二、12. 烂藉口

「mommy i’m home.」

现在10点多了，该是ariel上床躺平的时候。

「young lady, you finally remember your curfew—now you owe your mother an explanation—sit down, right now.」

可蓉卸下书包，拉出椅子，坐在妈妈面前，边拨弄没时间解开的三股辫。

「now, be really honest. tell your mother, ‘where have you been?’」

妈妈的语气透露的潜台词是：

”don’t give me ‘with the girls’—that won’t work.”【别来「跟女孩们练习」这套──这不管用。】

况且，这套「约会服，」跟家伦哈得要死的发型，无法用烂藉口来糊弄。

总不能说「刚刚送到楼下的时候，家伦还依依不捨看我上楼，迟迟不肯去公车站牌搭车。」

面对妈妈的审问，她不能打马虎眼。

「i was doing my homework with mr. wu’s help—」

「poor pretense.」【烂藉口】

「you don’t put on that ‘dress’ while doing your homework with your homeroom teacher—」

「mother, you have taught me all the manners.

「if i am seeking mr. wu’s help, i have to show my gratitude.

「if i am to show my sincerest gratitude, i am to wear a formal dress, with a ‘basket containing a cake and a bottle of wine,’ on behalf of my mother, for helping her daughter to get good grades—these are the rules you taught me, mommy.」

【我如果代表马麻，跟吴老师致谢，必须带上束脩──「一竹篮的蛋糕，配一瓶红酒。」】

她马麻显然没听出，可蓉刚刚偷渡《小红帽》的情节，来支持自己的藉口。

眼看谎言没被拆穿，可蓉更大胆地扯谎：

「i know you are always busy, you couldn’t make it by visiting him in person, so i took the liberty to thank him, representing you.

「he was the humblest teacher i have ever had.

「he said he was only doing his part; helping students to get better grades is his duty, he said.