中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
很多時候我們覺得自己不夠完美，自己的生活也沒別人幸福。驀然回首之時才發現其實自己擁有的已經足夠。
By Clara Wersterfer
墨石 譯注
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Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time. Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book. One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek[1] looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen. She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance[2] to Liz Taylor[3]. Jet black[4] hair and alabaster[5] skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away. Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all? Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered[6] long after she drove away. Many nights when sleep evaded[7] me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt. I would get my answers in a couple of weeks. Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt. She haltingly[8] walked around to the passenger side[9] very slowly, leaning on a walking cane[10]. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis[11] on the left leg and a brace[12] on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car! When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled[13] or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement[14] with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home. I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything, didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled. |
大多數青少年都迫不及待地學開車，但我沒有。開車讓我很緊張，因此直到24歲我才拿到駕照。因此，我剛結婚的時候我們只有一輛車，還是上班用的。我和先生的上班時間相差一小時。我上班時間更早，于是每次他都將我送到單位后再去吃早餐喝咖啡，等著上班。 下午，我下班后會悠閑地步行三英里到他工作的地方，在他的車里邊讀書邊等他。 一天，我正等他下班，看到一輛堪稱極品的凱迪拉克駛進停車場。粉藍色的車身閃著光芒，絕對是人們夢寐以求的車。我不住地羨慕那輛車，此時我看到了車主。老實說，她應該是我在現實中曾見到的最美麗的女子了。 她將車停在我旁邊的車位上，我盡力克制著不一直盯著她。她長得和伊麗莎白?泰勒驚人地相似。尤其是那烏黑的頭發和雪白的皮膚。我們目光相接時，她沖我微笑。她的眼睛很藍，像極了海水的顏色，而她的牙齒恰似排列整齊的珍珠。她身著一件淺藍色的襯衫，和她的車顏色很搭調。透過她長長的，輕柔的卷發，我看到了她的金耳環。只有金子才會如此閃耀。 過了一會兒，一個儀表堂堂的男人走出樓來，上了她的車，側過身去吻她，接著她開車離去。 我穿著牛仔褲、襯衫，扎著馬尾辮坐在那里，突然有想哭的沖動。為什么有人竟如此完美？ 我差點就將她忘了，但是接下來的那周，我又見到了她。之后，我幾乎每周都能見到她。她看起來很友好，每次都笑容滿面地沖我招手。她開車走后我總會羨慕很久。 很多個無法入眠的夜晚，我都會想起那個美麗女子。我想知道她和丈夫是否出去吃飯了，就餐的地點和她的穿衣打扮。我很期待她能夠從車里出來，這樣我就可以看到她的全貌了。她會穿很高的高跟鞋嗎？她會穿褲子還是短裙？ 幾周后，我得到了答案。 我們像往常一樣在那個停車場里坐著，我拿了本書，從書的上邊向她望去。她靜靜地等著，當她丈夫過來的時候，她叫住了他。他們說了幾句話，然后他為她打開車門。他攙著她的胳膊，幫她從車里出來。她下車的時候，我看得很清楚—她穿的是短裙。 她腳有些跛，拄著手杖，慢慢地繞到車的副駕駛座這邊來。她側身坐到座位上，用手將一條腿抬起放進車里，之后又抬起了另一條腿。她的左腿是假肢，右腿上帶著夾板。 淚水模糊了我的雙眼，我無法看著他們開車遠去。 我能夠從三英里外走到車子這兒來，然而這幾個星期以來我一直在妒忌這個女子，妒忌她的生活。 先生來的時候看到我在哭，趕忙問我怎么了。我流著淚告訴了他那個美麗女子的事情。先生說他認識女子的丈夫，也知道這其中的緣由。女子和她父母的車熄火了或是被卡到鐵軌上動不了，被一輛火車撞翻。她的父母雙雙身亡，而她也受了重傷。那時，她只有12歲。 那個鐵路道口沒有信號燈，所以鐵路方面給了她一大筆錢作為賠償。先生解釋說她的車和住所都是根據她的需要專門設計的。 回家的路上我一直在乞求原諒。我一直以為那個女子擁有世間一切，可是她沒有。我意識到自己是多么的幸運。我的父母依然健在，我能走，能跑，能跳舞，還擁有很多無法用金錢購得的美好事物。我不會用我所擁有的東西去和那個美麗女子做任何交換。 當你遇見一個看起來比你生活境遇好很多的人時，不要想當然。 （來源：英語學習雜志） |
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Vocabulary: 1. sleek: 有光澤的。 2. resemblance: 相似。 3. Liz Taylor: 即 Elizabeth Taylor 伊麗莎白?泰勒，著名好萊塢女星。 4. jet black: 深黑色的，烏黑的。 5. alabaster: 雪花石膏。 6. linger: 縈繞，持續。 7. evade: 避開，躲避。 8. haltingly: 跛的。 9. passenger side: 副駕駛座。 10. walking cane: 手杖。 11. prosthesis: 假肢。 12. brace: 支架，支撐物。 13. stall: （引擎或機動車）熄火。 14. settlement: 清償，賠償金。 |
