When the meager purchases had been placed into a plastic bag， something remarkable happened. Not a word had been spoken by her elderly friend， an old， tired hand slowly extended over the counter. The hand trembled， and then steadied. Roberta spread the plastic handles on the bag and gently slipped them over his wrist. The fingers that dangled into space were gnarled and spotted with the marks of age.

Roberta smiled larger.

She scooped up the other tired， old hand and in an instant， she was holding them both， gathered in front of her brown face. She warmed them. Top and bottom. Then sides. She reached and pulled the scarf that had flown nearly off his broad but stooped shoulders. She pulled it close around his neck. Still he said not a single word. He stood as if to cement the moment in his memory. It would have to last at least until the morrow. When he would once again shuffle through the cold， Roberta buttoned a button that had eluded the manipulation of the old hands. She looked him in the eyes and， with a slender finger， mockingly scolded him. “Now， Mr. Johnson. I want you to be very， careful.” She then paused ever so lightly for emphasis and added sincerely， “I need to see you in here tomorrow.”

With those last words ringing in his ears， the old man had his orders. He hesitated， and then turned， and one tired foot shuffling barely in front of the other， he moved slowly into the bitter Denver morning. I realized then that he had not come in search of a banana and a muffin. He had come in to get warm in his heart.

丹佛一個非常寒冷的早上。這樣的天氣，人們應該整天都呆在家里，應該是感冒了在家里休息，等媽媽端來一杯熱湯，這天就應該這樣度過。

而我得去丹佛大會中心給幾百人作演講，他們和我一樣沒感冒，不可能呆在家里等媽媽端來熱湯，而是聚在大會中心，對于這寒冷的天氣也只能是談論一下而已。

我的無線麥克風需要電池，而我沒有帶。我確實需要一塊電池，沒有其他辦法了，我只好豎起衣領，低著頭，穿著夾皮鞋，向寒風中走去。

我在一個拐角處看到一個指示標，上面不遠處有一個7-11便利店。假如我快點走，步子邁大，就能進到商店里，避開凜冽的風和干燥的空氣。住在丹佛的人對城外的人開玩笑說，丹佛的冬季能讓你感受到愉悅的寒冷。當他們的親戚問他們住在海拔一英里的城市感覺如何時，他們回答說：“那是一種干燥的寒冷?！备稍?，胡說八道。天氣冷得足以讓那只著名的黃銅制的猴子移動。

有兩個人在7-11便利店里，站在柜臺后面的人佩帶著一個有她名字的胸牌，她叫羅伯塔。從她的表情可以判斷，她大概還是希望呆在家里給她的小孩端熱湯，并說上一些寬心的話，但現在她卻在寒冷的幾乎沒有什么人的丹佛市區的一個小商店里服務。她就是燈塔，是那些在這樣寒冷的日子里還在街上行走的人的避難所。

便利店里的另一個人是位高個子老人，他顯然是來躲避寒冷的，但是，他好像在店里呆得很舒服，不想走出商店，再回到大風里，走在結冰的人行道上。我不禁想到他可能是瘋了，也可能是迷路了。在這樣冷的天氣里出來逛7-11便利店，這人真是愚蠢。

我沒有時間去理會這個失去理性的老人。我要買一個電池，幾百名有重要事情做的重要人物在會議中心等著我呢。我來這兒是有目的的。

可是，這位老人在我之前來到柜臺前，羅伯塔笑著，老人沒說話。羅伯塔拿起他挑選的商品，把商品的價錢逐個輸入計算器。老人在這么冷的天氣里出來，就是為買幾個松餅和香蕉，真不值得。

就為買松餅和香蕉，一個正常的人是會等到春天來臨，街道恢復正常，逛街的時候順便買的。而這位老人卻沒有這樣做，他拖著衰弱的身體在這樣寒冷的早晨出來，讓人感覺好像是沒有明天了。

可能真的沒有明天了，他已經很老了。

當羅伯塔算出總額，老人把僵硬的、干枯的手伸進大衣兜里，摸出一個像老人一樣老的裝硬幣的錢包。幾個硬幣和皺巴巴的一美元散落在柜臺上，而羅伯塔收起這些錢就像拿到寶貝一樣興奮。

松餅和香蕉被裝進塑料袋里后，接下來發生的事讓我震驚了。老人沒說話，他僵硬干枯的手慢慢地伸過柜臺，他的手在顫抖，接著穩定下來。羅伯塔把塑料袋的手柄撐開，套在老人的手腕上，他伸在空中的手指長滿了說明他年齡的瘤和斑點。

羅伯塔笑得更親切了。

她握起老人另一只僵硬干枯的手，把老人的雙手捧在她褐色的臉頰前，上下左右地暖和著老人的手。他的圍巾幾乎從他寬闊卻彎曲的肩膀上掉下來了，她幫他圍在脖子上，但他仍然沒說話，他站在那兒，好像是在把剛剛發生的一切裝進自己的記憶里，而這種記憶至少要持續到明天。當然，明天他還會冒著嚴寒來這兒。羅伯塔為他扣上了被他忽略的扣子，她看著他的眼睛，豎起一個纖細的手指，開玩笑地責怪他，“約翰遜先生，我希望你以后多注意喲?！苯又鵀榱藦娬{，她稍稍停頓了一下，很認真地說：“我明天還要在這兒看到你。”

羅伯塔說的最后一句話在他耳邊回響，他記下了叮囑。猶豫了一下，轉過身，他前腳緊挨著后腳，挪動著，向寒冷的丹佛的早晨走去。這時，我意識到他不是來買香蕉和松餅的，他來這兒，是為了獲得心靈上的慰藉。

記憶填空

1. I had a speaking at the Denver Convention Center to a couple hundred other who， like me， were unable to the sniffles and stay home for Mom to bring us soup. ， we gathered at the convention center， unable to do more about the weather to talk about it.

2. When the meager purchases had been placed in to a plastic ， something remarkable happened. Not a had been spoken by her elderly friend， an old， tired hand extended over the counter.

佳句翻譯

1. 住在丹佛的人對城外的人開玩笑說，丹佛的冬季能讓你感受到愉悅的寒冷。

2. 就為買松餅和香蕉，一個正常的人是會等到春天來臨，街道恢復正常，逛街的時候順便買的。

3. 這時，我意識到他不是來買香蕉和松餅的，他來這兒，是為了獲得心靈上的慰藉。

短語應用

1. …and risk sailing through town at the mercy of the wind and ice-covered sidewalks.

at the mercy of：任憑……擺布；完全受……的支配；在……掌握中

2. I realized then that he had not come in search of a banana and a muffin.

in search of：尋找；探求，追求