也许只是不经意的一个微笑，有时却能改变一个人的一生……
Mark was walking home from school one day where he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped1 and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered articles2. Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with3 his girlfriend.
They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch TV. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk4, then Mark went home. They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice. They ended up in the same school where they had brief contacts over the years5. Finally the long awaited senior year came, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. “Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day? ” asked Bill. “You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else6. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. You saved my life.”
Notes:
1. trip: 绊倒，跌倒
2. 马克跪下来帮男孩捡起撒落在地上的东西, knelt 为kneel的过去式
3. break up with somebody: 与某人关系破裂
4. small talk: 闲谈, 聊天
5. 他们从同一所学校毕业, 在高中的几年里保持着简单的联系
6. 我把我的柜子收拾干净了, 因为我不想留给别人一个烂摊子
