◎ Anonymous
One night when my wife was preparing dinner, our little son took a piece of paper to her which read:
一天晚上,當妻子在廚房準備晚餐時,我們的小兒子拿著一張紙走向他的母親。上面寫道:
For washing the car...........................................$5.00
洗車 5美元
For making my own bed this week...................$1.00
本周整理我的房間 1美元
Going to the provision shop..............................$0.50
為你去商店 0.5美元
Playing with little sister ...................................$0.25
照管小妹妹 0.25美元
Taking out the rubbish......................................$1.00
外出倒垃圾 1美元
Getting a good report card................................$5.00
成績報告單獲得良好 5美元
And for sweeping the common corridor...........$2.00
清掃走廊 2美元
Total ...............................................................$14.75
總計 14.75美元
His mother looked at him standing there expecting payment. I could see a thousand memories flashed through her mind. So she picked up the pen and turning the paper over, this is what she wrote:
他母親看著她兒子滿懷希望地站在那兒等著付款。我能看到她的腦海中翻騰著記憶的浪花。她拿起鋼筆把兒子寫過的紙翻過來,在上面寫道:
For 9 months I carried you, growing inside me.....................................No Charge
你待在我的腹中,在我身體里生長9個月....................................不收取任何費用
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you..........................No Charge
我陪伴著你、呵護你、為你祈禱的那些晚上.................................. 不收取任何費用
For the toys, food and clothes and wiping your nose..................................No Charge
為你準備玩具、食物、衣服,為你擦鼻涕..................................不收取任何費用
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love....................................No Charge
你把以上所有的累加起來,我為你付出的全部的愛..................................不收取任何費用
Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. He looked at his mother and said, “Mummy, I love you.” Then he took the pen and in great big letters wrote on the “bill”: “All paid.”
兒子讀完母親寫的話,雙眼含著豆大的淚花。他看著他的媽媽,說:“媽媽,我愛你。”然后,他拿出鋼筆在他的“賬單”上用大寫字母寫道:“全部還清。”