哥哥的心愿(The Wish of Brother)

文/佚名

我有个朋友叫保罗，他的哥哥送给他一辆车作为圣诞礼物。圣诞节前夜，保罗下班走出办公室，看见一个淘气的小男孩绕着他那辆崭新的车欣赏着，不时发出赞叹声。
 

“这是您的车吗，先生？”他问道。
 

保罗点了点头，说：“这是我哥哥送给我的圣诞礼物。”男孩很吃惊，激动得有些语无伦次：“您是说这是您哥哥送的，您没花一分钱？噢，我希望……”
 

保罗当然知道男孩希望什么，无非希望也有这样一位哥哥。但是，小男孩接下来的话却完全出乎他的意料。
“我希望，”男孩继续说道,“我也成为那样的哥哥，可以送车给弟弟。”
保罗吃惊地看着男孩，随口问道：“你想坐我的车去兜兜风吗？”
 

“哦，当然想了，我太高兴了。”
 

车开了一会儿后，那孩子转过头来，用殷切的眼神望着保罗说：“先生，您能把车子开到我家门口吗？”
保罗微笑着，他以为自己知道小男孩想干什么，一定是想向邻居炫耀一番，让大家看到他坐着一辆气派的轿车回家。但这次他又想错了。“您把车子停在那两个台阶前，好吗？”男孩问。
 

男孩跑上台阶，不一会儿，保罗听到他回来的声音，但动作似乎较先前慢了好多。原来他领着自己跛脚的弟弟来了，他把弟弟安置在第一个台阶上，然后靠紧他坐下，用手指着那辆新车。
 

“就是它，弟弟，这就是我刚刚在楼上和你说的那辆新车，是保罗的哥哥送给他的圣诞礼物，他没花一分钱哦。总有一天，我会送你这样一辆车，那样，到了圣诞节，你就可以自己去看商店橱窗里那些漂亮的饰品了，就像我以前告诉你的一样。”
 

保罗下了车，把跛脚男孩抱到前座。哥哥很兴奋，眼中闪着奇异的光芒，他也爬上车子，坐到弟弟身边。就这样，三人开始了令人难忘的假日之旅。那个圣诞夜，保罗才真正领悟耶稣讲过的道理“施予与比索取更幸福……”

The Wish of Brother
Anonymous

　　A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
　　“Is this your car, Mister？” he said.
　　Paul nodded,“My brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was astounded,“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything？ Boy, I wish …” He hesitated.
　　Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
　　“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”
　　Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, “Would you like to take a ride in my car？”
　　“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
　　After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house？”
　　Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are？” the boy asked.
　　He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
　　“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m gonna give you one just like it…then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
　　Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shiningeyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said, “It is more blessed to give …”