Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasnt famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capones lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddies skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

許多年前, 實際上擁有芝加哥的人是名叫Al Capone的人。他可不是有什麼英勇事蹟, 他的聲名狼藉, 在這個風城從事非法私酒買賣, 妓院, 謀殺, 可說無惡不作。但是Capone 有個非常厲害的律師, 綽號叫做Easy Eddie, 擅長法律計謀, 讓Big Al 總是能逃脫牢獄之災。

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

為了表示感謝, 當然Capone給他非常優厚的待遇, 不只是錢而已, Eddie還有特別紅利, 譬如他和家人住在有柵欄的豪宅, 家中有佣僕打理日常生活, 土地範圍大到可以容納整個芝加哥市區。

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie過著芝加哥黑道的高級生活, 對於周圍發生的殘酷行為視而不見。

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldnt give his son; he couldnt pass on a good name or a good example.

但是Eddie心中仍有一塊柔軟之處, 他非常疼愛他的兒子, 給他最好的衣服, 車子, 教育, 不遺餘力, 連王子也比不過。雖然Eddie自己跟犯罪集團掛勾, 但他還是教育兒子如何分別善惡。可是即使以他的財富和影響力, 他也無法將兩件事傳承給他兒子, 那就是好的名聲及好的身教。

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

有一天, Easy Eddie面臨困難的抉擇, 他要矯正自己所做過的錯事。他決定要向政府當局舉發Al Capone (疤臉), 然後洗清自己的污名, 讓兒子知道正直的樣貌。他知道這樣做, 他必須作證來指控黑道, 而這個代價是極高的, 但他還是作證了。

Within the year, Easy Eddies life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

就在他作證那一年, 在芝加哥一條偏僻的巷道, Eddie死於槍火之下。但在他眼裡他已經給了他兒子, 他自己所能給的最好禮物, 用了他最大的代價。警察從他的口袋中找出一本玫瑰經, 一個十字架, 一個宗教獎章, 還有從雜誌剪下來的一首詩。

The poem read: "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."

詩是這樣的:

生命的時鐘受傷

才不過一次

沒人有權力說指針何時會停

或早或晚

現在是你僅有的時間

活著, 愛, 心甘情願的辛苦

無法安置信心於時間之上

因為時鐘可能很快就會靜止

(PS 英文故事是朋友寄來, 茉莉翻譯為中文)