|
A hero's aspiration 1 Officer Jonda's pulse quickened. Road conditions were dangerous on that cold dark wintery night. The fierce storm made it hard to see but she could tell the car ahead of her was in trouble. It was swaying. It was not swaying violently and was still barely within the lane but on the winding road in the fierce November rain it was enough. Jonda had a sixth sense for accidents and lived in terror of them ever since that awful night so many years ago. She still couldn't abolish the terrible image of that teenager screaming for help her help. Help that she had been unable to give as she was driven back by the intense heat of the car fire. 2 Her subsequent report on the incident had dutifully noted the facts as she had been trained to write them facts that did not include screams or pain. It was strange to talk about them one way: a string of facts for a police report; and to think about them in another: burning metal and deep tire tracks on the slippery concrete bits of safety glass like primitive crystals reflecting in pools of blood. These were memories Jonda could never really turn off. She leaned on her training for support and these days she never ignored any signs of the next accident. She made a gesture to turn on the patrol car's flashing lights but her partner David beat her to it; he too had sensed the danger. "Let's pull that car over before someone gets hurt" he said. 3 The big car slowed but not enough to stop at the warning sign as the driver slammed on the brakes. The car slipped off the road into the Dalton River. 4 Jonda quickly brought the police car to a halt and got out. Yelling at David to call for backup help she slipped down the side of the road to the water's edge. 5 The rain had swelled the river into a raging monster. It roared well over its banks rushing swiftly with tree limbs caught in the raging current. And half submerged in the current was the car. As big as it was the force of the water had heaved it against a tree the passenger seat submerged water rushing over the windshield. "Dear Lord!" Jonda prayed. "Never again!" This is too much too familiar Jonda thought. 6 The driver would not have had time to make it out Jonda knew. Her flashlight beam barely cut through the heavy rain but she could still see the trapped driver screaming and banging the window. And the car was filling up with water. 7 "David I need the window hammer!" Jonda called over her radio and rushed toward the car. By the time she was at the driver door the water was rushing up to her waist and unbelievably cold like her legs had been encased in ice. If she didn't work quickly she could lose the feeling in her lower body and collapse 8 Through the window Jonda saw the woman with water up to her chest. A work badge pinned to her chest identified her as Sandy. And she was old 65 or 70. She would not last long in the icy water. Her eyes betraying her intense fear were locked on Jonda's. "Save me" she screamed. 9 David caught up with Jonda and passed her the window hammer. "Ma'am" she yelled through the window "I need you to turn away from the glass! I'm going to break through!" The woman turned her head and Jonda struck. The glass thick as the old car was big barely cracked. And with a heavy heart Jonda felt the car heave. The current was loosening it from the tree. 10 Jonda struck again with all her might and this time mercifully the window broke into little pieces. Water rushed in and the car heaved again soon to be carried downstream. 11 The woman tried to speak through her shivering lips. "Tell my grandchildren I love them" she moaned. 12 Jonda leaned in and wrapped her arms around the woman. "We're not going to lose you Sandy! Put your arms around my neck and hold on! David grab my waist and pull!" 13 With all her strength in the icy water Jonda grabbed the slender woman out of her seat and through the broken window David pulling at her waist. The car heaved one last time and just as the woman cleared it it was swallowed by the water. 14 The woman was crying in Jonda's arms. "It's all right ma'am" Jonda said tears streaking down her cheeks unable to let go of the woman. "We didn't lose you! We didn't lose you!" she cried. Stiff and sore Sandy cried "Thank you!" 15 Since the accident the two women have become close friends. "She's a fantastic woman" Sandy says. "She just refused to let me die. I'm forever grateful to her." But Jonda feels she has much to be grateful for too because finally she is healed and free of the acute nightmares of her past. 一位英雄的愿望 琼达警官的心跳加快了。在那个寒冷、漆黑的冬夜，路况险恶。狂风暴雨令人视线不清，但她能感到前面的车出了麻烦。那辆车开得歪歪扭扭。虽然歪得不是很厉害，还勉强开在车道里，但在十一月大雨滂沱中的蜿蜒道路上，这已经够悬的了。琼达对事故有着第六感，并且自从很多年以前那个可怕的夜晚之后，她一直生活在对事故的恐惧中。那个十几岁的少年呼喊求助——向她求助——的骇人情景至今在她脑海中，挥之不去。她当时无能为力，因为汽车燃起的大火使她无法靠近。 她在事后的事故报告中按照以前的培训要求，就事论事地记录了事实，并没有对尖叫声和伤痛的描述。记录的是一种形式，即警方报告中的一连串事实；而回忆却是另一种形式：熊熊燃烧着的金属、湿滑水泥地上深深的车胎痕迹，还有散落在血泊中、如天然水晶般闪烁的安全玻璃碎屑。记录和回忆竟会如此不同，着实令人奇怪。这些成为琼达脑海中始终摆脱不掉的记忆。她靠着受过的训练来支撑自己。现在，她再不会放过任何预示下一起事故的征兆。她动手要去打开巡逻车上的警灯，但是她的搭档戴维抢先一步打开了警车顶灯，他也觉察到了险情。“我们让那辆车靠边停下，以免有人出事，”他说道。 那辆大轿车的司机猛踩刹车，车子慢了下来，但还是来不及停在警示线内。车子滑下公路，掉进了道尔顿河。 琼达急忙停下警车，来到车外。她一边喊着让戴维呼叫支援，一边沿路肩下滑到河边。 雨水使河水猛涨，变成一头凶猛的怪兽。它咆哮着冲上两岸，夹杂着被急流冲下的树枝，汹涌奔腾。那辆车一半已被水流淹没。尽管车不小，但是水流的力量把它顶在一棵树上，副驾驶座一侧被淹没，河水漫过挡风玻璃。“我的上帝啊！”琼达祈祷道。“不要再像上次一样啊！”这样的事让人受不了，太熟悉了，琼达心想。 琼达知道，司机肯定来不及脱身。倾盆大雨中，她手电的光亮几乎没什么用，但是她还是能够看到被困司机在叫喊着，拍打着车窗。河水正在灌满车厢。 “戴维，我需要破窗锤！”琼达向对讲机呼叫，并冲向车子。当她来到驾驶员一侧的车门时，水已经涨到她的腰部，而且冰冷刺骨，她的双腿就像被冰包裹住一样。如果她动作不够快，她的下半身可能就会失去知觉，她就会瘫倒。 透过车窗，琼达看到那位妇女，水已经淹到她的胸口。她胸前别有一枚工作胸卡，写着她的名字桑迪。她年事已高，有65岁或70岁。她在冰冷的水中支撑不了多久。她的眼中流露出极度的恐惧，直直地盯着琼达的眼睛。“救救我，”她大声呼喊着。 戴维赶到琼达身边，把破窗锤递给她。“夫人，”她透过车窗喊道，“请你转过身，避开玻璃！我要把车窗砸开！”那位妇女转过头去，琼达砸向车窗。这辆旧车车身大，窗玻璃也厚，砸一下几乎不见裂缝。这时，琼达感到车起伏了一下，她不禁心头一沉。水流正把车推离那棵树。 琼达用尽全力又砸了一次，谢天谢地，这次车窗碎成了小片。水灌了进来，车又起伏了一下，它很快就会被冲到下游。 那位妇女颤抖着双唇，努力想说些什么。“告诉我的孙子孙女，我爱他们，”她呜咽着。 琼达探进身子，用自己的双臂箍住妇女。“桑迪，我们不会让你死的！你抱住我的脖子，抓紧！戴维，搂住我的腰往外拉！” 戴维搂住她的腰往外拉。同时，琼达在冰冷的水里用尽全力把那位瘦弱的妇女拖出驾驶座，从砸破的车窗拉了出来。车最后又起伏了一下，那位妇女刚被救出，车就被水吞没了。 那位妇女在琼达的怀里哭了。“没事了，夫人，”琼达说道，泪水顺着她的脸颊滚落下来，她抱紧那位妇女不愿松开。“我们没有失去你！我们没有失去你！”她哭着说。四肢僵硬酸痛的桑迪也哭着说道：“谢谢你！” 自从那次车祸之后，两位女士成了亲密的朋友。“她是一个了不起的女人，”桑迪说。“她绝不让我死。我永远感激她。”但是琼达感到她也同样很感激。因为她内心的创伤终于愈合了，她终于摆脱了过去痛苦的噩梦。 |
