Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down her window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he closed her trunk.
她的车不过是爆胎了，但对于一位上了年纪的老太太来说，这已经足够糟糕了。比尔钻到车子底下，找地方放好了千斤顶，他不小心檫破了手上的几块皮。一会儿，轮胎换好了，但他却弄脏了衣服，擦破了手。正当他把螺丝拧你时，老太太摇下了车窗的玻璃，跟他聊了起来。她说她从圣.路易斯来只是路过这里，她对他来帮助感激不尽。比尔只是笑笑，盖上了车的后备箱。
She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Joe never thought twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed, and Joe added "...and think of me."
她问他该付多少钱，多少钱都可以。要不是他停下来帮忙，她知道要发生什么可怕的事情。比尔没有在意钱的问题，这不是他的工作，只是给有困难的人帮助罢了，过去有很多人也曾给他以帮助……他就 是这么过来的，也从没有想过不这么做会怎样。他告诉她，如果他真想报答他，等下次有人需要帮忙的时候，她可以给他们帮助，比尔补充说：“那时，请想起我。”
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor, it didn't ring much.
他一直等到她发动车子离开，天特别冷，阴沉沉的，但他感觉很开心。他驾车向家里驶去，消失在黑暗中。开了几公里路，老太太看到一家小咖啡店，她准备进去吃点东西，暖暖身子，然后再开车回 家。店里光线阴暗，门外有两个旧的油泵。整个环境显得很萧条，她很少见过这样的咖啡店，收银机就像过气演员家里的电话机，响不了几下。
Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.
女服务员拿了一条毛巾，让她把湿漉漉 的头发擦干。女服务员面带甜甜的微笑，即使在店里站了一天了，她也还是微笑着。
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