It was 1st January, the first day of the year and a holiday for me. What luck! I started by thinking of getting the bank work out of the way. The bank person, an elderly gentleman with a white beard, was, as usual, curt[簡略的] to my polite “Happy New Year.” He nodded and I sat in front of him.
　　那天是1月1日，新年的第一天，也是我的假日。真幸運！我開始盤算到銀行去把工作辦妥。給我辦理業務的銀行職員是一位老先生，留著一捋白胡子。他像平常一樣簡潔地回應我那句禮貌的“新年快樂”。他對我點點頭，我便坐到他面前。

　　Minutes passed and nothing happened.
　　幾分鐘過去了，什么事情也沒發生。

　　Then very hesitantly[猶豫地] I put my form and booklet[小冊子] in front of him. He was busy filling up entries in his register. After a few minutes he took my form and from his cabinet he took out a very thick file from which he started filling in my details. I sat there wondering why we had computerized banking if we were still filling in forms and registers.
　　然后，我萬分猶豫地把自己的表格和小冊子放到他面前。他正忙著往登記簿里錄入條目。過了幾分鐘，他拿起我的表格，從文件柜里抽出一本厚厚的檔案文件，開始登記我的信息。我坐在那里，不禁疑惑既然我們要人工填寫表格和登記簿，那還要電腦化的銀行業務來干嘛呢。

　　After waiting for a few more minutes, in which I showed all signs of being impatient, I asked him if my work was done. The moment I uttered[說] the words, I felt as if a bombshell[炸彈] had fallen on him. He shouted, “Nothing is done, it will take time!”
　　在繼續等待的幾分鐘里，我表現出各種不耐煩的小動作。我問他我的業務是否辦理好了。就在我說話的那一刻，我覺得那像一顆炸彈落在他的身上。他大聲吼道：“全都沒辦好，這需要時間！”

　　Just then I saw his morning cup of tea which had been lying there for the last ten minutes, untouched. The tea had turned almost cold while he was doing his work. Suddenly I felt what this man, who had been working at this counter for the last God-knows-how-many years, must be feeling when customers like me come who are always in a hurry to get their work done. We do not even feel the need to thank them for being there. He must be feeling so agitated[激動的] that “here comes another person who will push me for doing his work first.”
　　就在那個時候，我發現在剛剛過去的十分鐘里，他那杯早晨熱茶一直放著，一口都沒喝。這杯茶在他工作時幾乎涼掉了。突然之間，我明白了，當遇到像我這樣總是急著想把業務辦完的顧客時，這位在銀行的這個窗口里干了不知道多少年的人會有怎樣的感受。我們從未想過要感謝他們一直堅守崗位。他一定會很激動地想：“這次又是一個催著我快點幫他辦事的家伙。”

　　On an instinct I told him, “Sir, you please have your tea, I am not in a hurry.” This man, who I had been seeing for the last few years, suddenly looked up at me and for the first time we had eye contact—he had never made eye contact earlier. I saw a different person there, another human being who was as hard-pressed[處于強大壓力的] for time as I always am.
　　我本能地對他說：“先生，請您先喝一口茶吧，我不趕時間。”這位過去幾年來我已經見過無數次的先生突然抬頭看著我，這是我們第一次目光接觸——之前他從未正眼看過我。我看到了一個截然不同的人，另一個和我一樣為時間飽受壓力的人。

　　I saw both of us sailing in the same boat[（與某人）同舟共濟]. I felt that he was also missing the small things in life like a hot cup of tea or lying in a warm bed for a few more minutes like me. He gave me a rare smile and said, “It is an everyday affair with me; you are not in a hurry but somebody else will come who will be in a hurry.”
　　我看出我們同是天涯淪落人。我感覺到他和我一樣錯過了許多生活中的小事，比如一杯熱茶，或是在溫暖的床上多躺幾分鐘。他少有地對我笑了笑，說：“這是我每天的工作；雖然你不趕時間，但總有其他匆匆忙忙的后來人。”

　　He really touched my heart with his wise words. I felt that we had all put shields on our hearts like we put gloves on our hands; we are scared to show our heart and reveal too much of ourselves. I felt that all this time I thought of him as a robot, someone who was there for my convenience, but today I suddenly felt a strange communion[（思想感情的）交融] with him. I vowed to be more empathetic[移情作用的] and friendly with people who help me with my work and be thankful that they are there for me.
　　他那睿智的話語觸動了我的心。我覺得我們總是給內心罩上防護盾，就像給雙手戴上手套那樣；我們害怕顯露自己的內心或曝露太多自我。這些年來我總把他看作一個機器人，一個為我提供便利的存在，但今天我突然感到與他產生了一種奇妙的情感交融。我發誓日后定當更加替他人著想，對協助我的工作的人更加友好，并為他們出現在我的身邊而心懷感激。

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