美文欣賞：情暖今生 The Gift

It was well after mid night, wrapped in my warm fleecy robe I stood silently staring out the ninth floor window of the daunting New York hospital. I was staring at the 59th Street Bridge. It was assparkling and beautiful as a Christmas tree. New York city has always been special to me; the Broadway theatre, the music, the restaurants from the deli’s to the Tavern-On-the-Green. "This is what the city is supposed to be about, " I thought, dreading the morning to come and all theuncertainty it held. But the morning did come and at nine a.m. on that March 17th, I was wheeled into an operating room. Eleven hours and forty-five minutes later I was wheeled into a recoveryroom and a very few hours after being returned to my own hospital room I found myself actually on my feet, half walking, half propelled by medical equipment and members of my family. The orders were to walk the length and back of the long hospital corridor.

時(shí)間早就過了午夜了，在雄偉威嚴(yán)的紐約醫(yī)院，我裹在暖暖的羊毛睡袍里，靜靜地站在九樓病房的窗前凝視窗外。我看著眼前的第59街大橋，它像圣誕樹般閃閃發(fā)光，美麗動(dòng)人。在我心中，紐約一直有一個(gè)特別的位置，有百老匯的戲院，音樂，和形形色色、檔次各異的餐館。"這個(gè)城市本來就應(yīng)該是這樣的，"我想著，對(duì)即將到來的一天和它將帶來的未知之?dāng)?shù)感到異常擔(dān)心。但那天還是來了，就在那天，3月17日的早上9點(diǎn)，我被推進(jìn)了手術(shù)室。11個(gè)小時(shí)45分鐘后，我又被推進(jìn)了療養(yǎng)室，在被送回自己的病房后，僅僅幾個(gè)小時(shí)，我就已經(jīng)能下地行走了——一半是自己在走，一半是被醫(yī)療器械和家人推著走。按醫(yī)囑，我要在醫(yī)院的長廊里走一個(gè)來回。

It was then that I first saw him. I saw him through a haze of, drugs, pain and the dreamy unreality that this could be happening to me. He was standing in the doorway of a hospital room. In my twilight, unfocused state I saw him almost as a spirit shape rather than a full blown person. Yet the body language of this shape was somehow sending out sympathy and encouragementto me.

就在那時(shí)，我第一次看到他。在藥物和疼痛的作用下，透過朦朧的雙眼，我看到了他，那景象就如同虛幻的夢(mèng)境，我也不肯定自己究竟看到了什么。他當(dāng)時(shí)正站在一間病房的門口。我當(dāng)時(shí)正處于那種視力模糊的懵懂狀態(tài)中，而他對(duì)我來說，就像個(gè)幽靈，而不是一個(gè)完整的人影。但我還是能感覺得到這個(gè)影像的身體語言中所流露出的對(duì)我的同情和鼓勵(lì)。

This became my daily routine for the next three weeks. As I gained a little more strength the man would be standing in the doorway, smiling and nodding as I would pass with one or more members of my family. On the fourth week I was allowed to solo up the corridor. As I passed his room, there was my faithful friend in the doorway. He was a slender dark complexioned man. I stopped a minute to chat. He introduced me to his wife and his son who was lying listlessly in a hospital bed. The next day as I made my scheduled walk, he came out and walked with me to my room. He explained that he and his wife had brought their teenage son to this hospital of hope from Iran. They were still hoping but things were not going well. He told me of how I had encouraged him on that first dreadful night’s walking tour and how he was rooting for me. For three more weeks we continued our conversations, each giving the other the gift of caring and friendship. He told me of how he enjoyed seeing my family as they rallied around me and I was saddened by the loneliness of that small family so far from home.

在以后的三個(gè)星期里，在醫(yī)院的長廊里行走成了我必做的功課。在我的力氣稍微恢復(fù)之后，我在家人的陪同下走過他站立的門口，我會(huì)看到他站在那里向我微笑、點(diǎn)頭。到了第四個(gè)星期，我可以自己在長廊上走了，每當(dāng)我經(jīng)過他的房間，我這位忠實(shí)的朋友都會(huì)站在門口。這是一個(gè)膚色稍黑，身體瘦小的男人。我停下來與他談了一會(huì)兒。他把我介紹給他的妻子和兒子。他兒子沒精打采地躺在病床上。第二天，我又按時(shí)地在走廊里走動(dòng)，他從房間里走出來，陪我走回我的病房。他告訴我，他和他的妻子滿懷希望地把他十幾歲的兒子從伊朗帶到這家醫(yī)院。盡管現(xiàn)在他們還是抱有希望，但情況確實(shí)不容樂觀。他告訴我，我手術(shù)后第一個(gè)難熬的晚上艱辛的行走使他受到了鼓舞，他也在暗暗為我加油。在接下來的三個(gè)多星期里，我們?cè)谝黄鸾徽劊ハ嚓P(guān)心，彼此關(guān)愛。他很高興看到我的家人很關(guān)心和支持我，而我也為這個(gè)三口之家因遠(yuǎn)離家園而孤立無援而暗自傷感。

Miraculously, there did come a day when the doctor told me I would be discharged the following morning. That night I told my friend. The next morning he came to my room. I had been up and dressed since dawn. My bright yellow dress gave me hope, and I almost looked human. We talked a bit. I told him I would pray for his son. He thanked me but shrugged his shoulders indicating the hopelessness. We knew we would never see each other again, in this world. This man in his sorrow was so happy for me. I felt his love. He took my hand and said, "You are my sister." I answered back and said, "You are my brother". He turned and left the room.

就像奇跡一般，終于有一天醫(yī)生告訴我說，第二天我就可以出院了。那晚，我把這個(gè)消息告訴了我的朋友。第二天一早，他來到我的房間。那天，我早早地就起床了，并換好了衣服。我那鮮黃色的衣服給了我希望。我總算看起來又像個(gè)人了。我們倆談了一會(huì)兒。我對(duì)他說，我會(huì)為他的兒子祈禱的。他在感謝我的同時(shí)，聳了聳肩，流露出失望之情。我們都知道在這個(gè)世界上，我們?cè)僖膊粫?huì)見面了。這個(gè)憂傷的人很為我感到高興，我能感受到他對(duì)我的關(guān)愛。他握著我的手說："你就是我的妹妹。"我回答道："你就是我的哥哥。"說完，他轉(zhuǎn)過身，走出了房間。

My family came to 9retrieve me. Doctors and nurses, to say their goodbyes and give orders. All business had been taken care of. After seven and a half weeks I was leaving the hospital room I had walked into with so much trepidation.

我的家人來接我了。醫(yī)生和護(hù)士向我道別，囑咐我出院后該怎么做。所有事情都安排得妥妥當(dāng)當(dāng)。在我懷著忐忑不安的心情走進(jìn)醫(yī)院的七個(gè)半星期后，我終于要離開我的病房了。

As I turned to walk down the corridor to the elevator, my brother stood in the doorway, smiling, nodding and giving his blessing.

就在我沿著走廊向電梯走去時(shí)，我哥哥站在他的病房門口，沖我微笑點(diǎn)頭，傳遞著他的祝福。

It was 14 years ago today on March 17th 1990 that I entered that operating room and much has happened to the world since my brother and I said our last farewell. Yet I think of him often and he is always in my heart as I feel I am in his. I remember his intense, dark brown eyes as we pledged ourselves as brother and sister. At that moment, I knew without a doubt that the Spirit of God hovered over us smiling, nodding and blessing us with the knowledge that we are all one.

我進(jìn)手術(shù)室的那天，也就是14年前的今天，1990年3月17日。自從我與我哥哥告別后，這個(gè)世界發(fā)生了很大的變化。但我還是經(jīng)常會(huì)想起他，他一直都在我的心里，而我相信我也一直在他心中。我記得我們互稱兄妹時(shí)，他那雙真誠的深褐色的眼睛。在那一刻，我知道上帝正在天堂微笑地看著我們，向我們點(diǎn)頭，為我們祝福。因?yàn)樗?，我們不分彼此?/p>

Many times I have pondered over the years why we humans meet our dearest friends or bond so deeply with another person when we are most 11)vulnerable. I think it is because when we face a life threatening illness, job loss, whatever the catastrophe may be; we are left completely without any pretension and our hearts and souls are open to those around us and we are able to accept the love and kindnesses of others, almost freely and thankfully as children accept love. This kind of love is blind to race, color and creed and leads to a pair of dark brown eyes seeking a pair of very blue eyes and pledging a love that will last through time.

在過去的歲月里，我不止一次在想，為什么人會(huì)在最脆弱的時(shí)候認(rèn)識(shí)我們生命中最親密的朋友，與另一個(gè)人結(jié)成最緊密的紐帶也在這時(shí)結(jié)成。我認(rèn)為，這是因?yàn)樵谖覀兠鎸?duì)危及生命的疾病、失業(yè)，或者其它災(zāi)難時(shí)，我們所有的偽裝都會(huì)褪去，我們的心靈都會(huì)向周圍的人敞開，接受來自他人的關(guān)愛和好意，差不多就像孩童那樣，毫無芥蒂并心存感激承接愛。這種愛與種族、膚色、信仰無關(guān)，也正是這種愛，讓那雙深褐色的眼睛和那雙深藍(lán)色眼睛相遇，并發(fā)誓永遠(yuǎn)彼此關(guān)愛。