遠去的友情

兒子的一篇作文， 讓我濕了眼眶。 

他的文章題目是《Gone》，有點《Gone with Wind(飄)》的味道，更讓我想起魯迅的一篇文章《傷逝》，雖然內容與這兩篇名著毫無關聯，他寫的是一個十三歲的少年對一份漸行漸遠的友情的追念，也是一個正在成長中的孩子對人生中情感的錯從複雜最初的感悟。 我很高興得看到他小小年紀已經知道辨別是非，並且能舍取自如，對他最後發出的感歎，我心有震顫，感覺他心智的成熟度在我想象之上。 

三年前，兒子十歲，小學畢業。我們把他從聖何西的一個普通學區轉到現在居住的全美前一百名好學校的初中部。那時，兒子知道進的是頂尖學校，又興奮又擔心，擔心自己的優勢不在，更擔心他這邊沒有朋友。進學校的第一個星期，他每天回到家，吃完晚飯，就說困了上床睡覺了。我著實為他擔心了一陣！幸好第二個星期他就恢複常態，慢慢地，他告訴我有了一個新朋友，是個西班牙裔的同學。不久在學校的課後作業俱樂部，又結識了另一個朋友。這兩個新朋友，使得兒子不再覺得孤獨。再後來，兒子提到這兩個新朋友功課不太好，慢慢地，兒子有了其他新的朋友。兒子那會兒剛剛配了一副眼鏡，開始帶著還挺好的，後來說有人因為他功課好又帶著眼睛，叫他“Nerd”(書呆子)，正好有朋友提起現在有種隱形校正眼睛， 晚上睡覺時帶上，白天取下，視力可達正常，兒子於是要求配這種校正眼鏡， 從那以後，他再沒有帶過近視玻璃眼鏡上學。 

三年了，兒子的變化有目共睹，正在發育的他長得高高大大的，他不僅是學校銅管樂隊裏的擔當第一薩克斯風手，更可以在網球場上與朋友“廝殺”成一片，自信心的建立花了他整個初中的年月，以至於今天有點過了，弄得前一階段我們擔心他早戀，擔心過早的分散精力影響他的學業。幾次談話下來，兒子能認真傾聽我們的意見，當然他也有他自己的看法。三年初中即將在這個夏天結束，至今，他的成績單全部都是令人欣慰的A.  再讀到他近階段寫得幾篇作文，我意識到他的成熟度比我們想象得高得多。也許，做父母的，總有點杞人憂天，自己的孩子，雖說我們總是自認為很了解，其實，他們這一代人與我們這代人從小生活環境的差別，或多或少都會造成兩代人之間的意識鴻溝。生長發育中的孩子，除了需要父母的照顧和引導，更需要父母的理解、關心和愛！也許，很多時候，我們可以退一步，安靜地站在一邊，給孩子一定的空間和信任，我們便可以發現那成長中的驚喜！ 

兒子作文的英文原文：

Gone

          Sixth grade. Middle school. Be cool. Those were the only thoughts on my mind as I walked into class the first day of sixth grade. I looked around at the sea of unfamiliar faces and shivered. Everyone had a friend to sit next to, but I didn’t, so I found a random empty seat and crumpled into the chair. I had moved to Terman from Noble Elementary in San Jose, so I was utterly alone in this new environment. The kid sitting next to me was Mexican with short hair that stood straight out across his forehead. He had dark brown eyes and a rather round face. He wore one of those jackets a skater or jockey would wear, but he had an aura of friendliness. For the first few days, we didn’t talk much, only asking one another for help on the class work if we needed any. On the second or third week of school, the teacher had us play a math game with our table partner. It was then that I got to know this kid who, until then, had been nothing more than “the kid who sits next to me in math and science.” His name was Luis. Luis Galicia. We began to laugh as the game progressed, laughing and making jokes as if we’d been friends for ages. That day at lunch, he led me to the stage in the E wing so I could hang with him and his friends. His “homeboys” were not the best group to hang out with. They swore and picked on each other. But I was desperate for friends back then, so I stuck with the group. Hey, it was better than wandering around campus everyday with nothing to do. Even so, they sort of made fun of me. They called me a nerd because I had glasses and because I had good grades. They taught me about things I shouldn’t have learned until sex ed in seventh grade. Yeah, I made the wrong choice of friends, but they were friends all the same.

            After science camp, I befriended another boy by the name of Shazer. He was a much better guy then those other gangster wanna-be’s. I’ll admit; I sort of pushed him around at first, just because he was different. He was skinny and would sometimes fall on his back when somebody confronted him. But his kindness and innocence eventually influenced me, and I changed into a better person. He continues to have this influence on me, and I’m always in high spirits when I have my one-on-one chats with him.

I tried to convince Luis that his group of “friends” was bad news, and that he should join me and Shazer. “No way, I don’t want to be a bunch of weirdoes like you guys,” was his response. I knew it was a joke, because that’s just how we teenagers joke around: we insult each other. He would stick up for his group, and I don’t know why. They were obviously not the best lot to hang out with at school. But no matter what, Luis was my friend, and I knew he was a good person, even if the rest of his friends weren’t. Because I decided to hang out with Shazer, Luis and I slowly drifted farther and farther apart. We never totally forgot each other though. We would say “hi” in the hallways and we would occasionally have a talk during brunch. We were complete opposites in terms of social standards, him with the popular guys, and I was with Shazer and the so-called “weirdoes.” Luis soon became nothing more than “the guy I used to hang with.” I almost forgot him. After seventh grade, he moved away. Where? I don’t know. I didn’t even notice he was gone until one of his former friends reminded me about a month into eighth grade. I became extremely depressed for a while, though I tried not to show it at school. I felt as if I should have gotten to know him better. I didn’t even get a chance to say a good-bye. He was the one who brought me out of the pit of loneliness when I was new to the school, and for that, I will always remember him. I hope he knows how thankful I am. 

我的譯文：                                 遠去的友情 

六年級、中學、酷斃了，這些字眼在我第一天走進六年級教室時在我腦中閃耀。我環顧四周一片陌生麵孔的海洋， 情不自禁心中抖顫。每個人都有朋友坐在一起，唯獨我沒有。我隨便找了張空椅子把自己塞了進去。我從聖何西的努博小學轉進特蒙中學，在這個新的環境裏，我感到無比得孤獨！坐在我旁邊的小孩是個墨西哥人，短短的頭發直直的豎立在他的前額之上，他的圓臉龐上有一對深褐色的眼睛。他穿著那種滑冰或是賽馬的人才會穿的夾克衫，身上散發出一種親切友好的光彩。 

開頭的幾天，我們沒有交談，僅僅是在課堂上需要時相互幫助。 開學後的第二和第三個星期，老師要求我們和鄰座的同學玩一種數學遊戲。 我直到那時才得以認識至此仍是“那個在數學課和科學課上坐在我旁邊的小孩”。他的名字叫路易斯， 全名：路易斯.加裏夏。隨著遊戲的進展，我們開始一起大笑，像認識多年的老友般地相互調侃。那天午飯的時候，他帶著我到E樓邊的舞台那裏，把我介紹給了他的朋友們。他的“家鄉男孩們”並不是最好的交友群體，他們相互咒罵，相互挑釁，但那會兒我太想交朋友了，所以我和他們粘在一起。嗨，那總比每天無所事事一個人到處在校園裏遊蕩得好。即使這樣，他們仍會取笑我。他們叫我“書呆子”（或討厭蟲）因為我帶著眼鏡，因為我的功課比他們好。他們教我一些我當時不應該學直到七年級性知識課裏才學的東西。沒錯，我選擇了不好的朋友，但是，他們那時就是我的朋友。 

參加了科學營之後，我交了個新朋友“杉澤”，他比那些個黑幫預備隊員們好多了。我必須承認，開始的時候我有點欺負他，主要是因為他與眾不同。他很瘦，有的時候當有人侵犯他時， 他常常退縮。但是他的善良和純真最終影響了我也改變了我。至今他仍影響著我，每次當隻有他和我聊天的時候，我總是覺得精神振奮！  

我試過勸說路易斯他的那些朋友們沒有太好的“名聲”，他應該加入我和杉澤。“沒門兒！我才不要成為像你們那樣的怪胎呢。”他這樣回應我。 我知道他開玩笑，就像很多青少年相互之間調侃一樣， 就像他們常互相用言語侮辱對方一樣。他仍然和那個小團體混在一起，我不懂為什麽。他們很顯然在學校裏不是受歡迎的一群。 但無論如何，路易斯是我的朋友， 即使他那些狐朋狗友都不好，我仍相信他是個好人。 

因為我決定常和杉澤一起玩，路易斯和我漸行漸遠。但我們從沒有徹底忘了對方，在學校午餐時，我們有時會在長長的走道上迎麵相撞，我們會相互打招呼，偶爾也會站住聊上兩句。用這個社會的標準來看，我們是兩個完全不同的人。他和一群所謂的“合潮流”的人在一起，我和杉澤則是被他們稱作“怪胎”的人。路易斯很快對我就成了“我曾經一起玩”的人，我幾乎忘了他。七年級時，他搬走了。搬去了哪裏？我不知道。我甚至沒有注意到他的離去這件事，直到他以前的一個朋友在我上了八年級一個多月以後告訴我這件事。我非常沮喪！雖然在學校我不想別人看出我的不開心而掩飾得很好。我覺得如果我能多了解他一些就好了， 我甚至沒有機會和他說再見。他是那個把剛到這所學校的我從孤獨的黑洞裏拉出來的人. 就是僅僅為這個因素，我也會永遠記著他。我真希望他能知道我心裏是多麽地感激他！