(中文由老編西歪翻譯)
I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a
Cashier hand this little boy some money back.
我在「塔杰」商店閒逛時，看到收銀員將一些錢退還給小男孩。
The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.
這男孩不過5、6歲。
The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money
to buy this doll.'
收銀員說：『抱歉！你買這娃娃的錢不够。』
Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny,
are you sure I don't have enough money?''
小男孩轉向他旁邊的老婦人：
「奶奶！妳也認為我的錢不够嗎？」
The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money
to buy this doll, my dear.''
老婦人回道：「親愛的！你知道買這個娃娃的錢是不够的。」
Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went
to look around. She left quickly.
她要小男孩呆在那裡5分鐘，她一下就回來。 她迅速離開了。
The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.
小男孩的手仍然握著娃娃。
Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished
to give this doll to.
最後我向他走去，問他這個娃娃你想給誰。
'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas.
『這是我妹妹的最愛，非常想要的聖誕節娃娃。
She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.'
她一直認為聖誕老人會帶娃娃來給她的。」
I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it
to her after all, and not to worry.
我告訴他不用擔心，聖誕老人最後可能會帶給她的。
But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it
to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy
so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.'
但他哀傷地回答我『不！聖誕老人不可能將它帶到她現在的地方給她。我必須將娃娃交給我媽，當她去那裡的時候可以給我妹妹。』
His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone
to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God
very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll
with her to give it to my sister.''
他說話時的眼睛是哀傷的。『我妹妹已經和上帝在一起。
爸爸說 媽媽很快也將要去見上帝，因此我認為她可以將娃娃帶給我妹妹。』
My heart nearly stopped.
我的心臟幾乎要停止了。
The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy
to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait
until I come back from the mall.'
小男孩看我說：『我叫爸爸告訴媽媽現在不要走，
讓她等我從購物中心回來。』
Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing.
He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her
so she won't forget me.'
然後他拿出一張他自己非常漂亮的相片給我看。
他笑著告訴我『我要媽媽帶著我的相片，這樣她就不會忘記我了。』
'I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me,
but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.'
『我愛我的媽媽，我希望她不要離開我，但是爸爸說
她必須去找我妹妹。』
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.
然後他安靜地用哀傷的眼睛再看著娃娃。
I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy.
'Suppose we check again, just in case you do
have enough money for the doll!''
我趕緊摸著錢包對小男孩說『我們再檢查一下，
說不定您有足够的錢買玩偶! 』
'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some
of my money to his without him seeing and we started
to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.
『好呀！』他說『我希望有足够的錢』。沒讓他看見，
我塞了一些錢到他的錢包中，我們開始數錢。
買娃娃的錢足够了，甚之還有剩餘呢。
The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'
小男孩說：『謝謝上帝給了我足够的錢!』
Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night
before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money
to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!''
然而他看著我補充說『昨晚睡前，我要求上帝讓
我的錢能足够買這個娃娃，因此媽媽能將它帶給我妹妹。祂聽見我了! 』
'I also wanted to have enough money to buy
a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare
to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough
to buy the doll and a white rose.''
『我也想有足够的錢買一朵白玫瑰給我媽媽，但我不敢要求上帝太多。但祂給的錢足够買娃娃和一朵白玫瑰了。』
'My mommy loves white roses.'
『我媽媽喜歡白玫瑰』。
A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket.
幾分鐘後，老婦人回來了。我也就提了購物籃離開了。
I finished my shopping in a totally different state
of mind from when I started.
我從一開始就在完全不同的心境下購物。
I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.
小男孩一直無法離開我的心境。
Then I remembered a local news paper article
two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young
woman and a little girl.
我想起兩天前當地報紙的一篇文章，提及一位醉酒卡車司機，撞上了一輛載著年輕少婦和一個小女孩的汽車。
The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical
state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the
life-sustaining machine, because the young woman
would not be able to recover from the coma.
小女孩當場死亡，母親呈現彌留狀態。
這個家庭必須決定是否要拔出維持生命機器的插管
，因為年輕少婦不可能從昏迷中恢復。
Was this the family of the little boy?
他就是這家庭的小男孩？
Two days after this encounter with the little boy,
I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.
碰到小男孩的二天之後，我看了報紙年輕少婦過世了。
I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses
and I went to the funeral home where the body
of the young woman was for people to see
and make last wishes before her burial.
我不自主的買了一束白玫瑰，來到喪家，年
輕少婦的遺體在她埋葬前讓人瞻仰與最後許願。
She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful
white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy
and the doll placed over her chest.
她在那裡，裝在棺木中，在她的手中握著一朵白玫瑰
和小男孩的相片，娃娃則放置在她的胸口。
I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been
changed for ever.. The love that the little boy had
for his mother and his sister is
still, to this day, hard to imagine.
我離開了這裡，眼淚奪眶而出，覺得我的人生已經永遠改變了。
至今，小男孩對他母親和妹妹的愛，仍然難以想像。
And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken
all this away from him.
就在一轉眼工夫，一位醉酒司機奪去了他的所有。
來自網路流傳 如有侵權煩請告知
又名：嘆息小夜曲
