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讀點好英文:That’s What Friends Do　朋友間就該這么做

所屬教程:英語漫讀

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2022年03月06日

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That’s What Friends Do　朋友間就該這么做

·Eliot·

Jack tossed the papers on my desk-his eyebrows knited into a straight line as he glared at me.

“What's wrong?”I asked.

He jabbed a finger at the proposaI.“Next time you want to change anything, ask me first，”he said, turning on his heels and leaving me stewing in anger.

How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar-something I thought I was paid to do.

It's not that I hadn't been warned. The other woman, who had served in my place before me, called him names I couldn't repeat.One co-worker took me aside the first day.“He's personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm，”she whispered.

As the weeks went by, I grew to despise Jack. It was against everything I believed in-turn the other cheek and love your enemies.But Jack quickly slapped a verbal insult on any cheek turned his way.I prayed about it, but to be honest, I wanted to put him in his place, not love him.

One day, another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt.I opened the door and Jack glanced up.

“What?”he said abruptly.

Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.

I sat across from him.“Jack, the way you've been treating me is wrong. I've never had anyone speak to me that way.As a professionaI, it's wrong, and it's wrong for me to allow it to continue.”I said.

Jack snickered nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly.God help me, I prayed.

“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend，”I said，“I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness.You deserve that，”I said，“Everybody does.”I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.

Jack avoided me the rest of the week. Proposals, specs, and letters appeared on my desk while I was at lunch, and the corrected versions were not seen again.I brought cookies to the office one day and left a batch on Jack's desk.Another day I left a note.“Hope your day is going great，”it read.

Over the next few weeks, Jack reappeared. He was reserved, but there were no other episodes.Co-workers cornered me in the break room.

“Guess you got to Jack，”they said，“you must have told him off good.”I shook my head.“Jack and I are becoming friends，”I said in faith. I refused to talk about him.Every time I saw Jack in the hall, I smiled at him.After all, that's what friends do.

One year after our“talk”，I discovered I had breast cancer. I was 32，the mother of three beautiful young children, and scared.The cancer had metastasized to my lymph nodes and the statistics were not great for long-term survival.After surgery, I visited friends and loved ones who tried to find the right words to say.No one knew what to say.Many said the wrong things.Others wept, and I tried to encourage them.I clung to hope.

The last day of my hospital stay, the door darkened and Jack stood awkwardly on the threshold. I waved him in with a smile and he walked over to my bed and, without a word, placed a bundle beside me.Inside lay several bulbs.

“Tulips，”he said.

I smiled, not understanding.

He cleared his throat.“If you plant them when you get home, they'll come up next spring.”He shuffled his feet.“I just wanted you to know that I think you'll be there to see them when they come up.”

Tears clouded my eyes and I reached out my hand.

“Thank you，”I whispered.

Jack grasped my hand and gruffly replied，“You're welcome. You can't see it now, but next spring you'll see the colors I picked out for you.”He turned and left without a word.

I have seen those red and white striped tulips push through the soil every spring for over ten years now. In fact, this September the doctor will declare me cured.I've seen my children graduate from high school and enter college.

In a moment when I prayed for just the right word, a man with very few words said all the right things.

After all, that's what friends do.

艾略特

杰克把文件扔到我桌上，皺著眉頭，氣憤地瞪著我。

“怎么了？”我問道。

他狠狠地指著計劃書說：“下次做什么改動前，先征求一下我的意見?！比缓筠D(zhuǎn)身走了，留下我一個人在那里生悶氣。

他怎能這樣對我！我想，我只是改了一個長句，更正了語法錯誤，但這都是我的分內(nèi)之事。

其實已經(jīng)有人提醒過我了，我的上一任就曾大罵過他，恕我在此不重復她的原話了。我第一天上班時，就有同事把我拉到一旁小聲說：“他已經(jīng)辭掉兩個秘書了?！?/p>

幾周后，我逐漸對杰克有些鄙視了，而這又有悖于我的信條——有人打你的左臉，你要把右臉也伸過去，要愛自己的敵人。但無論怎么做，總會挨杰克的罵。說真的，我很想滅滅他囂張的氣焰，而不是去愛他。我還為此默默祈禱過。

一天，因為一件事，我又被他氣哭了。我沖進他的辦公室，準備在被炒魷魚前讓他知道我的感受。我推開門，杰克抬頭看了我一眼。

“有事嗎？”他突然說道。

我猛地意識到該怎么做了。畢竟，他罪有應得。

我在他對面坐下，說：“杰克，你對待我的方式有很大的問題。沒人對我說過那樣的話。作為一個職業(yè)人士，你這么做是不對的，我不該容忍這樣的事情繼續(xù)存在?！?/p>

杰克不安地笑了笑，坐在椅子里向后靠了靠。我閉了一下眼睛，祈禱著，希望上帝能幫幫我。

“我保證自己可以成為你的朋友。我會尊敬你，禮貌且友善地對待你，這是你應得的。每個人都應得到這樣的禮遇?！蔽艺f完，就起身關(guān)門離開了。

那個星期余下的幾天，杰克一直躲著我。他總趁我吃午飯時，把計劃書、規(guī)格說明書和信件放在我桌上，并且，我提交的文件不再被打回重新修改了。一天，我?guī)Я诵╋灨扇マk公室，順便在杰克桌上留了一包。還有一天，我留了一張字條，寫道：“祝你今天一切順利?！?/p>

接下來的幾個星期，杰克不再躲避我了，但沉默了許多，辦公室里也沒再發(fā)生不愉快的事情。于是，同事們在休息室把我團團圍了起來。

“聽說杰克被你鎮(zhèn)住了，”他們說，“你肯定大罵了他一頓。”我搖了搖頭，一字一頓堅定地說道：“我們會成為朋友?！蔽覜]有和人們說太多別的話。每次在大廳看見他時，我總沖他微笑。畢竟，朋友就該這樣。

一年后，我32歲，是三個漂亮孩子的母親。但我被確診為乳腺癌，這讓我極端恐懼。癌細胞已經(jīng)擴散到我的淋巴結(jié)。根據(jù)臨床數(shù)值來看，我時日不多了。手術(shù)后，我拜訪了親朋好友，他們都盡力寬慰我，可不知道說什么好，有些人反而說錯話了，另外一些人則為我難過、痛哭，還得我去安慰他們。我始終沒有放棄希望。

就在我出院的前一天，門外有個人影，是杰克，他尷尬地站在門口。我微笑著招呼他進來，他走到我床邊，默默地把一捆東西放在我旁邊，里邊是幾個球莖。

“這是郁金香?！彼f。

我笑著，不明白他的用意。

他清了清嗓子，說：“回家后把它們種下，到明年春天就長出來了。”他挪了挪腳，“我想讓你知道，你一定看得到它們發(fā)芽、開花。”

我淚眼模糊地伸出手。

“謝謝你?！蔽业吐曊f。

杰克抓住我的手，生硬地說：“不必客氣。到明年長出來后，你就能看到我為你挑的是什么顏色的郁金香了?！倍?，他一句話沒說便轉(zhuǎn)身離開了。

轉(zhuǎn)眼間，十多年過去了。每年春天，我都會看著這些紅白相間的郁金香破土而出。事實上，到今年9月，醫(yī)生就會宣布我已痊愈了。我的孩子們也都高中畢業(yè)，進入了大學。

在那絕望的時刻，我祈求他人的安慰，而這個男人僅用寥寥數(shù)語，就情真意切地溫暖了我脆弱的心。

畢竟，朋友之間就該這么做。

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