信箱里的便箋

The note I picked up from my mailboxat school read， \"Call Margaret at 555-6167.\"Both the name and number were unfamiliarto me， but as a high-school automotiveinstructor， I got calls all the time frompeople who were looking for someone to fixtheir cars. During my lunchtime at schoolthat day， I dialed the number.

\"I'm calling for a Margaret，\" Isaid. \"Yes， this is Margaret，\" a voiceanswered.\"This is Ron Wenn. I have amessage here that says to call you，\" Icontinued， all the while wondering whatkind of car trouble this woman had.\"Oh， I'mglad you called. If you'll just give me a few

我從學校信箱里取出的便箋上寫著：“請給瑪格麗特打電話，號碼是555-6167。”這個名字和電話號碼我都不熟悉，但作為中學的汽車教員，我總是接到人們找人修理汽車的電話。那天在學校吃午飯的時候，我撥通了這個電話。

“我找瑪格麗特。”．我說。“是的，我是瑪格麗特。”一個聲音回答道。“我是羅恩·文。有人留言讓我給您打電話。”我繼續說，心里則一直在想這位女士的汽車遇到了什么麻煩。“哦，我很高興您能打電話。如果您給我幾分鐘，我minutes of your time， I have something totell you that I think you'll be interested inhearing.\"\"All right，\" I answered looking atthe clock. I only had a few minutes before Ineeded to be back in class.

\"I'm a nurse at St. Luke's PresbyterianHospital， and yesterday on my way homefrom work I was driving down 290 whenmy car started acting up.\" \"Uh huh，\" I saidlooking at the clock again. \"It was late atnight， and I was alone. I was so afraid topull over， but finally my car just quit， so Icoasted to the shoulder. I sat there for a fewminutes wondering what to do.\" I didn'twant to sound impatient， but I really neededto get back to class. \"Would you like me totake a look at your car， ma'am?\" I asked.\"Just let me finish，\" the woman answered.

I tapped my pencil on the stack ofpapers in front of me as Margaret continuedher story. \"Suddenly， two young guys， abouttwenty years old， pulled up behind me andgot out. I didn't know what these guys weregoing to do. I was so scared.\"

\"They asked me what happened， andthey said that from the sound of things thatthey might be able to get the car runningagain， so I popped the hood. \" I sat in thecar praying that these guys weren't up to nogood. A few minutes later， they yelled atme to try to start the car. I couldn't believeit! It started right up! The guys slammed thehood and told me the car would be fine but會告訴您一些我認為您會感興趣的事。”“好吧!”我一邊回答一邊看了看時鐘，還有幾分鐘我就得回班里授課了。

“我是圣·盧克長老會醫院的護士，昨天下班回家沿著290公路駕駛時，我的汽車出了毛病。”“嗯，啊。”我說著又看了看時鐘。“天已經很晚了，我獨自一人。我非常害怕把車停到路邊，但最后車竟然不動了，我將車滑行到路肩，在那里坐了一會兒，不知道如何是好。”我不想被聽出來沒耐心，但我確實要回去上課了。“我可以檢查一下您的車嗎，女士?”我問道。“請讓我說完。”女士回答。

我用鉛筆輕輕敲了敲放在面前的一摞考卷，瑪格麗特則繼續講述她的故事：“突然，兩個二十歲上下的小伙子出現了，他們將車停在了我后面并且下了車。我不清楚他們要干什么。我害怕極了。”

“他們詢問了我情況，并說從汽車的聲音來判斷，他們也許能重新啟動汽車，于是我掀開了引擎蓋。我坐在車里祈禱這兩個小伙子別不懷好意。幾分鐘后，他們招呼我試著發動汽車。我真不敢相信!汽車立即就啟動了!小伙子們關上引擎蓋，告訴我汽車沒事，但應該盡快找地方做一次that I should take it somewhere soon andget it checked out.\"

\"And you'd like me to take a lookat it and make sure everything's okay，right?\" I asked. \"No， not at all， just listen，\"the woman went on. \"I was so grateful. Ithanked them over and over and offeredthem money， but they wouldn't take it.That's when they told me they were formerstudents of yours.\" \"What?\" I asked insurprise. \"Students of mine? Who werethey? They wouldn't tell me. They justgave me your name and the school's numberand made me promise to call to thank you.\"

I couldn't believe it. I didn't knowwhat to say. Besides teaching my studentsabout fixing cars， I always tried to teachthem things about life-about going theextra mile， being honest and using what youknow to help other people. The thing is Inever really knew if the students learnedany of this.

\"Mr. Wenn， are you still there?\"Margaret asked. \"I'm still here，\" I answered.\"Well， I hope you know how grateful Iam，\" Margaret said. \"I hope you know howgrateful I am to you， Margaret. Thanks forcalling，\" I said and hung up the phone.

I walked back to class feeling inspiredwith the knowledge that my students hadhelped someone because of what I taughtthem in my classroom. I had just gotten thegreatest reward a teacher could ever get.檢修。”

“所以您想讓我檢查一下您的車以確保車沒有問題，對嗎?”我問。“不，不是這么回事，您接著聽我說，”女士繼續說道，“我非常感激，向他們不停道謝，要給他們報酬但他們不接受。就是那時他們告訴我，他們是您從前教過的學生。”“什么?”我詫異地問，“我的學生?他們叫什么名字?”“他們不肯告訴我，只給我留下您的姓名和學校電話，并且讓我答應他們會給您打電話道謝。”

我無法相信所發生的一切，我不知道說什么才好。除了教學生修車，我也總是試圖教給他們生活的道理——例如比別人多努力一點，要誠實，以及用所學的知識幫助他人。我實際上從不知道學生是否會把這些牢記在心。

“文先生，您還在聽嗎?”瑪格麗特問。“我在聽。”我回答。“喔，我希望您知道我是多么感謝您。”瑪格麗特說。“我也非常感謝您，瑪格麗特。謝謝您給我打電話。”說完，我便掛上了電話。

返回教室時，我備受鼓舞，因為我知道我的學生由于我在課堂上對他們的教育而幫助了別人，我剛剛收獲了一名教師所能獲得的最大回報。

(林莉莉推薦)