英语沙龙：稀有的蒙古兔（在线收听）

The Rare Mongolian Rabbit

Perhaps the frequency with which it so often happens nowadays should have lessened the pain；misery does love company, after all. But hearing that my husband’s job would be“phased out ”was unforgettable and shocking. 

John, my husband of ten years, expressed his concern over this nightmare occurrence. He assured me that he would do everything possible to get a job to provide for our family. With three children under the age of five and one due very shortly, we relied on his income entirely. 

“Life goes on, ”John said, more outwardly upbeat than I over the situation. “We have our health, and after all, it’s only a job. Besides, the company will continue paying me for three more months. I’ll surely have a new job by then, just relax and don’ t worry. ”

With his excellent university and professional credentials, I figured he must be right. He was a former Olympic athlete and knew about taking on a challenge. His father died when John was young, so he took on the responsibility of keeping his mother, sister, and brother. My husband knew how to work hard and smart. But as the months passed and no job possibilities materialized for him, I grew more and more fearful and less“faith-abiding”. What if he couldn’t find a job？Under other circum stances I could have returned to class room teaching, but our fourth child was due in less than three months. 

With little money in our savings ac count, the mortgage payment two months behind, and no possible income from any other source, I whittled away at our daily-living budget. Eventually our food budget became almost nonexistent. One day while in the supermarket with my children, I noticed a young box boy packing overly ripe fruit and outdated food into cardboard boxes. Hesitantly, I inquired about the destination of the food. “We sell it real cheap, and whatever isn’t sold is thrown away, ”he said. I eyed the aging carrots, celery, tomatoes. Food we could use for a week. What, I wondered, is the proper etiquette for begging for food for one’s children？

“We have a rare Mongolian rabbit.”I heard myself blurt out, glancing at my three hungry children. “I’d be interested in purchasing the food for the rabbit. ”He replied easily, “Since it’s just a rabbit, there won’t be any charge. ”That day he loaded five boxes of produce into my car. We talked while he worked, me sharing information about my soon-to-be-expanding family and him talking about his. His name was Jeff. I learned he came from a family of five where finances were tight. This job helped pay for his college education. 

Weeks went by, and Jeff began packing the boxes with outdated or damaged items ――peanut butter, soup, and cheese――that were otherwise still good but would be thrown away. “Surely a rare rabbit would eat all these items , ”he said, explaining their inclusion. As the weeks turned into months, we discovered, hidden under the produce, laundry detergent, milk, juice, butter. . . The list goes on and on. Jeff started phoning me every time he had a box of“rabbit food”ready. Now and then, he brought the boxes to our house. He never inquired after the rabbit, instead he would just stop by to leave its food and be on his way. 

When our fourth daughter was born, my elation was tinged with worry about our financial future. “O Lord, please, ”I begged. “You promised you would never give us more than we can handle. What do you want us to do？Help.”My husband slipped into the hospital room and said, “I have good news and sad news. The good news is that this morning I’ve been offered a very exciting job. ”I closed my eyes and thanked God for his many blessings. “The sad news, ”he continued, “is that the rare Mongolian rabbit is gone. ”

It turned out Jeff no longer worked at the supermarket. While I‘d been busy with the birth of our new baby, he had moved, the manager said, and left no forwarding address. Over the next ten years I made good on my silent promise to repay the kindness of all who had helped us throughout that difficult time. But my thanks were incomplete. Then one day, a decade later, there was Jeff standing in the store’s office. I noticed the title MANAGER on his name badge. 

How does one adequately thank the person who offers assistance without compromising your pride, extends a hand without sapping your strength, and believes in the rare Mongolian rabbits hiding somewhere in each of our lives？I’m not surprised Jeff’s risen up the ranks. He has a rare gift. He knew how to listen loudly to my special plea. “Mrs. Nunn.”he exclaimed, “I think of you and your family often. How is the rabbit？”he inquired softly. Taking Jeff’s hands into mine, I whispered with a wink, “Thanks for asking. The rabbit moved on long ago, and we couldn’t be better. ”

□by Maureen Nunn

稀有的蒙古兔

因为失业如今是常事, 所以失业带来的痛苦应当已经减弱；毕竟苦难是喜欢有伴儿的。但是听到我的丈夫将被“裁员”时引起的震惊, 至今令我难忘。

约翰, 我结婚１０年的丈夫, 说出了这厄运所带来的忧虑。他向我保证他将尽全力去找一份工作来维持家庭生计。我们有３个不到５岁的孩子, 还有一个很快就要出生, 全家就靠他一个人的收入生活。

“日子还得过下去, ”约翰说。表面上看, 他比我对这件事情要乐观些。“我们大家都很健康, 失去的仅是一份工作而已。再说, 公司会继续给我发３个月薪水, 到那时我肯定已找到新工作了, 你尽可放心, 不用担忧。”

想到他有名牌大学学历和丰富的工作经验, 我琢磨他那样充满自信想必是有道理的。他先前还是奥林匹克运动健将, 懂得如何迎接挑战。他早年丧父, 所以他早就肩负起照顾母亲、妹妹和弟弟的责任。我的丈夫懂得如何苦干加巧干。然而, 数月过去了, 工作机会还是与他无缘。我越来越感到害怕, 信心动摇了。如果他找不到工作怎么办？若不是有孕在身的话, 我早就回去教书了, 可是我们的第四个孩子距出生日已不足３个月。

我们几乎已经没有存款, 已有２个月未交付抵押贷款应付本息了, 又没有其他任何收入来源, 所以我只好削减日常开支。最终我们几乎没钱买食物了。一天当我带着孩子去超级市场时, 我注意到一个打包的小伙子在往纸箱内装过熟的水果和过期的食物。我嗫嚅着问他这些食物会运到何处。“我们非常便宜卖掉这些食物, 卖不掉的就扔掉, ”他说。我看了看那些过熟的胡萝卜、芹菜和西红柿。这些够我们吃一个星期的。我不知道为自己的孩子乞讨食物该用什么样的语言。

“我们有只稀有的蒙古兔！”看着我３个饥饿的孩子, 我脱口说出, “我想要买这些食物喂兔子。”他说, “既然是给兔子吃, 那就不要钱了。”那天, 他给我的车装上５箱食物。他一边装车, 我们一边聊着, 我告诉他我们家将要有新成员了。他也告诉我他家的事情。他的名字叫杰夫, 一家５口, 经济比较拮据。他打的那份工是给自己挣上大学的学费。

几个星期过去了, 杰夫开始把那些过期的或受损的食物---花生酱、罐装汤、奶酪---打包给我, 否则, 那些东西都会被扔掉的。“一只稀有的兔子肯定会吃掉所有这些东西的, ”他说, 并解释他为何把这些东西都打包给我。数星期过去了；数个月过去了, 我们发现在食物下面藏着洗洁净、牛奶、桔汁、黄油等等。每次只要杰夫一准备好一箱“兔食”, 他就给我打电话。他还不时地把一箱一箱的东西送上家门。他从来不问兔子的情况, 而仅仅把它的食物留下就离去。

当我们第四个女儿出生时, 我是喜中有忧, 因为我担心家中未来的财政开支。“啊, 上帝, ”我祈祷说, “你许诺过永远不会让我们承受承受不了的苦难, 你想要我们干什么？求你帮助我们吧！”我的丈夫溜进了医院病房, 对我说：“我有好消息, 也有坏消息要告诉你。好消息是, 今天上午, 我得到一份令人非常兴奋的好工作。”我闭上眼睛感谢上帝给了我们许多的恩赐。“坏消息是, ”他继续说道, “那只稀有的蒙古兔消失了。”

我们发现杰夫已不在那家超市工作了。据经理讲, 当我忙于照看新生儿的时候, 他离开了超市, 没有留下可联系的地址。在后来的１０年中, 我履行了我默默许下的诺言, 报答所有那些在我们困难时帮过我们的人。可是我的感恩不完全。后来, １０年之后的一天, 杰夫出现在这家超市的办公室里。我注意到他挂的胸牌上印有“经理”头衔。

对一个曾帮助过你并同时维护了你自尊的人, 对一个曾向你伸出援助之手而不求回报的人, 对一个相信在彼此生活中都藏有一只稀有蒙古兔的人, 你该如何表达你的感激之情呢？我对杰夫的升迁一点不感到意外。他有杰出的天赋, 懂得如何侧耳倾听我的特殊请求。“纳恩太太。”他大声地喊道, “我常想念您和您全家。那只兔子怎样了？”他轻声地问道。我握住杰夫的双手, 眨巴了一下眼睛对他说：“谢谢你的关心。那只兔子很久以前就离开我们了, 我们的生活好极了。”