那年八月的暗夜，晚上要回家時正下著雨。

It was raining when I started home
that night; gusty winds and slashing rain beat down on the car…

我開到一條少有人走的路時，狂風驟雨擊打我的車子，突然手上的方向盤猛然一震，車子失控突然偏向右邊。

…as I drove slowly
down one of the less-traveled roads. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked in my
hands and the car swerved violently to the right.

同時我聽到可怕的爆炸聲，我奮力把車停在雨滑的路肩，想到整個情況便愕然不知所措，我不可能獨立換下爆胎完全不可能。

In the same instant I heard the
dreaded bang of a blowout. I fought the car to a stop on the rain-slick
shoulder of the road and sat there as the enormity of the situation swept over
me. It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible!

因為我的運動神經受到感染，病情逐漸惡化，起先是感染到右手右腳，然後是另一邊，雖然生病，但是車上裝了特別器具的輔助，我還是一樣開車上下班。

Because I became afflicted with a
slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first my right arm
and leg, and then my other side...In spite of my disease I still drove to and
from work each day, with the aid of special quipment installed in my car.

後來我想到，也許路過的車子會停下來，但我隨後就打消了這種想法，為什麼它們要停下來？

A thought that a passing motorist
might stop was dismissed at once. Why should anyone?

我知道連我自己都不會停，然後我記起路邊不遠處有棟房子，於是我發動車子，緩緩砰然前進，開進泥土地。

I knew I wouldn't! Then I remembered
that a short distance up a little side road was a house. I started the engine
and thumped slowly along, keeping well over on the shoulder until I came to the
dirt road, where I turned in …

幸運地，房子的燈光正歡迎我，我開進車道，按了喇叭，有個小女孩開了門，站在那裡看著我。

…- thankfully.
Lighted windows welcomed me to the house and I pulled into the driveway and
honked the horn.The door opened and a little girl stood there, peering at me.

我搖下車窗，大聲說：「車胎爆了！需要有人替我更換，因為我跛腳，無法自己更換。」

I rolled down the window and called
out that I had a flat and needed someone to change it for me because I had a
crutch and couldn't do it myself.

他進入屋內，一會兒出來時裹著雨衣，戴雨帽，後面跟著一個男人，愉快地跟我打招呼。

She went into the house and a moment
later came out bundled in raincoat and hat, followed by a man who called a
cheerful greeting.

我舒適而乾爽地坐在車內，覺得在暴風雨中奮鬥的男人和小女孩很可憐，沒關係，我會付錢給她們。

I sat there comfortable and dry, and
felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm.
Well, I would pay them for it.

雨勢稍減，我搖下車窗看換胎過程，他們似乎動作很慢，我開始有點不耐煩。

The rain seemed to be slackening a bit
now, and I rolled down the window all the way to watch. It seemed to me that
they were awfully slow and I was beginning to become impatient.

我聽到車的後邊，傳來金屬的清脆碰撞聲和女孩的聲音：「爺爺，這是千斤頂手把。」老人低聲含糊地回答。

I heard the clank of metal from the
back of the car and the little girl's voice came clearly to me. "Here's
the jack-handle, Grandpa." She was answered by the murmur of the man's
lower voice …

車子慢慢被頂了上來，接下來是一連串的聲響，搖動及車後低聲的對話，最後終於完工了，千斤頂移開時，我感到車子撞到地面，接著行李箱門關閉的聲音。

…and the slow tilting
of the car as it was jacked up. There followed a long interval of noises, jolts
and low conversation from the back of the car, but finally it was done. I felt
the car bump as the jack was removed, and I heard the slam of the trunk lid, ….

他們就站在車窗口，老人有點嶇僂，寬大雨衣下的他，看起來很虛弱，小女孩大概八歲或十歲他往上看我時快樂的臉龐帶著微笑！

… and then they were
standing at my car window. He was an old man, stooped and frail-looking under
his slicker. The little girl was about 8 or 10, I judged, with a merry face and
a wide smile as she looked up at me.

他說：「這樣的天氣，車子出毛病很糟糕，不過，都修理好了。」

「謝謝」，我說：「那我該付你多少錢呢？」

He said, "This is a bad night for
car trouble, but you're all set now."

"Thanks," I said,
"thanks. How much do I owe you?"

他搖搖頭說：「不用，蒂喜雅告訴我，你的腳不方便，我很樂意幫忙，我知道如果是你，你也會幫我忙的，不用收費，朋友。」

He shook his head. "Nothing.
Cynthia told me you were a cripple - on crutches. Glad to be of help. I know
you'd do the same for me. There's no charge, friend."

我拿出一張五元紙鈔：「不！不，付賬是應該的。」

I held out a five-dollar bill.
"No! I like to pay my way."

他沒有意思要拿錢，小女孩靠近車窗，低聲的對我說：「爺爺看不見。」

He made no effort to take it and the
little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, "Grandpa can't see
it."

接下來幾秒鐘，我只感到羞愧和震驚，我從未有過那種強烈的感覺，一個盲人和小孩，在黑暗中用濕冷的手指，去摸索螺栓和工具。

In the next few frozen seconds the
shame and horror of that moment penetrated, and I was sick with an intensity I
had never felt before. A blind man and a child! Fumbling, feeling with cold,
wet fingers for bolts and tools in the dark ...

而他的盲眼所帶來的黑暗，恐怕至死才能終止，他們卻仍願幫我在風雨中更換輪胎，而我卻坐在暖活舒適的車中。

….- a darkness that
for him would probably never end until death.They changed a tire for me -
changed it in the rain and wind, with me sitting in snug comfort in the car
with my crutch.

他們道晚安離開之後，我不記得自己坐在那裡多久，但時間長到足以讓我好好的探索自己的內心深處，找出所有恐懼不安的癥結。

I don't remember how long I sat there
after they said good night and left me, but it was long enough for me to search
deep within myself and find some disturbing traits.

我了解到以前的自己，心中只充滿了自憐，自私，對別人的需要很冷漠，不體諒別人，我坐在那兒禱告，謙卑的祈求力量。

I realized that I was filled to
overflowing with self-pity, selfishness, indifference to the needs of others
and thoughtlessness. I sat there and said a prayer. In humility I prayed for
strength, ….

祈求更能瞭解與透徹洞悉自己的缺點，也祈求信心，以克服這些缺點

…. for a greater
understanding, for keener awareness of my shortcomings and for faith to
continue asking in daily prayer for spiritual help to overcome them.

我祈求上帝，降福給這位眼盲者和他的孫女。

I prayed for blessings upon the blind
man and his granddaughter.

最後我把車子開走，心裡仍然顫抖，精神上卻滿是謙卑。

Finally I drove away, shaken in mind,
humbled in spirit.

誰是殘障 ？值得大家深思。

(Who is handicapped? Something to
ponder upon deeply)

遇到困難不能自認殘障，因為還有很多人更需要您的幫忙。

Try not to see only your own handicap
in times of difficulty, because there're so many people who are more needy of
help. Isn't it?

.........................................

以上是網路上看到讓人深思又感人的文章