The Importance of Time
時間的意義
There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future and nothing could stop him.
在匆忙的生活中，傑克幾乎沒時間回憶過去，也經常沒時間陪妻子和兒子。他正在為他的將來努力奮鬥，沒有什麼可以阻擋他的腳步。
Over the phone his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." 電話裡媽媽對他說，“貝爾瑟先生昨晚去世了，葬禮在週三舉行。”
電話裡媽媽對他說，“貝爾瑟先生昨晚去世了，葬禮在週三舉行。”
Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
往事像新聞影片一樣閃過他的頭腦。
“傑克，聽見我說話了嗎？”
"Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him." Jack said.
“啊，對不起，媽媽。聽見了。我已經好長時間沒有想到過他了。”傑克說。
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent with him," Mom told him.
“但是，他可從沒忘記你。每次我見到他，他都問起你最近的情況。他會回憶起和你一起度過的許多日子。”媽媽說道。
"He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
“他花了很多時間來教我學習那些他認為重要的東西…媽媽，我會回去參加他的葬禮的。”傑克說。
Jack kept his word and attended Mr. Belser's funeral.
傑克履行了他的諾言，參加了貝爾瑟先生的葬禮。
The night before he returned home Jack and his Mom went to see Mr. Belser's old house one more time.
在回去的前一天晚上，傑克和他的媽媽又一次來到了貝爾瑟先生的老房子。
Standing in the doorway Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
傑克在門口站了一會兒。那種感覺就像是穿越時空、回到了從前。每一個臺階都盛滿了回憶。每張照片，每件傢俱…突然，傑克停了下來。
“怎麼了，傑克？”媽媽問。
"The box is gone," he said.
"What box?" Mom asked.
“那個盒子不見了。”他說。
“什麼盒子？”媽媽問。
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was, 'The thing I value most.' Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. One day Jack discovered a parcel list in his mailbox.
“在他的桌子上面，放著一個小小的，總是上著鎖的金盒子。我問過他無數次那盒子裡面有什麼東西。他總是告訴我說‘那是我最珍視的東西’。我現在永遠也沒法知道他最珍視的是什麼東西了。”傑克說。
貝爾瑟先生去世兩週後的一天，傑克在郵箱裡發現了一張包裹單。
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. Mr. Harold Belser," it read.
第二天一大早，傑克取回了包裹。包裹上的字跡很難辨認，但是寄信人地址卻吸引了他的注意："哈羅德o貝爾瑟先生。
Jack tore it open. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
傑克拆開了包裹，裡邊是那個金盒子，還有一封信。看著信的內容，傑克的手顫抖了。
"Upon my death please forward this box to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I value most in my life." His heart raced as tears filled his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
“在我死後，請把這個盒子轉交給傑克•貝內特。這是我一生中最珍視的東西。"傑克的心跳加快，眼裡噙滿了淚水。他小心翼翼地打開盒子，裡面是一塊漂亮的金懷錶。
He opened the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! — Harold Belser."
他打開了表蓋，裡面刻著下面的文字：“傑克，感謝和你在一起的時間！哈羅德•貝爾瑟”。
"The thing he valued most...was...my time."
他最珍視的東西…是…我的時間。”
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days…he needed some time to spend with his wife and son.
傑克拿著表想了一會兒，然後給辦公室打了電話，把接下來兩天的工作預約全部取消了。他需要一點兒時間陪妻子和兒子。
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