Short Memories

短小的回忆

[1] During the '20s, Dad worked hard to support our family, but was very little money left over.

[2] One day, I noticed the sole was almost off one of his shoes and he was putting cardboard in its place so he could go to work.

[31 After he went to bed that night, I quickly took his shoes and went out to the woodshed. Using a small ax, I cut an old inner tube into the shape of the sole and put holes in the rims of the shoes with an ice pick.

[4] I sewed the new soles to the shoes with copper wire and put the cardboard back inside. Then I shined them with soot from the stove lids.

[5] I'll never forget the look on Dad's face the next morning when he saw those shoes. He turned pale, and tears rolled down his cheeks. He went to work without saying a word.

[6] That night, everyone kept looking at me. Dad said we had all learned a les-son--that as far as love is concerned, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

[7] I'm now in my 80s, but whenever I think of that look on Dad's face, my heart still feels as if it will swell up and burst.

[1]有一天，我注意到爸爸有一只鞋子的底和面几乎完全脱离了，他在脱开的地方塞进去一块硬纸板，从而可以步行去工作。

[3]当天晚上，当爸爸就寝之后，我马上把他的鞋拿到柴棚里。我按照鞋底的形状，用一把小斧子从一个废旧的车子内胎上切下一块胶皮，又用一个破冰铁凿沿着鞋边凿了洞眼。

[4]我用铜丝把鞋底和鞋面缝合起来，把那硬纸板放进鞋内。然后我用炉盖上的煤烟把它们擦亮。

[5]我绝不会忘记我爸第二天早上看见这双鞋的时候脸上的表情。他面色变得苍白，眼泪顺着两须滚滚往下流。他一言不发地去上班了。

[6]那天晚上，家里每一个人都不停地瞧着我。爸说我们全家都上了一课——就爱而言，“有志者，事竟成。”他告诉我们，他穿上这双鞋感到骄傲，是上帝派来了一个小小的鞋匠为他修好了鞋子。

[7]现在，我已经80多岁了，但是每当我回想起我爸当时的面部表情，我就感到我的心仍然在膨胀着，像是要胀裂一样。

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