评论
打印
Disappointed, Mike and I sat in silence for about twenty minutes before we began cleaning up our mess. The business was over on opening day. Sweeping the powder up, I looked at Mike and said, “I guess Jimmy and his friends are right. We are poor.”
失望之中，迈克和我呆坐了大约20分钟才开始收拾残局。我们的生意在开始的第一天就结束了。在我清扫熟石灰粉时，我看着迈克，对他说：“我猜基米他们是对的，我们是穷人。”
My father was just leaving as I said that. “Boys,” he said. “You’re only poor if you give up. The most important thing is that you did something. Most people only talk and dream of getting rich. You’ve done something. I’m very proud of the two of you. I will say it again: Keep going. Don’t quit.”
爸爸正要离开时听到了我的话，“孩子们，”他说，“如果你们放弃了，你们就只能是穷人了。最重要的是你们已经尝试了。大多数人只是夸夸其谈，梦想着发财致富，而你们已经付出了行动。我真为你们骄傲，我要再说一遍，继续努力，不要放弃。”
Mike and I stood there in silence. They were nice words, but we still did not know what to do.
迈克和我默默地站在那儿，这些话听起来不错，但我们仍然不知道应该做些什么。
“So how come you’re not rich, Dad?” I asked.
“那你为什么不是富人呢，爸爸？”我问。
“Because I chose to be a schoolteacher. Schoolteachers really don’t think about being rich. We just like to teach. I wish I could help you, but I really don’t know how to make money.”
“因为我选择了当一名老师。老师不该去想怎么发财。我们就是喜欢教书。我希望我能帮你们，但我真的不知道怎么才能赚大钱。”
Mike and I turned and continued our cleanup.
迈克和我转过身去继续清理现场。
“I know,” said my dad. “If you boys want to learn how to be rich, don’t ask me. Talk to your dad, Mike.”
“我了解，”爸爸说，“如果你们想知道如何致富，不要问我，去和你爸爸谈谈，迈克。”
“My dad?” asked Mike with a scrunched-up face.
“我爸爸？”迈克苦着一张脸问道。
“Yeah, your dad,” repeated my dad with a smile. “Your dad and I have the same banker, and he raves about your father. He’s told me several times that your father is brilliant when it comes to making money.He seems to be building an empire, and I suspect in a few years he will be a very rich man.”
“对，你爸爸。”爸爸微笑着重复道，“你爸爸和我聘请同一个银行经理，他对你爸爸非常崇拜。他对我提过好几次，说你爸爸在赚钱方面是个天才。他似乎正在建立一个帝国。我想也许几年之后他就会成为一个非常富有的人。”
With that, Mike and I got excited again. With new vigor, we began cleaning up the mess caused by our now-defunct first business. As we were cleaning, we made plans for how and when to talk to Mike’s dad. The problem was that Mike’s dad worked long hours and often did not come home until late. His father owned warehouses, a construction company, a chain of stores, and three restaurants. It was the restaurants that kept him out late.
听完这番话，我和迈克又兴奋起来了。我们身上充满了干劲，开始清理首次失败的生意所造成的混乱局面。我们一边清理一边制定了一个与迈克的爸爸谈话的计划，例如：该怎样谈，何时谈。问题在于迈克的爸爸工作时间很长，并且经常很晚才回家。他爸爸拥有一个货仓，一家建筑公司，一些连锁商店和3个餐馆。他到很晚才能回家。
