Shortly after I graduated from junior high school in 1968， my mother began repeating her mantra： “Learn to type， and doors will open for you， Pam.” It was nearly Pavlovian1. Anything remotely connected to typing—an image of a typewriter， hearing the word “type”—could elicit this statement from her， often accompanied with finger-wagging and a small yet audible “humpf！” I would respond with a sighed “Yes， Mom” or， when out of her view， a much-practiced eye roll.

1968年我初中毕业后不久，母亲就开始反复唠叨：“学会打字，门就会为你打开，帕姆。”这几乎成了条件反射。任何与打字沾一丁点边的东西——看到打字机的图片，听到“打字”这个词——都能诱导她说出那句话，而且她经常边说边摇晃手指，发出一声轻微但仍可听到的“哼！”我则会叹气回应一声“好的，妈妈”，或者在她看不到我的时候，熟练地翻一个白眼。

When my mother and father came from Guyana to the United States， she brought her memories， photos， and a recipe on yellowing paper for rum fruitcake. She also brought her sewing and cosmetology skills. Sewing secured her a full-time job as a finisher in New York’s garment district， and cosmetology garnered extra money from occasional hairdressing work.

我父母从圭亚那来到美国时，母亲带来了自己的回忆、照片和写在泛黄纸张上的朗姆酒水果蛋糕配方。她还带来了缝纫和美容的技巧。缝纫手艺让她在纽约服装区获得了一份全职的修补工作，而美容手法使她能从美发零活中赚取外快。

Typing was not on her résumé. To her， it was an essential “American skill.” That meant it was up to me， her American-born child， to learn to type. She raised the stakes considerably when， the summer after I graduated from junior high， she gave me a burnt sienna Olivetti portable typewriter for my birthday. “Thanks， Mom， but I can’t type，” I gently reminded her.

打字技能并不在母亲的简历上。对她来说，这是一项基本的“美国技能”。也就是说，打字要由我这个她在美国生的孩子来学。我初中毕业后的那个夏天，她送给我一台深褐色的便携式“好利获得”打字机作为我的生日礼物，这极大地提高了她的赌注。“谢谢妈妈，但我不会打字。”我语气柔和地提醒她。

“That’s going to change，” she answered， also gently. “Soon.” Mom was a woman of her word. “Soon” arrived just one week later， when we took the bus to ever-busy Steinway Street in the New York City neighborhood of Long Island City to the Crown Business Institute， which was tucked in among the shops. Besides typing， the institute offered classes in stenography， bookkeeping， and other office skills. My mother practically pushed me through the door.

“你会学会的，”她也语气柔和地答道，“很快。