高
高儇
Coffee Shop Kindness
Christine Walsh
My senior year of high school was an extremely hectic one, to say the least. If I wasn’t studying and worrying about my grades, I was juggling multiple extracurricular activities or attempting to make sense of my plans for college. It 咖啡店真情
翻译：Bull
我上高中的最后一年至少可以说是极其繁忙的一年。我不是忙着努力学习和为自己的成绩担心，就是在忙着应付各种各样的课外活动或是想办法制定我上大学的计划。这一切都仿佛使我的生活笼罩在混
seemed as if my life had turned into one crazy cloud of confusion and I was stumbling around blindly, hoping to find some sort of direction. 乱的迷雾之中，我不辨东西，跌跌撞撞，希望找到一个方向。
Finally, as senior year began to wind down, I got a part-time job working at the local coffee shop. I had figured that the job would be easy and, for the most part, stress-free. I pictured myself pouring the best gourmet coffees, making delicious doughnuts, and becoming close friends with the regular customers. 最后，当四年级将要结束的时候，我在当地的咖啡店找到了一份兼职工作。在我看来，这个工作会很容易，多半不会有什么压力。我想象着自己倒出最美味的咖啡，做出最可口的油炸圈饼，和熟客成为最亲密的朋友。
What I hadn’t counted on were the people with enormous orders who chose to use the drive-thru window, or the women who felt that the coffee was much too creamy, or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached a certain level of perfection. There were moments when I was exasperated with the human race as a whole, simply because I couldn’t seem to please anyone. There was always too much sugar, too little ice, and not enough skim milk. Nevertheless, I kept at it. 我没有料到的是我服务最多的是那些开车通过售货窗口的人，也没有料到那些觉得咖啡中的奶油太多的女士和要求一遍又一遍重新调制冰镇咖啡，直到达到他们要求的完美的先生们。有些时候我简直对整个人类怒气冲冲，因为我好象没有办法让任何一个人满意。总有人抱怨糖放得太多，冰放得太少，脱脂奶不够。不过，我还是坚持了下来。
One miserable rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking depressed and defeated. My co-worker and I asked what the problem was and if we could help, but the customer wouldn’t reveal any details. He just said he felt like crawling into bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years. I knew exactly how he felt. 一个阴郁的雨天，我的一个熟客进了店，看上去委靡不振，满脸沮丧。我和同事问他出了什么事情，我们能不能帮上忙，可是他没有告诉我们详细的情况，只是说他想爬上床，用床单盖住头，在那里一动不动躺上几年。我知道他到底是什么感觉。
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He looked at me questioningly because he hadn’t ordered anything but the coffee. He opened the bag and saw that I had given him his favorite type of doughnut. 在他离开之前，我递给他一个袋子，连同他要的冰镇咖啡。他满脸疑问地看着我，因为除了咖啡之外他没有要任何东西。他打开袋子，里面是他最喜欢吃的那种圈饼。
“It’s on me,” I told him. “Have a nice day.” “我请客，”我对他说，“祝你快乐。”
He smiled and thanked me before turning around and heading back out into the rain. 他笑了，向我表示感谢，然后转过身，冲进雨里回家了。
The next day was a horrible one. The rain was still spilling down from the sky in huge buckets and everyone in my town seemed to be using the drive-thru window because no one wanted to brave the black skies or the thunder and lightning. 第二天真是可怕的一天。倾盆大雨仍然从天空泼洒下来，镇子上的每个人都在使用那个为开车购物的人准备的窗口，因为没有人愿意在这个雷雨交加，天色昏暗的天气里走到店里。
I spent my afternoon hanging out the window, handing people their orders and waiting as they slowly counted their pennies. I tried to smile as the customers complained about the weather, but it was difficult to smile as they sat in their temperature-controlled cars with the windows rolled up, while I dealt with huge droplets of water hanging from my visor, a shirt that was thoroughly soaked around the collar, and an air conditioner that blasted out cold air despite the fact that it was only sixty-seven degrees outside. On top of that, no one felt like tipping that day. Every time I looked into our tip jar, with its small amount of pennies, I grew more depressed. 整个下午我都探在窗口外面，递给人们他们要的食物，等着他们慢慢地数零钱。当顾客抱怨天气的时候，我努力想对他们微笑，可是他们是坐在调温的汽车里，关着车窗，而我面对的是脸颊上挂着的大滴大滴的雨水，领子周围完全湿透了的衬衫，以及尽管外面只有华氏67度却不停排放出冷气的空调，想要微笑实在是太难了。最重要的是，在那样的天气，没有人愿意给小费。每次我看看装小费的罐子里那屈指可数的几枚硬币，我就更增添几分沮丧。
Around seven o’clock that evening, however, my day took a turn for the better. I was in the middle of making another pot of vanilla hazelnut decaf when the customer from the day before drove up to the window. But instead of ordering anything, he handed me a single pink rose and a little note. He said that not too many people take the time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world. I was speechless and very touched; I hadn't thought that I had done anything incredible. After a moment, I came to my senses and thanked him. He told me I was welcome and with a friendly wave he drove away. 然而，在晚上7 点左右，我这一天开始时来运转了。当时我正在做另一壶香草榛子淡咖啡，那个昨天来过的顾客开车到了窗口。可是他没有点任何东西，而是递给我一枝粉红色的玫瑰和一张纸条。他说肯抽出时间关心别人的人不多了，他很高兴这个世界上还有象我这样的人。我非常感动，说不出话来，我想我没有做过什么惊天动地的事情。片刻之后，我才回过神来，向他表示感谢。他对我说不必客气，然后友善地挥了挥手，开车走了。
I waited until I saw his Jeep exit the parking lot, then I ran to the back of the shop and read the note. It read: 我站在那里，一直看着他的吉普车开出了停车场，然后跑回店里打开纸条。上面写着：
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday. I was sincerely touched by you. It is so nice to meet someone that’s genuinely nice, warm and sensitive and unselfish. Please don’t change your ways because I truly believe that you will excel. Have a great day!
Hank 克里斯汀：
谢谢你昨天带给我的美好、关爱和体贴。我真的被你感动了。遇见一个和蔼真诚、热心敏感又无私的人实在太美妙了。请不要改变你做人的方式，因为我相信你会成为一个非常优秀的人。祝你幸福！
汉克
As time went on, I did come across more complaining customers. But anytime I felt depressed or just plain sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?” 日子一天天过去，我确实遇到了更多不停抱怨的顾客。但当我感到沮丧或者对咖啡完全厌倦了的时候，我就会想起汉克和他的一番好意。于是，我会微笑着，昂起头，清一清喉咙，礼貌地问：“您想要点什么？”
Christine Walsh
My senior year of high school was an extremely hectic one, to say the least. If I wasn’t studying and worrying about my grades, I was juggling multiple extracurricular activities or attempting to make sense of my plans for college. It 咖啡店真情
翻译：Bull
我上高中的最后一年至少可以说是极其繁忙的一年。我不是忙着努力学习和为自己的成绩担心，就是在忙着应付各种各样的课外活动或是想办法制定我上大学的计划。这一切都仿佛使我的生活笼罩在混
seemed as if my life had turned into one crazy cloud of confusion and I was stumbling around blindly, hoping to find some sort of direction. 乱的迷雾之中，我不辨东西，跌跌撞撞，希望找到一个方向。
Finally, as senior year began to wind down, I got a part-time job working at the local coffee shop. I had figured that the job would be easy and, for the most part, stress-free. I pictured myself pouring the best gourmet coffees, making delicious doughnuts, and becoming close friends with the regular customers. 最后，当四年级将要结束的时候，我在当地的咖啡店找到了一份兼职工作。在我看来，这个工作会很容易，多半不会有什么压力。我想象着自己倒出最美味的咖啡，做出最可口的油炸圈饼，和熟客成为最亲密的朋友。
What I hadn’t counted on were the people with enormous orders who chose to use the drive-thru window, or the women who felt that the coffee was much too creamy, or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached a certain level of perfection. There were moments when I was exasperated with the human race as a whole, simply because I couldn’t seem to please anyone. There was always too much sugar, too little ice, and not enough skim milk. Nevertheless, I kept at it. 我没有料到的是我服务最多的是那些开车通过售货窗口的人，也没有料到那些觉得咖啡中的奶油太多的女士和要求一遍又一遍重新调制冰镇咖啡，直到达到他们要求的完美的先生们。有些时候我简直对整个人类怒气冲冲，因为我好象没有办法让任何一个人满意。总有人抱怨糖放得太多，冰放得太少，脱脂奶不够。不过，我还是坚持了下来。
One miserable rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking depressed and defeated. My co-worker and I asked what the problem was and if we could help, but the customer wouldn’t reveal any details. He just said he felt like crawling into bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years. I knew exactly how he felt. 一个阴郁的雨天，我的一个熟客进了店，看上去委靡不振，满脸沮丧。我和同事问他出了什么事情，我们能不能帮上忙，可是他没有告诉我们详细的情况，只是说他想爬上床，用床单盖住头，在那里一动不动躺上几年。我知道他到底是什么感觉。
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He looked at me questioningly because he hadn’t ordered anything but the coffee. He opened the bag and saw that I had given him his favorite type of doughnut. 在他离开之前，我递给他一个袋子，连同他要的冰镇咖啡。他满脸疑问地看着我，因为除了咖啡之外他没有要任何东西。他打开袋子，里面是他最喜欢吃的那种圈饼。
“It’s on me,” I told him. “Have a nice day.” “我请客，”我对他说，“祝你快乐。”
He smiled and thanked me before turning around and heading back out into the rain. 他笑了，向我表示感谢，然后转过身，冲进雨里回家了。
The next day was a horrible one. The rain was still spilling down from the sky in huge buckets and everyone in my town seemed to be using the drive-thru window because no one wanted to brave the black skies or the thunder and lightning. 第二天真是可怕的一天。倾盆大雨仍然从天空泼洒下来，镇子上的每个人都在使用那个为开车购物的人准备的窗口，因为没有人愿意在这个雷雨交加，天色昏暗的天气里走到店里。
I spent my afternoon hanging out the window, handing people their orders and waiting as they slowly counted their pennies. I tried to smile as the customers complained about the weather, but it was difficult to smile as they sat in their temperature-controlled cars with the windows rolled up, while I dealt with huge droplets of water hanging from my visor, a shirt that was thoroughly soaked around the collar, and an air conditioner that blasted out cold air despite the fact that it was only sixty-seven degrees outside. On top of that, no one felt like tipping that day. Every time I looked into our tip jar, with its small amount of pennies, I grew more depressed. 整个下午我都探在窗口外面，递给人们他们要的食物，等着他们慢慢地数零钱。当顾客抱怨天气的时候，我努力想对他们微笑，可是他们是坐在调温的汽车里，关着车窗，而我面对的是脸颊上挂着的大滴大滴的雨水，领子周围完全湿透了的衬衫，以及尽管外面只有华氏67度却不停排放出冷气的空调，想要微笑实在是太难了。最重要的是，在那样的天气，没有人愿意给小费。每次我看看装小费的罐子里那屈指可数的几枚硬币，我就更增添几分沮丧。
Around seven o’clock that evening, however, my day took a turn for the better. I was in the middle of making another pot of vanilla hazelnut decaf when the customer from the day before drove up to the window. But instead of ordering anything, he handed me a single pink rose and a little note. He said that not too many people take the time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world. I was speechless and very touched; I hadn't thought that I had done anything incredible. After a moment, I came to my senses and thanked him. He told me I was welcome and with a friendly wave he drove away. 然而，在晚上7 点左右，我这一天开始时来运转了。当时我正在做另一壶香草榛子淡咖啡，那个昨天来过的顾客开车到了窗口。可是他没有点任何东西，而是递给我一枝粉红色的玫瑰和一张纸条。他说肯抽出时间关心别人的人不多了，他很高兴这个世界上还有象我这样的人。我非常感动，说不出话来，我想我没有做过什么惊天动地的事情。片刻之后，我才回过神来，向他表示感谢。他对我说不必客气，然后友善地挥了挥手，开车走了。
I waited until I saw his Jeep exit the parking lot, then I ran to the back of the shop and read the note. It read: 我站在那里，一直看着他的吉普车开出了停车场，然后跑回店里打开纸条。上面写着：
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday. I was sincerely touched by you. It is so nice to meet someone that’s genuinely nice, warm and sensitive and unselfish. Please don’t change your ways because I truly believe that you will excel. Have a great day!
Hank 克里斯汀：
谢谢你昨天带给我的美好、关爱和体贴。我真的被你感动了。遇见一个和蔼真诚、热心敏感又无私的人实在太美妙了。请不要改变你做人的方式，因为我相信你会成为一个非常优秀的人。祝你幸福！
汉克
As time went on, I did come across more complaining customers. But anytime I felt depressed or just plain sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?” 日子一天天过去，我确实遇到了更多不停抱怨的顾客。但当我感到沮丧或者对咖啡完全厌倦了的时候，我就会想起汉克和他的一番好意。于是，我会微笑着，昂起头，清一清喉咙，礼貌地问：“您想要点什么？”