Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.
十幾歲時,有一次父親帶我去馬戲團看錶演.我們站在長長的隊伍裡等著買票.終於,我們前面只剩一家人了.
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money.
這一家人給我留下了深刻的印象.他們一共有八個孩子,可能都不到十二歲.顯然,這不是一個富裕的家庭.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night.
他們衣著雖不奢華,但很整潔.孩子們都懂禮貌,兩兩一排,手拉手站在隊伍裡,跟在父母身後.他們興奮地談論著他們將要看到的小丑、大象和其他馬戲表演.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be.
憑我的直覺,這些孩子可能從未看過馬戲.因此,那一定將會是他們度過的最精彩的一天.他們的父母驕傲地站在隊伍的最前面.
The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor."
那位母親拉著丈夫的手,抬頭望著他,似乎在說："你就是那個身穿閃亮盔甲,護衛我的騎士."
He was smiling and basking in pride, looking back at her as if to reply, "You got that right."
那位父親面帶微笑,自豪地看著妻子,好像在回答："你說得很對."
The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."
售票小姐問他要買幾張票.他得意地回答道："八張兒童票、兩張成人票,我要帶全家人一起看馬戲."
The ticket lady quoted the price. The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?"
售票小姐報了價.突然,那位母親拉著丈夫的手鬆開了,頭垂了下去.而那位父親的嘴唇開始顫抖起來,他向前挪了挪,問道："剛才你說一共多少錢?"
The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn't have enough money.
售票小姐又重複了一遍.他的錢不夠.
How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus? Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a$20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!)
但他該怎樣轉身告訴八個孩子,他的錢不夠讓他們去看錶演呢?這時,我的父親把手伸進了口袋,掏出二十美元,丟在地上.（從任何意義上說,我們絕非有錢人!）
My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."
接著,父親彎腰把那張鈔票又撿了起來,拍了拍前面那位父親的肩膀,說："先生,打擾一下,這是從您口袋裡掉出來的."
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the$20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear running down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
這位先生立刻領會了父親的意思.他並沒有乞求施捨,但在這種絕望、令人傷心和尷尬的窘境中,有人向他伸出援助之手,他絕對感激不已.他凝視著父親的眼睛,握著父親的手,把手裡那張二十美元攥得緊緊的.他的嘴唇顫抖了,一滴淚水滑過臉頰,說："謝謝,謝謝您,先生.您幫了我,也幫了我們全家."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.
之後,父親開車帶我回家了.雖然那天晚上我們沒看成馬戲,但我們並沒白跑一趟.
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