A True Gift of Love
“Can I see my baby？”the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face，she gasped.The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window.The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect.It was only his appearance that was marred.When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms，she sighed，knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
He blurted out the tragedy.“A boy，a big boy...called me a freak.”
He grew up，handsome for his misfortune.A favorite with his fellow students，he might have been class president，but for that.He developed a gift，a talent for literature and music.
“But you might mingle with other young people，”his mother reproved him，but felt a kindness in her heart.
The boy’s father had a session with the family physician...“Could nothing be done？”
“I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears，if they could be procured，”the doctor decided.Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
Two years went by.One day，his father said to the son，”You’re going to the hospital，son.Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need.But it’s a secret.“
The operation was a brilliant success，and a new person emerged.His talents blossomed into genius，and school and college became a series of triumphs.
Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.One day，he asked his father，“Who gave me the ears？Who gave me so much？I could never do enough for him or her.”
“I do not believe you could，”said the father，“but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet.”
The years kept their profound secret，but the day did come.One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son.He stood with his father over his mother’s casket.Slowly，tenderly，the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick，reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，”his father whispered gently，“and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful，did they？”
爱的真谛
“我可以看看我的宝宝吗？”初为人母的她开心地问道。
当裹着的婴儿放到她臂弯里，她掀开裹着婴儿的布，在看到他的小脸时，她不禁倒吸了一口气。医生快速地转过身，透过医院的高层窗户向外看去。婴儿生下来就没有耳朵。
时间证明婴儿的听力毫无问题，只是有损他的相貌。一天，当他匆匆从学校跑回家，扑向母亲的怀抱时，她叹了口气，意识到他的生活注定会受到一连串的打击。
他脱口诉说遭到的不幸：“一个男孩，一个大个子男孩……他喊我怪胎。”
他长大了，虽然不幸但还是长得挺帅。颇受同学的欢迎，要不是有缺陷，他很可能当了班长。他对文学和音乐很有天赋和潜质。
“但你可能会和其他年轻人一样，”母亲责备地说，但从心底里觉得很欣慰。
男孩的父亲与家庭医生商量……“难道真无法补救吗？”
“我认为可以移植一双外耳，如果能够找到的话。”医生做了决定，于是他们开始寻求一个愿意为这个年轻人做出牺牲的人。
两年过去了。一天，父亲对儿子说，“孩子，你要住院了。我和你妈找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了。但要求保密。”
手术获得了巨大成功，一个新人诞生了。他的潜力发展成一个天才，在中学和大学都取得了一连串的成功。
后来他结婚了，进入外交行业工作。一天，他问父亲：“是谁给我的耳朵？谁给了我那么多？我做多少都无法报答他/她。”
“我也这样认为，”父亲说，“但是协议上说你不能知道……还不到时候。”
他们的秘密遵守了很多年，但这天终于来了，这也是儿子度过的最黑暗的日子。他和父亲站在母亲的棺材前，慢慢地，轻柔地，父亲向前伸出一只手，掀开母亲浓密的、红褐色的头发：母亲竟然没有耳朵！
“你母亲说过她很高兴，她从不理发，”父亲轻柔地低声说，“但没人觉得母亲没以前美丽，是吧？”
You’ll Never Regret It
Time is running out for my friend.While we are sitting at lunch she casually mentions she and her husband are thinking of starting a family.“We’re taking a survey，”she says，halfjoking.“Do you think I should have a baby？”
“It will change your life，”I say，carefully keeping my tone neutral.“I know，”she says，“no more sleeping in on weekends，no more spontaneous holidays...”
But that’s not what I mean at all.I look at my friend，trying to decide what to tell her.I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal，but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be vulnerable forever.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without thinking：“What if that had been MY child？”That every plane crash，every house fire will haunt her.That when she sees pictures of starving children，she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is，becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career，she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.She might arrange for child care，but one day she will be going into an important business meeting，and she will think her baby’s sweet smell.She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home，just to make sure her child is all right.
I want my friend to know that every decision will no longer be routine.That a fiveyearold boy’s desire to go to the men’s room rather than the women’s at a restaurant will become a major dilemma.The issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in the lavatory.However decisive she may be at the office，she will secondguess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive friend，I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the added weight of pregnancy，but she will never feel the same about herself.That her own life，now so important，will be of less value to her once she has a child.She would give it up in a moment to save her offspring，but will also begin to hope for more yearsnot to accomplish her own dreamsbut to watch her children accomplish theirs.
I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to hit a ball.I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time.I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.
My friend’s look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.“You’ll never regret it，”I say finally.Then，squeezing my friend’s hand，I offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this holiest of callings.
你永远不会后悔
时光荏苒，朋友已经老大不小了。我们坐在一起吃饭的时候，她漫不经心地提到她和她的丈夫正考虑要小孩。“我们正在做一项调查，”她半开玩笑地说，“你觉得我应该要个小孩吗？”
“他将改变你的生活。”我小心翼翼地说道，尽量使语气保持客观。“这我知道，”她答道，“周末睡不成懒觉，再也不能随心所欲休假了……”
但我说的绝非这些。我注视着朋友，试图整理一下自己的思绪。我想让她知道她永远不可能在分娩课上学到的东西。我想让她知道：分娩的有形伤疤可以愈合，但是做母亲的情感伤痕却永远如新，她会因此变得十分脆弱。