I've seen this guy at Starbucks in Marin City several times. Every time I’d see him I'd tell myself that I would take him to lunch but always found an excuse not to. Today was different. It might have been selfish but I was lonely. I didn't want to spend the whole day alone. I walked up to him, put my hand on his shoulder and said “ do you want to have lunch with me?”
我曾經(jīng)在馬林城的星巴克里見(jiàn)過(guò)這個(gè)家伙幾次了。每次見(jiàn)到他，我都告訴自己，要請(qǐng)他吃頓午飯，但總是能找到借口推脫。今天有些不同，我獨(dú)自一人，說(shuō)起來(lái)也許有些自私，但我確實(shí)不想孤獨(dú)地呆一整天。于是我向他走去，拍拍他肩膀說(shuō)：“你愿意和我共進(jìn)午餐嗎？”
Tarec Atkinson was born and raised in Jamaica. When he was a kid, he dreamt of being a famous futbol (soccer) player. He was recruited to play in school but never got the opportunity because of some trouble he got in as a teenager. He moved to the states 8 years ago and has spent the last 12 months living in a tent by the side of the freeway. Tarec goes days without eating, sometimes living off of the berries he picks, he spends 90% of his time alone and has no friends and no family in the states.
Tarec Atkinson生在、長(zhǎng)在牙買加。小時(shí)候他就夢(mèng)想成為一名著名足球運(yùn)動(dòng)員。他被招進(jìn)學(xué)校踢球，但由于青年時(shí)期的一些麻煩事兒，他沒(méi)有得到過(guò)任何機(jī)會(huì)。8年前，他來(lái)到了美國(guó)，在高速公路旁的帳篷里住了近12個(gè)月。Tarec已經(jīng)好幾天沒(méi)有吃東西了，有時(shí)候靠摘來(lái)的漿果過(guò)活。90%的時(shí)間他都獨(dú)自一人，在美國(guó)沒(méi)有朋友，也沒(méi)有家庭。
After hearing it had been a month since he bathed, I brought him back to my apartment so he could enjoy a hot shower. Because of all these hardships, trying to get a job is impossible. How can you fill out an application when you haven't eaten in days? I told Tarec that I would drive around with him next week and help him fill out applications and even speak on his behalf to help him land a job so he can get back on his feet. We agreed to meet that Friday at 9:30 AM at Starbucks.
在聽(tīng)說(shuō)他有一個(gè)月沒(méi)有洗澡之后，我?guī)亓俗约旱墓?，這樣他就可以洗個(gè)熱水澡了。因?yàn)樗睦Э嘟?jīng)歷，想找到一份工作也基本不可能。就像你幾天沒(méi)吃東西，怎么會(huì)有心力去填工作申請(qǐng)表？我告訴Tarec下周我會(huì)拉著他到處轉(zhuǎn)，幫助他填寫(xiě)申請(qǐng)，甚至可以替他說(shuō)話，找到一份工作，讓他可以找回自己的路。我們約定星期五上午9:30在星巴克見(jiàn)面。
If we were going to make this happen, I knew we had to get Tarec some new clothes. We stopped at Ross so he could pick out a shirt and some slacks. I was blown away at the immediate change in his demeanor. His smile was radiant, he stood up straighter, and even walked with a swagger.I couldn’t convince him to tuck in his shirt. I guess you win some and you lose some haha.
如果我們要辦到這些事，我覺(jué)得有必要給Tarec弄一些新衣服。我們把車停在羅斯服裝店門(mén)口，讓他進(jìn)去挑選襯衫和長(zhǎng)褲。我隨即被他的氣質(zhì)給驚呆了。他的笑容是那樣燦爛奪目，站得更加筆挺了，甚至走起路來(lái)都昂首闊步。但我沒(méi)能說(shuō)服他把襯衫扎起來(lái)。好吧，你贏了，可惜少了一些調(diào)侃的樂(lè)趣。
Next step was to hit the streets. We spent the next two days going door to door to see who was hiring. We went to Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks just to name a few. I would walk in with him so he knew he wasn’t alone. It can be overwhelming to walk into a business and ask for a job. I was very proud of him. We had a few positive responses but the majority of business’s told us that applications were submitted online. Easy enough right?
下一步就是向著街道出擊了，接下來(lái)的兩天我們挨家挨戶地走，看看有哪些招聘。我們?nèi)チ薟algreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks和一些耳熟的公司。我和他并肩走在路上，讓他知道他并不孤單。其實(shí)親自跑到一家公司求職的舉動(dòng)是難以讓人回絕的。我為他感到驕傲，我們有一點(diǎn)積極的反饋，但大多數(shù)企業(yè)告訴我們，求職申請(qǐng)需要在線提交。這很容易，對(duì)嗎？
Wrong.
Tarec doesn’t have a computer. So we went to the local library and began filling out applications. And let me tell you something. We take our computer literacy for granted. Watching him struggle to fill out an application put so much into perspective for me. Some people judge our homeless. We’ve all heard someone say “why don’t they just get a job?” or “they’re lazy”. I saw firsthand how the “system” is set up to fail people like Tarec. There is no way he would have been able to do any of this without my help. Just like there are many things in my life I have needed someone to help me overcome an obstacle. We all need a little help.
不對(duì)！
Tarec根本沒(méi)有電腦。所以我們?nèi)チ水?dāng)?shù)氐膱D書(shū)館，開(kāi)始填寫(xiě)申請(qǐng)表。讓我來(lái)告訴你一件事，我們認(rèn)為我們的電腦素養(yǎng)是理所當(dāng)然的。但是當(dāng)看著他掙扎著填寫(xiě)一份申請(qǐng)，就打破了我許多原有的觀念。一些人以審判的眼光看待這些無(wú)家可歸的人。我們總能聽(tīng)到有人說(shuō)：“他們?yōu)槭裁床徽曳莨ぷ髂?？”或“他們懶”。我親眼目睹了“制度體系”是怎樣設(shè)置得讓Tarec這樣的人落魄。如果沒(méi)有我的幫助，他沒(méi)有任何門(mén)路去做任何事。就像我生命中有很多事情一樣，我也需要有人幫我克服障礙。我們都需要一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)幫助。
After week of phone interviews Tarec landed an in person interview at Safeway. I remember driving to Safeway being nervous. I looked over to him and asked how he was feeling. He looked back at me and said “I got this”. I believed him.
在電話面試的一周后，Tarec收到了Safeway公司的人事面試。我還記得開(kāi)車去Safeway公司時(shí)我心里的緊張感。我盯著他，問(wèn)他感覺(jué)怎么樣。他回過(guò)頭看著我說(shuō)：“我會(huì)拿下它的?！?我相信他。
I dropped him off, wished him luck and waited. 20 minutes later, I see him walk out of Safeway with a big smile and a thumbs up. I let out a Rick Flair sounding “WOO!”. We had accomplished a lot together in two weeks. It was an incredible moment.
他下了車，我祝他好運(yùn)，開(kāi)始了等待。20分鐘后，我看到他走出safeway，臉上掛著一個(gè)大大的微笑，豎起大拇指?！拔覑?ài)你！” 我高聲喊叫。我們?cè)趦芍軆?nèi)一起完成了那么多的事情，這是一個(gè)難以置信的時(shí)刻。
Obviously we had to celebrate with a little ice cream! :)
Like we all are, Tarec is searching for a purpose in life. He yearns for happiness. He craves for a woman to love and to feel the love from a woman. He wants to create a better life for himself so he could one day have a family and stability. He is just like you and me.
顯然我們得用一點(diǎn)冰淇淋慶祝一下！:)
Tarec其實(shí)和我們一樣，他也在尋找一個(gè)生活目標(biāo)。他渴望幸福。他也渴望去愛(ài)一個(gè)女人，同時(shí)感受來(lái)自女人的愛(ài)。他想為自己創(chuàng)造更好的生活，以便有一天他能擁有自己的家庭和安穩(wěn)的生活。他就是你和我。
My hope in sharing this story is that it will inspire others to spread LOVE. We all need help in one way or another. Sometimes all someone needs is a friend. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
我分享這個(gè)故事是希望它可以鼓勵(lì)其他人傳播愛(ài)。我們都需要不同形式的幫助。而有時(shí)，一些人需要的就只是一個(gè)朋友。謝謝你花時(shí)間讀我的故事。
聲明
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