美文：不为人知的善意 是一个人最高级的修养
52fw.cn 05-27 次遇见
Goodwill
善意
(From Chicken Soup)
(心灵鸡汤)
Annie leaned against her locker and sighed. What a day! What a disaster! This school year wasn't starting out the way she had planned it at all. Of course, Annie hadn't planned on that new girl, Kristen. And she definitely hadn't planned on the new girl wearing the exact skirt Annie was supposed to be wearing.
安妮斜靠在自己的储物柜上，叹了口气。今天真糟糕！真倒霉！这个新学年根本就没按她原计划的那样开始。当然，安妮也没有计划到会新来一个女生克里斯腾。她更没预料到，这个新来的女生居然还穿了她原本打算要穿的那条裙子。
It wasn't just any skirt. Annie had baby-sat three active brothers all summer to buy that skirt and its designer accent top. When she saw them in her Teen magazine, Annie knew they were meant for her. She had gone right to the phone and called the 800 number for the outlet nearest to her home. With price and picture in hand, she had set off to convince her mother.
这可不是一条普通的裙子。为了买下这条裙子和与之配套的由设计师专门设计的上衣，安妮整个夏天都在当保姆，照看三个活泼好动的小弟弟。安妮在《青年》杂志中看到了那套衣服，当时就觉得它们是为自己而设计的。她径直走到电话机旁，拨通了离她家最近的那家经销商的客服电话。知道价格后，她便拿着那套衣服的图片去游说妈妈。
It's great, honey, her mother agreed. "I just can't see spending as much on one outfit as I do for all your clothes." Annie wasn't surprised, but she was disappointed.
“确实很漂亮，亲爱的，”妈妈表示同意，“只是，我不能想象， 买这套衣服的钱差不多够我给你买所有衣服了。”安妮并不感到惊讶，但很失望。
Well, if it's that important, we could put it on layaway , her mom said. "You'd have to pay for it, though."
“唔，如果这套衣服真的那么重要，我们可以采取预约定购的方式购买，”妈妈说，“不过，你必须自己支付货款。”
So she did. Every Friday, Annie took all her baby-sitting money and paid down the balance.
她答应了。于是每个周五，安妮都会拿着自己当保姆挣来的钱， 去支付那套衣服的剩余货款。
She had made her final payment just last week and hurried home to try on the skirt and top. It was perfect. From the side, from the back and even from the front, it was perfect. She walked, she sat and she turned. She practiced humbly taking compliments so her friends wouldn't think she was stuck on it.
上周，她终于把最后一笔货款付清了，便急急忙忙赶回家试穿裙子和上衣。真是太完美了。无论是从侧面、后面，甚至从前面看，都十分合身。她走来走去，坐下、起来，并转了转身。她练习谦恭地接受赞美，以便在朋友面前掩饰她对这套衣服的痴迷。
The next day, Annie and her mother gave her bedroom the end of summer thorough cleaning. They washed and ironed the bedspread and curtains, and vacuumed behind and under everything. Then they sorted through the closets and drawers for clothes to give away in boxes. They dropped those boxes off at Goodwill, then headed to her grandmother's for the weekend.
第二天，安妮和母亲对她的卧室进行了夏末大扫除。她们把床罩和窗帘都取下来清洗、熨烫了一番，并用吸尘器对房间里的每个角落进行了除尘。然后，她们又对壁橱和抽屉里的所有衣服进行了分类筛选，把不需要的衣服都挑出来装进盒子里。她们把那些盒子送到一个爱心店，然后就去祖母家度周末了。
When they got home Sunday night, Annie ran straight to her bedroom. Everything had to be just right for her grand entrance at school the next day.
星期天晚上回到家之后，安妮径直跑进了自己的卧室：一切都得准备妥当后，第二天才能光彩照人地上学去。
She flung open her closet and pulled out her top and her ... and her ... skirt? It wasn't there. It must be here! But it wasn't. "Dad! Mom!" Annie's search became frantic . Her parents rushed in, only to find hangers and clothes flying everywhere. "My skirt! It isn't here!" Annie stood with her top in one hand and an empty hanger in the other.
她猛地打开壁橱，拽出自己的上衣和……和……裙子？它不在那儿。那它一定在这儿！可是，它也不在这儿。“爸！妈！”安妮的寻找变成了狂乱的翻箱倒柜。她的父母冲进她的房间，只见里面衣架和衣服乱飞。“我的裙子！它不见了！”安妮站在那儿，一手拿着上衣，另一只手拿着一个空衣架。
Now, Annie, her dad said, trying to calm her, "it didn't just get up and walk away. We'll find it." But they didn't. For two hours they searched through closets, drawers, the laundry room, under the bed and even in the bed. It just wasn't there.
“听我说，安妮，”爸爸试图让她平静下来，“裙子不可能站起来溜走。我们会找到它的。”但是，他们没有找到。在接下来的两个小时里，他们翻遍了壁橱、抽屉、洗衣房、床底下，甚至是床上，可它就是踪迹全无。
Annie sank into bed that night, trying to figure out the puzzle.