书城外语摇响青春的风铃
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第41章 爱心礼物 (2)

As he returned inside, the shop keeper’s wife walked out. “Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?”

Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime. When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses.”

The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn’t feel cold at all.

外面下着雪,博比站在后院,感觉越来越冷。博比不爱穿靴子,况且他也没有靴子可穿,所以只能赤脚站在雪地里。脚上的运动鞋薄薄的,已经磨出了好几个洞,不论怎样也抵挡不住冬季的严寒。

博比已经在后院待了整整一个小时。送给母亲什么礼物好呢,他绞尽脑汁,左思右想,心里一点主意都没有。他边想边摇头,“不行,即便我知道送什么,也买不起。”

3年前博比的父亲去世了,之后,这个五口之家一直在生活的最底线上挣扎。不是母亲没有尽心尽力,只是她赚来的那点儿可怜的薪水远远不够家用。母亲在医院上夜班,她赚的那点儿少得可怜的薪水能够维持到现在已经不错了。

尽管家里很穷,但大家都相亲相爱,关系和睦。博比有两个姐姐和一个妹妹,母亲外出时,她们会把家料理得井然有序。

姐妹们都准备好了漂亮的礼物送给母亲。现在已经是平安夜了,但是博比依然两手空空。不管怎样,他心里总觉得不平衡。

博比擦了擦泪水,用脚踢着地上的雪,往街上的商店走去。对于一个6岁就失去父亲的孩子来说,这件事确实不容易,特别是想对父亲倾诉心里话时。

博比从一家家商店走过,从每个装饰华美的窗户往里望,里面的东西那样艳丽无比,又那样遥不可及。天渐渐黑了,博比极不情愿地往回走,突然,他看到路边的一个东西,在夕阳的映照下,闪闪发光。他走过去,蹲下身,发现那是一枚亮晶晶的一角硬币。

那刻,博比一下子觉得自己变成了富翁,手里揣着新发现的珍宝,顿时觉得一股暖流涌遍全身。他走进附近的一家商店,可不管在哪家店,店员都告诉他一角钱什么也买不到,先前的兴奋感顿时消失得无影无踪。

他走进一家鲜花店,排队等候买花。店主问他要买什么,博比拿出那枚硬币,问店主是否能买一枝鲜花作为送给母亲的圣诞礼物。店主看了看博比和他手里的那枚硬币,拍了拍他的肩膀,说道,“你等一会儿,我看看能不能帮上你的忙。”

博比一边等一边看着店里那一束束美丽的鲜花,即使他是个男孩,也可以理解母亲和女孩子为什么喜欢鲜花。

最后一位顾客离开了,商店关门的声音使博比清醒过来。店里只剩下博比一个人,他开始感到孤独,甚至有些害怕。

突然,店主出来了,走到柜台前。博比的眼前出现了由12朵玫瑰扎成的一束鲜花,长长的根茎上长着青翠的叶子,玫瑰花的周围是些小白花,所有这些花,由一根宽宽的银色丝带扎成一束。店主将这束花轻轻地放进一个白色的长方形盒子里,看到这些,博比的心立刻沉了下去。

“孩子,这束花10美分。”店主边说边伸手去拿博比手中的硬币。博比慢吞吞地把钱递给了他。这是真的吗?没有人愿意用一件东西换一角硬币!看到博比那迟疑不决的样子,店主补充道:“碰巧我有一角钱一打的玫瑰要卖,你想买吗?”

这次博比不再犹豫了,当店主把长方形盒子放到他手中时,他才明白这是真的。博比往门外走去,店主为他拉开门。他听到有人对他说:“圣诞快乐,孩子!”

然后,店主返回店中,他的妻子走了出来,问道:“你跟谁说话呢?你把扎好的那束玫瑰花放哪里了?”

店主望着窗外,眼中不禁涌出了几滴泪珠,他回过头对妻子说:“今天早上碰巧有件怪事。我收拾好东西,准备开门时,似乎有个声音在对我说,扎一打最好的玫瑰作为一个特殊的礼物。那时我不能确信我是否是头脑发热,但我还是这样做了。正好几分钟前,一个小男孩来到店里,要拿一角钱买礼物送给母亲。看到他,我就看到了数年前的自己。当时,我也是一个穷孩子,没有钱给母亲买圣诞礼物。一个陌生的留胡子的男子在街上拦住了我,给了我10美元。今天晚上看到那个孩子时,我突然知道早上那个声音是谁了,于是我扎了12朵最好的玫瑰送给他。”

店主和他的妻子紧紧地互相依偎着,走出店门,户外凛冽的寒风扑面而来,但他们却感觉不到一丝寒意,心里依然温暖如春。

记忆填空

1. Bobby had been in his backyard about an hour already. And, try he might, he could not come up an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift. He shook his as he thought,“This is useless, even I do come up with an idea, I don’t have money to spend.”

2. The of the door closing as the last customer left jolted Bobby to reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel and afraid.

3. he returned inside, the shop keeper’s wife walked out.“ were you talking to back there and are the roses you were fixing?”

佳句翻译

1. 不是母亲没有尽心尽力,只是她赚来的那点儿可怜的薪水远远不够家用。

2. 店里只剩下博比一个人,他开始感到孤独,甚至有些害怕。

3. 户外凛冽的寒风扑面而来,但他们却感觉不到一丝寒意,心里依然温暖如春。

短语应用

1. And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.

come up with:提出,想出

2. Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the household in their mother’s absence.

in sb’s absence:趁……不在,趁……离开