[16] My brother’s truck, moving downhill fast, got far ahead of me. With it went the last vestiges of my courage. On one side of my little car the mountain rose like a gigantic wall of sheer rock. On the other side was thin air. I struggled desperately not to look over the edge.
[17] Traffic was streaming down the grade, mostly big trucks in the righthand lane. I wanted to join them there but I could not bring myself to steer to the right, toward the edge. Instead I kept inching to the left, going slower and slower in the passing lane, trying to hug the mountain wall.
Drivers behind me honked their horns angrily. Panic paralyzed me. I wanted to stop but there was no place to pull over. I tried to say the Lord’s Prayer. My throat was too tight for words to come.
[16]弟弟的卡车飞速下山,我落后了好远。随之而去的还有我最后的那一丝胆量。我这渺小的汽车的一侧是直插云天的岩石峭壁,另一侧是悬崖上稀薄的空气。我竭尽全力不让自己往崖边上看。
[17]下坡的路上车流如潮,大卡车大都行驶在右车道上。我想加入到他们中间,可自己就是不听使唤,不但不能开向靠崖一侧的右边,反而不停地向左边峭壁上挤。车在通道上越走越慢,车身快要贴住峭壁了。我身后的司机们愤怒地按起了喇叭。惊恐完全慑服了我,使我几乎麻痹。我想要停车又没有地方靠边。我试图背诵主祷文,但喉咙发紧,说不出话来。