情暖今生The Gift
茹涅·吉爾/Junie Girl
It was well after mid-night, wrapped in my warm fleecy robe I stood silently staring out the ninth floor window of the daunting New York hospital.I was staring at the 59th Street Bridge.It was as sparkling and beautiful as a Christmas tree.New York city has always been special to me; the Broadway theatre, the music, the restaurants—from the deli’s to the Tavern-On-the-Green.“This is what the city is supposed to be about,”I thought, dreading the morning to come and all the uncertainty it held.But the morning did come and at nine a.m.on that March 17th, I was wheeled into an operating room.Eleven hours and forty-five minutes later I was wheeled into a recovery room, and a very few hours after being returned to my own hospital room, I found myself actually on my feet, half walking, half propelled by medical equipment and members of my family.The orders were to walk the length and back of the long hospital corridor.
It was then that I first saw him.I saw him through a haze of drugs, pain and the dreamy unreality that this could be happening to me.He was standing in the doorway of a hospital room.In my twilight, unfocused state I saw him almost as a spirit shape rather than a full blown person.Yet the body language of this shape was somehow sending out sympathy and encouragement to me.
This became my daily routine for the next three weeks.As I gained a little more strength the man would be standing in the doorway, smiling and nodding as I would pass with one or more members of my family.On the fourth week I was allowed to solo up the corridor.As I passed his room, there was my faithful friend in the doorway.He was a slender dark complexioned man.I stopped a minute to chat.He introduced me to his wife, and his son who was lying listlessly in a hospital bed.The next day as I made my scheduled walk, he came out and walked with me to my room.He explained that he and his wife had brought their teenage son to this hospital of hope from Iran.They were still hoping, but things were not going well.He told me of how I had encouraged him on that first dreadful night’s walking tour and how he was rooting for me.For three more weeks we continued our conversations—each giving the other the gift of caring and friendship.He told me of how he enjoyed seeing my family as they rallied around me and I was saddened by the loneliness of that small family so far from home.
Miraculously, there did come a day when the doctor told me I would be discharged the following morning.That night I told my friend.The next morning he came to my room.I had been up and dressed since dawn.My bright yellow dress gave me hope and I almost looked human.We talked a bit.I told him I would pray for his son.He thanked me but shrugged his shoulders, indicating the hopelessness.We knew we would never see each other again, in this world.This man in his sorrow was so happy for me.I felt his love.He took my hand and said,“You are my sister.”I answered back and said,“You are my brother.”He turned and left the room.
My family came to retrieve me.Doctors and nurses, to say their goodbyes and give orders.All business had been taken care of.After seven and a half weeks I was leaving the hospital room I had walked into with so much trepidation.
As I turned to walk down the corridor to the elevator, my brother stood in the doorway, smiling, nodding and giving his blessing.
It was 14 years ago today on March 17th 1990 that I entered that operating room and much has happened to the world since my brother and I said our last farewell.Yet I think of him often and he is always in my heart as I feel I am in his.I remember his intense, dark brown eyes as we pledged ourselves as brother and sister.At that moment, I knew without a doubt that the Spirit of God hovered over us smiling, nodding and blessing us with the knowledge that we are all one.
Many times I have pondered over the years why we humans meet our dearest friends or bond so deeply with another person when we are most vulnerable.I think it is because when we face a life threatening illness, job loss, whatever the catastrophe may be; we are left completely without any pretension and our hearts and souls are open to those around us and we are able to accept the love and kindnesses of others—almost as freely and thankfully as children accept love.This kind of love is blind to race, color and creed and leads to a pair of dark brown eyes seeking a pair of very blue eyes and pledging a love that will last through time.
在雄偉的紐約醫院。午夜早已過去，我站在九樓病房的窗前，身上裹著暖和的羊毛大衣，默默地凝視著窗外的第59街大橋。它如同聖誕樹般閃爍著美麗光芒。對我而言，紐約城永遠都是那麽特別，有百老匯大劇院、音樂以及形形色色、不同檔次的餐館。“這個城市本就應該是這樣。”我想著，早晨的到來和其伴隨的未知狀況使我驚恐不安。然而早晨終究來臨，那天是3月17日。上午九點，我被推進手術室。再次被推回療養室時，已經過去11個小時零45分鍾了。沒過幾個小時，我就被送回自己的病房。我發現自己居然可以站起來，並可以在家人和醫療器械的幫助下行走。遵醫囑，我要在醫院的長廊裏走上一個往返。
那是我第一次見到他。由於藥物和疼痛的影響，我看著他，感覺一切模糊而毫無真實感。他站在一間病房門口。在我模糊的眼中，他不像是一個完整的人影，而是如鬼魂一般。然而，不知何故，我還是從這個身影的肢體語言中感受到了他對我的同情和鼓勵。
接下來的三周，在走廊裏行走成了我每日的例行功課。我的力氣稍微恢複後，每次在一兩個家人的幫助下穿過走廊時，他都會站在那裏，微笑著向我點頭。第四周時，我可以獨立在走廊中走了。當我走過他的房間時，我看到那位忠實的朋友就站在門口。他膚色較暗，身材削瘦。我停下來與他攀談起來。他向我介紹了他的妻兒，他的兒子正虛弱地躺在病**。次日，我照常做練習，他走出病房，陪我走到我房間。他解釋說，他和妻子帶著年輕的孩子從伊朗充滿希望地來到這家醫院。他們依然充滿希望，但情況並未好轉。他告訴我，在我手術後的那個難熬的夜晚，我努力行走的情形，深深地鼓舞了他，他也在默默地支持我。之後的三周裏，我們常常聊天，相互關心鼓勵。他說看到我的家人都在關心支持我，感到很開心。而每當我想到他們這個小家庭遠離家鄉的孤獨時，總會悲傷不已。
難以置信的是，有一天，醫生對我說，明天就可以出院了。晚上我把這個消息告訴了我的朋友。次日早晨，他來到我的房間。其實，那天我起得很早，並換好了衣服。鮮亮的黃色衣服給了我希望，看起來總算有了人樣。我們聊了一會兒。我告訴他我會為他的兒子祈禱。他謝過我，卻滿是絕望地聳了聳肩。我們都明白永遠不會再見到對方了。悲傷的他也為我感到開心。我感受到了他的這份關愛。他握著我的手說：“你就像是我的妹妹。”我回答說：“你就是我的哥哥。”之後，他轉身離開了。
家人來接我時，醫生和護士們都向我道別並千叮萬囑出院後的注意事項。一切都很順利。七個半星期前，我惶恐不安地走進了醫院的病房，而如今，我終於離開了這裏。
沿著走廊向電梯走去時，我看到我哥哥就站在病房門口，微笑著向我點點頭，傳達著他的祝福。
14年前的今天，也就是1990年3月17日，我走進了手術室。而自從我和哥哥最後一次見麵後，世界發生了翻天覆地的變化。但我依然常常想起他，我相信我一直在他心裏，而他也永遠在我的心中。我仍記得他那充滿熱情的深褐色眼睛，以及我們曾許下要成為兄妹的諾言。那一瞬間，我深信聖靈就徘徊在我們身邊，微笑著點頭，將祝福賜予我們，因為他明白我們不分彼此。
這些年來，多少次，我都在深思，為什麽人在最脆弱時所認識的朋友會是最親密的，或是會與對方有如此緊密的聯係。我想那是因為當我們麵臨失業、危及生命的疾病或無論多大的災禍時，都會放棄所有的自負，向身邊的人敞開心扉，接受他人的關愛和善意——就像孩子般無憂無慮，並滿懷感激地接受愛。這種愛無種族、膚色、信仰之分，因為它，那雙深褐色的眼睛與這雙藍色的眼睛相遇，並許下了永遠相互關愛的諾言。
(1) sparklinga.pretentiousness
(2) propelb.twinkling
(3) trepidation c.to drive forward
(4) pretensiond.timorous uncertain agitation
Write
TRUEif the statement agrees with the information
FALSEif the statement contradicts the information
_______ (1) I stayed in the hospital for three months.
_______ (2) I met the men by accident out of the hospital.
1.At that moment, I knew _______that the Spirit of God hovered over us smiling, nodding and blessing us with the knowledge that we are all one.
那一瞬間，我深信聖靈就徘徊在我們身邊，微笑著點頭，將祝福賜予我們，因為他明白我們不分彼此。
2.Many times I have _______ the years why we humans meet our dearest friends or bond so deeply with another person when we are most vulnerable.
這些年來，多少次，我都在深思，為什麽人在最脆弱時所認識的朋友會是最親密的，或是會與對方有如此緊密的聯係。
3.This kind of love _______ race, color and creed and leads to a pair of dark brown eyes seeking a pair of very blue eyes and pledging a love that will last through time.
這種愛無種族、膚色、信仰之分，因為它，那雙深褐色的眼睛與這雙藍色的眼睛相遇，並許下了永遠相互關愛的諾言。