We don’t usually do it on top of the covers. My feet get cold and I like to feel all snuggled up. And the dog sleeps in our room and I don’t like him to see, so we usually stay under the sheets. But not that morning. That morning, my husband was feeling groovy.

我们通常不会在被子上面做那事。我的脚会觉得凉，我也喜欢全然依偎在一起的感觉。而且狗睡在我们房间，我不想让他看到，所以我们一般都是在被子下面。但那天早晨不然。那天早晨，我丈夫感觉很来劲。

Maybe because it was a Sunday and no one had to get to Korean martial arts or soccer practice or even down the street for a guitar lesson. Maybe it was because we didn’t have to meet the tree trimmers for an estimate on how to save our birch tree that was dying because of the drought or let in the electrician to fix the broken kitchen light or take our daughter to urgent care for her swollen tonsils (that would be the following weekend).

或许是因为，那是个星期天早晨，没有人需要去上韩国武术课，或足球训练，或者甚至去街那头上吉他课。或许是因为，我们不用见修剪树木的园丁，以便估计怎样挽救我们那棵因干旱而濒临死亡的桦树，或者让电工进来修理厨房那盏坏了的灯，或者带女儿去看扁桃体肿大的急诊（那是接下来一个周末的事情）。

So when my husband pulled me over and kissed me sweetly on the lips, and because I am 49 and sweaty — always so sweaty! — I kicked off the covers (the dog was still asleep).

于是丈夫把我拉了过去，温柔地吻着我的嘴唇，并且因为我49岁了而且冒着汗——总是出很多汗！——我踢翻了被子（狗还睡着）。

We were having a great time until suddenly my husband shouted and threw his arm behind me to grab for the covers. I didn’t know what happened until he said, “She saw us.”

我们兴致正好，突然间丈夫喊了一声，伸手从我身后去拽被子。我不知道发生了什么，直到他说，“她看到我们了。”

“What?’ I said. “Who?!”

“什么？”我说。“谁？！”

“What do you mean, who?” he asked. “Our 13-year-old daughter, the only daughter currently residing in this house. She walked in and I saw her and believe me, she saw us.”

“你说谁是什么意思？”他问道。“我们13岁的女儿，现在唯一住在家里的女儿。她走了进来，我看到了她，并且相信我，她看到我们了。”

“No,” I screamed. “No! No! No! No! No!”

“不，”我喊道。“不！不！不！不！不！”

“Yes,” he said. “You’d better go talk to her.”

“是的，”他说。“你最好去跟她聊聊。”

My mind frantically reviewed all possible options. “Let’s pretend this never happened,” I said to my husband. “I won’t say anything and you won’t say anything and she definitely won’t say anything — ”

我在头脑里疯狂评估了一番所有的选项。“我们就当这个从没发生过，”我跟丈夫说。“我什么都不说，你也什么都不说，她肯定也不会说什么——”

“No,” he said. “You have to go talk to her.”

“不，”他说。“你必须得去跟她谈谈。”

Why couldn’t he talk to her? But I knew why. She was probably dying of embarrassment and would never want to discuss this with her dad.

为什么他不能去跟她谈？但我知道为什么。她很可能已经尴尬至极，绝也不想跟爸爸聊这个。

I’d been a sexuality educator for Planned Parenthood in college. I had a master’s degree in public health from Columbia. I’d had The Talk with my kids many times over the years. I could face my own daughter. It was no big deal. Sex is healthy and normal. Sex is a beautiful thing, especially between middle-aged married people.

我此前一直是美国计划生育联合会(Planned Parenthood)的性教育工作者。我有哥伦比亚大学的公共卫生硕士学位。多年来我和孩子多次谈论这个话题。我能面对自己的女儿。没什么大不了的。性爱是健康并且正常的。性爱是美好的事情，特别是就中年已婚人士而言。

I could explain what she’d seen. I just wished it could have been missionary; it would have been so much easier. But fine, I could do it.

我能解释她所看到的。我就是希望当时要是传教士式就好了；这样就会容易很多。但好吧，我能做到。

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

“没问题，”我说。“我很快就回来。”

“Oh, and by the way,” my husband added, “it was bad. I mean you might have been whispering some stuff when she walked in and you don’t whisper very quietly and — ”

“哦，顺便说一下，”丈夫又说，“情况不太好。我是说她进来时，你可能在低语些什么，你低语的声音不是很低，而且——”

“Shut up!” I said. “I get it!”

“闭嘴！”我说。“知道了！”

I went to talk to my daughter, but she was in the bathroom. I knocked on the door.

我过去找女儿聊，但她在浴室里。我敲了敲门。

“I’m in the bathroom,” she said.

“我在浴室里，”她说。

“I can see that,” I answered. “I want to talk to you.”

“我能看到，”我答道。“我想和你聊聊。”

“Can we discuss this please?” I asked.

“我们能讨论一下这个吗？”我问道。

“No thanks,” she said. “I have no questions. I will never enter your room again without announcing my presence.”

“不了，谢谢，”她说。“我没有问题。我绝不会再不打一声招呼就进你们房间了。”

I went back to my bedroom.

我回到了卧室。

“Well?” my husband asked. I told him it went really well.

“怎么样？”丈夫问。我跟他说进展挺好的。

Later, I heard the clang of dishes and footsteps in the kitchen. I went to have a face-to-face with my daughter.

后来，我听到厨房里碟子叮当作响，还有脚步声。我去跟女儿当面聊。

“Honey,” I started to say, but she cut me off.

“宝贝儿，”我刚要开口，她打断了我。

“We don’t need to talk about it, Mom.” She poured herself some cereal. “Daaad,” she called, “It’s O.K. You can come out now. I’m not scarred for life or anything.”

“我们不需要聊这个，妈妈。”她给自己倒了些麦片。“爸爸，”她叫道，“没关系的。你现在可以出来了。我又不是留下终身创伤了或是怎样的。”

I thought about the time, decades ago, when I walked in on my parents. My family was visiting my brother in his one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. My brother let our parents stay in his room, and he and I were sleeping in the living room. The only bathroom in the apartment was through the bedroom. I got up late at night and went to the bathroom. When I came out, my parents were getting romantic.

我想起几十年前自己撞见父母做爱的时候。当时全家去亚特兰大看望哥哥，他的公寓只有一间卧室。哥哥让父母待在他的房间里，他和我睡客厅。公寓里唯一的洗手间要穿过卧室。我在深夜醒来，去了洗手间。出来时看见父母在缠绵。