A Stranger at the Escalator　楼梯上的陌生人

A Stranger at the Escalator　楼梯上的陌生人

◎ Margery Guest

A brief act of kindness brings an unexpected insight.

一次简单的善举却带来了意想不到的领悟。

I was shopping at a department store and had just boarded the down escalator when I noticed a woman standing to the side. She looked about 65, and her expression told me she was scared.

我到一家百货商店买东西，就在我踏上自动扶梯刚要下楼时，突然注意到旁边站着一位妇女。她看上去差不多有65岁，她脸上的表情告诉我她吓坏了。

I turned toward her and asked, “Do you need help?”

我转过身向她问道：“需要帮忙吗？”

As the escalator continued moving I heard the woman replies softly, “I’m afraid.” There was a hint of incredulity in her voice.

自动扶梯载着我继续向下移动，我只听到她温和地低声回答说：“我很害怕。”声音中流露出一丝迟疑。

“Want me to come back and get you?” I called to her. She nodded. But by the time I reached her, the woman had reconsidered. “I don’t think I can do it.” she said.

“要我回来帮你吗？”我冲着她叫道。她点了点头。我又回到了楼上，可那个女人却改变了主意。“我不行。”她说。

I was suddenly aware that I had made a far greater investment than I expected. “I know we can do it,” I said. “I can hold on to you.”

直到这时，我才突然意识到这件事并不像我原想的那样简单。“我知道我们能行，”我说，“我会搀扶着你。”

She looked down at the beast. Then her eyes came back to mine, looking doubtful. “This has never happened to me before,” she said, as much to herself as to me.

她低下头，看着那个庞然大物，然后她转回头来看着我，目光中满是疑虑。“我以前从未遇到过这种情况。”她说道，既像是在对我说，又像是在自言自语。

I felt that her sudden fear had to do with the escalator’s mechanical nature, its basic inhuman untrustworthiness. I took her arm. “Shall we?” She made a little sound of alarm as we stepped on, but we’d passed the point of no return.

我觉得她这种突如其来的恐惧与自动扶梯的机械性质有关——它归根结底是非人性的东西，很难给人以安全感。我拉起她的胳臂，问道：“可以吗？”我们迈上扶梯时，她轻轻地尖叫了一声。然而，既然我们已踏上了扶梯，也就不能再回头了。

She relaxed slightly as the stairs moved us downward. “I don’t understand this at all.” she said. As we neared the bottom, her grip tightened again, but we did fine. “I’m so grateful...”she began. “It was nothing,” I said. “I was happy to do it.”

直到扶梯载着我们下行了一段，她才略微放松下来。“我一点也不明白这种东西。”她说。我们接近扶梯底部时，她又一次紧紧握住我，但我们顺利走下了扶梯。“我不知怎么谢你才好……”她开口说道。“这没什么，”我说，“我很高兴这样做。”

Happy, yes. I do very little to help others. I am busy caring for a family and working full time. For a brief moment, I had a flash of insight into why someone would become a nurse or a social worker or a minister. When I helped the woman, I felt pure and whole, purposeful. It was a happier moment than I’d had in weeks.

我很高兴，的确如此。平时我很少帮助别人，整日忙于工作和照顾家庭。就在这一瞬间，我突然明白了为什么有人会去做护士、社会工作者或者牧师。当我帮助这位妇女的时候，我感到我的生活是纯粹、完整和有意义的。这是我几周以来最快乐的时刻。

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