Red Marbles - 红弹珠

Red Marbles

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'
'H'lo , Mr. Miller.. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'
'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'
'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'
'Good. Anything I can help you with?'
'No, Sir.. Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.
'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'
'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'
'All I got's my prize marble here.'
'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.
'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'
'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.
'Not zackley but almost..'
'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble.'Mr. Miller told the boy.
'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.
With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of product for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'
 
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to  Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that
Mr. Miller had died.

They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her, and moved on to the casket.
 
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary  awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
 
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles... With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
 
'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size ......they came to pay their debt.'
 
'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'
 
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
  
The Moral:
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath....

红弹珠

我正在百货商店的一个角落里挑选早熟的马铃薯，这时我注意到一个瘦骨凌寻的小男孩，身穿洗得很干净的粗布衣裳，极为卖力地叫卖着一篮子刚摘下的新鲜豌豆。

我买了马铃薯的单了，不过还是被那些新鲜豌豆吸引住了。谁叫我是一个容易被漂亮的豌豆和新鲜的马铃薯所征服的人呢。

心里想着这些豌豆，我不禁听到了一些米勒先生（百货商店的主人）和这个紧挨着我的粗衫男孩之前的对话。
“喂，巴里，今天怎么样啊？”
“你好，米勒先生。托你的福，不错呢，我刚才还在夸赞这些豌豆呢，它们看起来的确不错”。
“是啊，不错。巴林，你妈妈怎么样？”
“还好，比以前好一些啦”。
“那就好，有需要我帮忙的地方吗？”
“哦，没有，先生。我还是继续吆喝我些豌豆去吧”
“你要不要带些回家呀？"米勒先生问道。
“不用了，先生，我可付不起账喔”。
“这样，你有什么可以用来跟我交换那些豌豆的吗？”
“我这儿所有的家当就是我得奖的弹珠了”
“是吗？让我看看”米勒先生说道。
“这就是，它可是上好的弹珠。”
“我看得出来。嗯，只有一个问题便是这个是蓝色的，而我特别想要红色的。你家里有跟这个一样的红色的弹珠吗？”这家店主人问道。
“不会一模一样，不过也差不多”
“听着，把这一袋豌豆带回家吧，下次来的时候把那个红色的弹珠带过来吧”。米勒先生告诉这个男孩。
“一定会的，谢谢你。米勒先生”。

站在附近的米勒太太走过来帮我的忙。

她笑着：我们这个社区还有另个两个像他一样的男孩子，他们三个都是生活在非常贫穷的环境里。当他们回去取来红色的弹珠后，吉姆乐于便宜卖给他们豌豆、苹果、马铃薯等等。他们也经常这样做。当他们下次再来的时候，他便决定他不喜欢红色的了，让他们用绿色或橙色的弹珠换回那些食物。

我暗自笑着离开了那家商店，同时这个男人也给我留下了深深的印象。不久后我便搬到了科罗拉多州。但是我一直没有忘记过这个男人，这些男孩和他们用弹珠易物的故事。

几年过去了，时间的流水冲淡了之前的记忆。前不久我有机会去看一起在爱达荷州社区的一些老朋友，却听说米勒先生已经过世。他们将在那天傍晚举行他的葬礼，我的朋友们也会去。我答应陪他们一同前往。在到达殡仪馆之前，我们排队与亡者的亲人问候，尽力说些话安慰她们。

在队伍的前面，有三个年轻男人。其中一个穿着制服，另外两个理着很不错的发型。穿着黑色的礼服和白色的衬衣。他们看起来都很棒。他们走近镇静而面带微笑着站在她丈夫棺木旁的米勒太太，每个男士都过去拥抱她，亲吻她的脸颊，简短地安慰她后，再站到棺木前。

她泪眼朦胧的淡蓝色眼睛一直追随着他们。他们一个跟着一个，每个年轻人都在遗体前暂停，并伸出自己温暖的手握了握在棺木里的那双已经苍白冰冷的手。然后每一个都木然地离开殡仪馆，还一边擦拭着泪水。

当轮到我们见到米勒太太的时候，我告诉她我是谁，并且跟她提到她曾告诉过我的那个她丈夫用食物换得弹珠的很多年前的故事。她的眼睛一亮，拉着我到棺木前。

“这些都是那三个年轻人留下的，他们就是我曾经跟你提到的那些男孩子。他们刚刚告诉我，他们十分感激吉姆同他们所做的"交换"。而今，当吉姆最终不能再改变对颜色和大小的主意时，他们前来偿还所欠他的东西。”

“我们从来没有做过这世上如此大笔财富的买卖，"她说道，“但是现在，吉姆一定会认为自己是全爱达荷州最富有的人”。

她怀着爱意，轻柔地抬起她已故丈夫的已没有生命力的手指，下面躺着三颗精致无比的闪亮的红色弹珠。

别人不会记得我们所说的话，却会铭记我们的善意，生命并非因我们存在而完整，却在我们结束的那一瞬间而永恒。