书城励志你的心灵是一座花园2
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第18章 身边的寓言(13)

也许我再也不用回避生活中的这种“愚人把戏”了。我常常想,我们各自讲述的那些有关自己生活的故事里蕴含着更多的东西,蕴含着一种不可思议的力量。不管怎么说,每一个人都是天生的作家,擅长讲述自己的生活故事。

下面的这篇故事是我的得意之作。

在纽约市北边的一个海滨娱乐公园,我为一位名叫艾丽丝的漂亮女士写下了这个故事。在故事中,我大胆地预言了她的未来。

海边漫步

艾丽丝同一位小伙子好了4年,小伙子却把握不住他们的未来,跟她分了手。她当时十分伤心,可现在想来觉得那是最圆满的结局。此后的一年半时间里,她经历过几场约会,但要么是她看上了对方而对方却不喜欢她,要么是对方钟情于她而她却又不愿以情相许。

唉,好事难成。

于是她开始定期去看望她的外祖母。外祖母是个非常聪慧的女性,乐观而又富于爱心。艾丽丝跟她谈过之后,感觉好多了,重又找到了温暖和笑声。但是她到底该怎样找到真爱呢?

一天,拜访过外祖母之后,艾丽丝一个人沿着海边散步。她将遇见一个男子。他会问她某个问题,而她的第一个念头就是:“哇,这小伙子一定来历不凡!”他们开始交谈,谈着谈着便跌入了爱河。

他可能是乘船来的,可能是游泳来的,也可能是步行而来。要不,他也许是从天而降,或是从波浪底下冒出来的。但这些都不重要,重要的是,在她看过外祖母之后,完全没有想到会碰上一个男人时,他就从海里出现了,而海里的男人跟鱼一样多。

事实是,我同艾丽丝在离海边不到20码远的地方不期而遇。在我为她写下这篇小说的那一天,这是我没有想到的。两个月之后,我走进一堂写作课,在没人坐的惟独一个空位上坐下时,身旁有人问道:“你还记得我吗?”那人正是艾丽丝。

如今,我们已经结婚9年了,还有了一个5岁的漂亮女儿安妮。我们成了一种活生生的见证,那就是,你能够重写自己的生活,以找到一个完美的结局。

正因为如此,当初那个当街头作家的疯狂念头不仅为我造就了一份职业,而且让我娶回爱妻,建立了家庭。我想你可以说我当小说家的梦想也变成了现实。只是我取得成功的方式并非完全如我所料——在街头上写小说,一篇一页纸,一次一个人。不过,美好的故事并不会按你所期待的方式发生。

A cat is tale:bandit and mum

一只猫咪的故事:强盗和它妈妈

Driving home from work one evening,my headlights illuminated two eyes on the side of the road.I stopped to investigate,finding a bedraggled-looking cat looking up at me,meowing pitifully.A car must have hit it and it now lay in the gutter,unable to move.I checked for a collar and ID but there was none.I flattened a cardboard box from the boot and slid the cat onto it,covering it in a rug.

At the nearest veterinary clinic,the vet gently examined it."He's about eight months old and has a broken front and hind leg,but I would need X-rays to know the extent of the damage,"he told me."As he's not your cat,I don't know if you want to go ahead with this.It could be rather expensive."

I knew it would cost me hundreds of dollars,but the alternative was the cat being put to sleep.The following morning the vet rang to say the X-rays confirmed a broken front leg and two badly splintered breaks in the hind leg."I'll put a metal pin in his back leg to keep it immobilized until it's healed,"he told me."He'll have slightly shorter hind legs but it won't affect his movements at all."

I contacted the RSPCA to no avail,so all day I looked forward to picking up my little friend.Carrying the cat,the vet smiled,"He's a happy little fellow-he hasn't stopped purring since he woke up.The staff are quite taken with him!"I hardly recognized him.His previously matted,dirty fur was now beautiful silver grey,with a dark charcoal mask around his eyes and nose,like a bandit.His front leg was in a cast and the hind leg was taped.He lay there looking at me,purring loudly.

I thanked the doctor and went out to pay the bill."I think you've given me the wrong account,"I said."This is only $85.He's had X-rays and an operation on his legs.""No,that's right,"she replied."The vet has only charged you for the drugs and medication.There's a message on the bottom."Written underneath the total were the words "SPECIAL RATE FOR ADOPTIONS."I was speechless at his kind and generous gesture.It was obvious he would be embarrassed if I made a fuss,so I paid the account and underneath his message I wrote "WITH GRATEFUL THANKS,BANDIT AND MUM."

一天晚上,下班后我开车回家。这时车前灯照到了路边的两只眼睛。我停下来,发现一只满是污泥的小猫正看着我,可怜地喵喵叫着。它一定是被汽车撞了,现在它躺在排水沟里,动弹不得。我试着找它的项圈和身份牌,但我什么也没找到。我把后备箱里的一只纸箱踩扁,将小猫轻轻放上去,并给它盖上毯子。

在最近的一家兽医诊所里,医生轻柔地为小猫做了检查。“它大概8个月大,一条前腿和后腿折断了,但是我需要拍个X光片才能确认它的伤势,”医生对我说,“因为不是你的猫,我也不知道你是不是打算给它拍片。拍片挺贵的。”

我知道这要花几百元,但如果不这样就要看着小猫安息。第二天早上,医生来电话告诉我X光拍片结果,说是前腿骨折,后腿有两处粉碎性断裂。“我会在它后腿里放一个金属钉来固定,直到愈合,”他告诉我,“它的后腿会稍短些,但是对行动不会有任何影响。”

我试着联系皇家防止虐待动物协会,但是没有结果。于是整天我都期待着把我的小朋友接走。医生抱着小猫,笑着说,“它是个快乐的小家伙,醒来后一直在呜呜叫。医护人员都非常喜爱它!”我差点认不出它来了。先前肮脏不堪、乱成一团的毛现在变成一身漂亮的银灰色,眼睛和鼻子上带着一个黑色木炭面罩,看上去像个强盗。它前腿打着石膏,后腿缠着绷带。它躺在那里,看着我,大声呜呜地叫着。

我谢过医生后出去付款。“我想你给错单子了吧,”我说,“这张只有85元,它拍了X光片,腿上还做了手术。”“不,这单子是对的,”她回答道,“医生只收你医药费和治疗费。底下有附言。”在总数的下面有一行字“领养人特惠价格”。医生的善良和慷慨让我顿时无语。显然,如果我大惊小怪会让他很尴尬,于是我付了款,并在他的附言底下写道:“非常感激,‘强盗’和它妈妈”。

A Nickel in the Road

地上的五分硬币

Exercising is not one of my favorite pastimes but I know it's good for me,so every day I try to get outside and take a two-mile walk.Most days I carry a small notebook and pen with me so that I can jot down the random,brilliant thoughts that come to me.

A few weeks ago I was rounding a corner about half way through my walk and noticed a nickel in the road.I adjusted my gait so that I stepped on the coin and kept walking.

Within a few steps I started thinking of my daughter who always stops to pick up loose change.She wouldn't have passed this one by.I was half tempted to turn around and go back for it,but I thought it would be embarrassing if someone happened to see me stooping down to pick up a nickel.

It didn't take me long to transition my thoughts from that nickel to those small opportunities that have been in front of me that I've stepped on or passed by.How many have I overlooked because I thought they were not important?How many have I been too embarrassed to try?How many have I stepped on because I wanted to show the world they were unworthy of my attention?

Later that day I told my daughter about the nickel incident because it continued to weigh on my mind.She said,"I would have picked it up.Did you know that one day at school I found a dollar on the floor?"

She had taken advantage of seemingly small opportunities,but when added up,they became something worthwhile.In my daughter's case,she was able to buy a can of soda from the vending machine she wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

The next morning I paid attention as I walked that same road.I was determined to pick up that nickel if I saw it again.But alas,it was gone.Not surprising I guess.Someone else is usually willing to take advantage of the opportunities that others choose to pass by.Unfortunately,by the time I decided to take advantage of it,the opportunity was no longer there.