雙語美文：第二次機會

On the last night of the trip

那是一次旅行中的最後一天

I had about an hour's daylight left for a ride

太陽還有大概一小時就要下山了，我還有時間最後出遊一趟

so I took off and headed for the back side of the lake about 4 miles from camp

於是我驅車啓程，向宿營地大約4公里外的湖區後岸邊駛去。

as I come around a corner

當我駛過一個轉角

and I'm suddenly engulfed in a cloud of dust

我突然被一陣塵霧籠罩

but I can see well enough to make out tire tracks

不過我還是能清楚的看到兩條輪胎印

going from the middle of the road then around the corner .

從馬路中間駛到了拐角處

as I proceed with caution around the corner.

我小心的轉過拐角

I see a truck has just went off the road

我明白過來，有輛車剛纔開到了路邊

 

and hit a fir tree just behind the driver's door

右前門撞在一棵冷杉樹上

then it spun around back on the road

又被彈回了大路上

and it looks like the driver must have had his foot mashed on the accelerator  

看起來，司機準是一腳踩在了加速器上

because there are two black burnouts leading off the edge of the road and down the bank.

因爲我發現兩條焦黑的車轍，從路邊一直延伸到湖岸

What comes into view is a red full size truck.

一輛大型卡車出現在我眼前

The truck is bent to a 45-degree angle

車身扭曲成45°角

The driver was hanging half way out his window unconscious

司機的上半身從車窗裏探出來，已經陷入昏迷 

and I didn't see any one else in the truck.

我沒看到其他人在卡車上

There was no blood running off of him

司機身上沒有明顯的血跡

 

and that is always a good sign.

這總是一個好兆頭

I grab his hair and turn his face towards me,

我揪住他的頭髮，讓他的臉擡起來對着我

not a scratch ,

臉上沒有擦傷

I pulled off a glove and checked for a pulse,

我又脫下一隻手套，檢查他的脈搏

 

he had a good one and he was breathing.

脈搏強健有力，可見他呼吸順暢

My guess he is about 25 years old, physically fit,

我猜他大約25歲，身體健康 

smelled like he had been drinking all day,

聞起來好像一整天都在喝酒

I hear this rustling in the bushes on the other side of the truck

這時我聽到卡車另一邊的樹叢裏有沙沙的響聲

 so I climbed over the hood of the truck

於是我從卡車的引擎蓋爬了過去 

and dropped down the other side

來到卡車另一邊 

I was expecting to see a dog,

我以爲自己會看到一條小狗 

he looked like the kind of guy that would have a dog.

因爲司機看上去像一個會養狗的人

Evidently, he was the kind of guy that had a girlfriend.

沒想到，他卻是個喂狗糧的人

About 10 ft. down the bank

沿着河岸下行10英尺 

I see this blond girl in her early twenty's

我看到了那個滿頭金髮的女孩，大約20歲出頭

clawing her way out of the bushes

她正從灌木叢裏爬出來

I can see that she has no broken bones

我發現她身上沒有骨折

 

but she had blood running from a cut at the bridge of her nose

但是鼻子邊緣有一條傷口正在流血 

and a big cut on her knee that wasn't bleeding yet.

膝蓋上還有一處大傷口，已經沒有流血了

As I help her to the road

我扶着她走到路邊

 

prince charming comes to

她的那位白馬王子突然清醒過來

 

and flops out the window to the ground

從車窗裏翻出來，摔倒在地上

babbling about his girlfriend

絮絮叨叨的說着女票的事情

 

I ask the girl his name and get this she says Jay.

我問女孩他叫什麼名字，女孩說，他叫Jay。

I yelled she is ok Jay we are on the road.

我對男孩喊道，她沒事，我們回到公路上了

It will be dark as a cave in thirty minutes,

半小時之內，天色就會黑的如同山洞

 the truck is not going any ware without a wrecker

到時候，沒有救險車，這輛卡車肯定哪兒都去不了

and neither of them have life treating injuries.

而且，這兩個人身上都沒有致命傷

I thought about it for a minute

我思考了大約一分鐘 

and said to them

然後對他們說 

look as of now no calls have been made;

現在爲止，還沒有人打電話報警或求助

the nearest fire station is no less than twenty minutes from here.

最近的消防站只有不到20分鐘的車程 

If they show up and Jay is here he is going to jail for sure.

如果消防警來到這裏，看到Jay這幅樣子，他一定會蹲監獄

If you don't want that to happen

如果你們不希望事情變成這樣

 

then we have to get one of your friends to come and gather him up.

那麼我們即必須聯繫到你們的朋友，好把Jay拖走

I figure you have about 45 minutes max

我想他們最多還有45分鐘時間

and that is if none comes buy.

如果有人經過，那就更糟糕了

So see if you can get someone and I hand her the phone.

看看你們能不能找到人幫忙吧，我把電話交給了她

He has no clue at the moment how big a gamble it is for me

男孩毫無所知的是，此刻我正冒着極大的風險 

because if he don't wake up tomorrow

明天他醒來的時候

and realize he got a second chance，

或許會意識到自己曾經得到了一次重頭來過的機會

 then jail was ware he might have learned what needed changing and I made the wrong call.

又或許，如果今天他打錯電話，就會被逮捕，在鐵欄杆裏反思自己需要改正之處

I will tell you this I trust my instincts completely

我想告訴裏，我對自己的直覺非常信任

 

and I felt I was doing the right thing.

當時我感到自己正在做一件正確的事情

 

These two were not a couple

他們不是一對夫妻

 

but they were defiantly in love with each other

但他們的確深愛對方

and I could tell he was a hard working kid by looking at his hands.

而且當我看到他的手掌的時候，我就知道，他是個勤勞的好孩子。

That said she tells me a friend is on their way from their campsite 20 minutes away.

這時女孩告訴我，他們的一位朋友已經出發在路上了，他在距此處20分鐘車程的宿營地

I said great,

我說那太好了

she said OMG thank you so much..

她說，天吶，太感謝你了

I said to her well I am counting on it for both your sakes

我告訴她，我相信他們兩個人，所以才願意冒此風險

 but the clock is ticking

可是時間一分一秒的過去了 

so I gathered up all the liquor ,

我把所有的酒瓶都收拾好

put it in the cooler

把它們都放進車載冰箱

 

and took it into the woods ware I covered it up.

放到樹林中掩藏了起來

It is now dark and getting cold.

現在天已經黑了，氣溫越來越低

I made him get a coat on

我讓男孩去穿上外套

  

and she found some sweats to put on.

她也找到了一件套頭衫穿上了

It had been 30 minutes

30分鐘過去了 

and they called saying they couldn't find the place,

女孩說的朋友打來了電話，說他們找不到這個地方

I went and found their friends brought them in.

我開車去找到了女孩的朋友，把他們帶到了女孩身邊。

 

They got Jay in the car where he passed out thank god.

他們一起把Jay擡到了車上，正好Jay暈了過去，謝天謝地。 

I waited until fire showed up.

我等在原地，直到消防警察出現了

She gave me her business card with her number on the back.

那位女警官遞給我一張名片，名片背後寫着她的電話號碼。

I wished her luck and took off.

我祝她好運，接着就開車離開了。

A couple weeks later, I called to see how they were doing.

幾個星期之後，我打電話給女孩，問他們情況如何。 

She said that it all worked as planned,

她說一切都很順利

 

she got 18 stitches in her knee,

她膝蓋上的傷口縫了18針，

Jay was making the best of his seconded chance

Jay很珍惜他獲得的第二次機會

 

and they are getting married.

而且他們就快要結婚了

 

she said this may sound strange

她說，你也許會覺得奇怪

 

but we are closer than before the accident.

可是，她和他的關係比這次事故之前還要親密

 

I said nah that isn't strange at all

我說，沒有，這一點也不奇怪

 

that is what I meant when I said you could turn this thing around.

我曾告訴你，你們一定可以轉運，當時我指的就是這個

Good for both of you and thanks for doing the right thing.

你們倆都值得誇獎，謝謝你們做了正確的事情。