvin, while Joe slurped his Jell-O.

* slurp 음식을 소리 내어 먹다

 

Chapter08

Marvin tried to figure out when he could have done that. They’d been together since the flagpole.

Marvin felt himself redden.

* redden 얼굴을 붉히게 하다.

 

He went to the pantry and got a small stack of paper plates.

* pantry 식료품 저장실

“What does it feel like to step on a fish?” Linzy asked.          

~하는 건 어떤 느낌이야?

 

Chapter09

Marvin had warned his parents that the other kids at school made fun of Joe for being different.

“What do your parents do, Joe?” asked Marvin’s father.

Marvin saw his parents stare at Joe. He knew they were wondering if Joe was telling the truth.

 

 

Chapter10

 Marvin’s father asked Marvin to help him take the futon up to Marvin’s room.

* futon: mattress의 일종. 일본에서 유래했음.

 

A few hours later, Marvin went to bed and Joe went to floor.

“Thanks for inviting me over. This has been the best day of my whole life.”

 

He felt as if he and Joe had been friends for a long time, not just for one day.

“I guess the kids at school have been kind of mean to you.”

I’ve been treated a lot worse. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.

 

Everyone’s different. Life would be boring if everyone was the same.

“But what do I do that is so different?” Joe asked. “I want to fit in. I want the other kids to like me. What do I have to do?”

 

Marvin hoped he’d said the right thing. He didn’t think Joe should have to change. Still, he wondered if maybe he should have told him to change his clothes, at least.

 

chapter 11

“Where is he?” Marvin’s mother demanded.

“He should know better than to walk home alone.”

It was late Saturday morning.

“Do you know where he lives?”

 

Marvin’s father called Information and asked for the phone # for somebody named Normal.

 

“It’s a new listing,” his father told the operator.

“It’s my fault,” Marvin’s mother said when they got home. “I should have insisted upon speaking with his parents before I let him spend the night.”

 

“When did he have a chance to call them?”

“I like Joe, but I’m worried about him. You have to admit that some of the things he does are a bit odd.”

 

“He’s not a criminal!” said Marvin. But despite all his protests, he was worried about Joe, too.

 

Chapter 13

There must have been over a thousand boxes.

 

“I don’t think that would be possible,” said Joe’s father. “But we’ll be coming back this way in two years. We could stop by, and maybe even take Marvin home with us for the summer.”

 

He’d never been away from home for more than a night before, and that was just to Stuart’s or Nick’s house. Chicago was a long way away, five hundred miles, at least.