To prevent our dog, Lacy, from pestering visitors to our house, my mother often massaged her as she lounged beneath the kitchen table, her favorite resting spot. One day a contractor came over to talk about a home-improvement project.?
為避免我們的狗，萊希，糾纏來訪的客人，我母親常在愛犬喜歡呆的地方，即餐桌下面，摩昵它。一天，一個建筑商來談居室裝潢工程。

As he and my mother sat across the table discussing the renovations, my mother slipped off her shoes and mindlessly soothed Lacy with her feet.?
在這人和我母親坐在餐桌邊談居室的修茸時，我母親滑脫了她的鞋子，開始不經意地用腳摩蹭起萊希來。

My mother had been talking for about a half-hour when to her great embarrassment she heard Lacy bark outside the front door.
談話進行了半個小時的時候，我母親突然感到很不好意思起來，因為這時她聽到了萊希在前門外的犬吠聲。

【注釋】

(1) prevent （from）v.避免；阻止

(2) pester v.使苦惱；困擾

(3) massage v.按摩；揉捏

(4) lounge v.懶洋洋地坐著或站著

(5) contractor n.承包商

(6) improvement n.改進；改善

(7) renovation n.修復；修理

(8) slip off滑脫；掉

(9) mindlessly adv.不注意地