英语美文,一线光亮 My light - By Northville Shellyhelner/段会香 译

“Who did you sit with at lunch today?” I asked him.

“Nobody.” He responded staring down at his worn shoes.

“Why?” I questioned, almost immediately after the words left his chapped lips.

“No one will sit with me, but I like to be by myself, I can think easily.”

“Oh.” I whispered as tears welled up[1] in my eyes.

Adam, my younger brother, is very tall for his age, with brown hair, green-brown eyes, and a bright smile painted on his face. He always says “I’m not into fashion, I’m not into fashion!” whenever I scold his clothing choices. Most days you will see him wearing a worn T-shirt of a vacation spot my family has traveled to, and athletic sweat pants or faded jeans. His voice is warm and sweet, some quality makes it almost impossible to ignore. I can not tell you how much I love that kid.

Everyone can remember the person in their grade that was made fun of daily. Most people even enjoy joining in on the teasing ritual[2]. Normally it is Adam who is directly or indirectly being hurt without his even knowing it, or knowing all too well that there is something wrong. He does have something wrong with him, but I would never say that is wrong or his fault. The dictionary might say that it is “a pervasive[3] developmental disorder of children characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity and emotional detachment[4]”, but when you live with someone who suffers and shines with autism it is a very different concept. Adam has autism, but most days I don’t even think about that. I only think of how lucky and how much I have changed by having Adam as a brother.

I watch my peers every day, and I have changed. As if I see things through a different lens[5] than those around me. To say that Adam has changed my life is an understatement[6]. Adam has done so much more for me, my parents, and anyone who comes in acquaintance with him. He has taught us unconditional love and a never ending patience for others through his hardships.

I have experienced a lot in my life through Adam, some days I wonder how I am able to continue. A little light warms my soul to travel on through the dark. Adam is that light for me. He is special in many more ways than one. He gives me ideas to grow off of and to build onto. Adam is my brother, my hero in life, and I love him very much.
 

“你今天跟谁一起吃的午饭？”我问他。

“自己吃的，”他盯着自己脚上的旧鞋回答道。

“为什么啊？”他嘴唇干裂，话音刚落，我就立刻接着问。

“没有人跟我坐，而且我喜欢自己一个人吃饭，便于我思考问题。”

“哦，”我低声回答，泪水盈满了我的眼眶。

我的弟弟亚当在同龄人中身高算比较高的，他有一头棕色头发，绿褐色的眼睛，脸上一直都挂着灿烂的笑容，跟画在上面一样。每次我批评他的衣着时，他总说“我不赶时髦，我不赶时髦！”大部分时间你都可以看到他穿着带有我们全家曾去过的度假胜地标志的旧T恤、运动裤或褪色的牛仔裤。他的声音温和悦耳，有一种使人几乎不能忽视的特质。我都无法表达我有多喜爱那个孩子。

大家都能记住那个每天在班中被取笑的人。很多人也喜欢加入取笑别人的行列。通常，亚当就是那个被直接或间接伤害的人，但是他自己却不知道，或者他只是太清楚了。他确实有问题，但我决不认为那是他的问题或错误。词典上称之为“以沟通有障碍、行为刻板重复、极端孤独等为基本特征的儿童发育障碍性疾病”，但是当你同“自闭症”患者一起生活时，这个概念是完全不同的。亚当有自闭症，但我根本不会想到这些。我只是感到很幸运，因为弟弟亚当让我改变很大。

我每天都在观察我的同龄人，现在我已经变了，就如同我在用与他们不一样的视角看待一切。说亚当改变了我的生活只是个含蓄的说法。亚当为我、我们的父母以及所有认识他的人做了太多。他向我们展示了什么是无条件的爱和无尽的宽容。

因为有了亚当，我在生活中经历了许多许多。有时我纳闷自己为什么还能坚持。一线光亮温暖了我的灵魂，使我可以在黑暗的路上继续前行。亚当就是那线光亮，他在很多方面都很特别，他让我明白了成长的意义。亚当是我的弟弟，我生命中的英雄，我非常爱他。