Forrest Gump 14
 
 
Officer: Forrest Gump!

Gump: Yes, sir.

Officer: As you were. I have your discharge papers. Service is up, son.

Gump: Does this mean I can’t play Ping-pong no more?

Officer: For the army it does.

Forrest: And just like that, my service in the United States Army was over. So I went home.

PART FOUR SHRIMPING BOAT CAPTAIN

Gump: I’m home, Mama. Mrs.

Gump: I know, I know. Forrest: Now, when I got home, I had no idea. But mama had all sorts of visitors.

Mrs.Gump: We’ve had all sorts of visitors, Forrest. Everybody wants you to use their Ping- pong stuff. One man even left a check for $25,000 if you’d be agreeable* to saying you like using their paddle*.

Gump: Oh, mama, I only like using my own paddle. Hi, Miss Louise.

Mrs.Gump: I know that. I know that. But it’s $25,000, Forrest. I thought maybe you could hold it for a while see if it grows on you.

Forrest: That mama. She sure was right. It’s funny how things work out. I didn’t stay home for long because I’d made a promise to Bubba and I always got to keep my promise. So I went on down to Bayou La Batre to meet Bubba’s family and make their introduction. Mrs.Blue: Are you crazy or just plain stupid? Gump: Stupid is as stupid does, Mrs.Blue.

Mrs.Blue: I guess.

Gump: And of course, I paid my respect to Bubba himself.

Gump: Hey, Bubba. It’s me, Forrest Gump. I remember everything you said and I got it all figured out. I’m taking the $24,562.47 that I got, that’s left after a new haircut and a new suit and took mama out to a real fancy dinner and I bought a bus ticket and three Dr. Peppers.

Boat Salesman: Tell me something. Are you stupid or something?

Gump: Stupid is as stupid does, sir... That’s what’s left after me saying “When I was in China on the All-American Ping Pong team, I just loved playing ping pong with my Flexolite ping pong paddle”, which everyone knows isn’t true. But mama said it was just a little white lie* so it wouldn’t hurt nobody. So anyway, I’m putting all that on gas, ropes, new nets, a brand new* shrimpin’ boat.

Forrest: Now, Bubba told me everything he knew about shrimpin’. But you know what I found out? Shrimpin’ is tough.

Gump: I only caught five.

Boat Salesman: A couple more and you can have yourself a cocktail*. Hey, you ever think about naming this old boat? It’s bad luck to have a boat without a name.

Forrest: I’d never named a boat before. But there was only one I could think of, the most beautiful name in the wide world. Now I hadn’t heard from Jenny in a long while. But I thought about her a lot and I hoped that whatever she was doing made her happy.  (Jenny almost commits suicide) I thought about Jenny all the time.

Gump: Lieutenant Dan! What are you doing here?

Dan: Well, I thought I’d try out my sea-legs*.

Gump: You ain’t got no legs, Lieutenant Dan.

Dan: Yes, I know that. You wrote me a letter, you

idiot. Well, well. Captain Forrest Gump. I had to see this for myself. And, I told you if you were ever a shrimp boat captain, that I’d be your first mate. Well, here I am. I am a man of my word.

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* agreeable: 欣然同意的

* paddle: 乒乓球拍

* white lie: 无伤大雅的谎言

* brand new: 崭新的

* cocktail: 鸡尾酒，此处指shrimp cocktail，一种虾制的菜肴

* sea-leg: 不晕船的本事；在颠簸的航船上行走自如的能力