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His wife, Carol, was cooking a pot roast when we walked into the kitchen. A seventh-grade science teacher, she was the picture of Southern charm.
我们走进厨房时，他的妻子卡萝尔正在炖牛肉块。她是一名七年级的科学课老师，简直就是南方魅力的化身。
Baxter explained that local folks were "mountain stay-at-home people", and he considered himself one of them. "We rarely entertain in our house," he said. "When we do, it's usually kin." The revelation made my night there all the more special.
巴克斯特解释说，当地人是“喜欢待在家里的山里人”，他觉得自己也是这么一个人。“我们很少在家里招待客人，”他说，“招待的话，一般是亲戚。”他的这番透露让我那一夜变得更加不同寻常。
The next morning when I came downstairs, Carol asked if I'd come to her school and talk to her class about my trip. I told her I didn't want to encourage a bunch of seventh-graders to hitchhike across the United States. But Carol said the kids should be exposed to what else is out there -- the good and the bad. "They need to know," she said.
第二天我下楼时，卡萝尔问我愿不愿意去学校跟她班上的孩子们谈谈我的旅行。我告诉她我可不想怂恿一帮七年级的孩子去搭便车游遍美国，但卡萝尔说孩子们应该接触到外面的世界是什么样子包括好的一面和坏的一面。“他们需要了解真相，”她说。
I agreed, and before long had been scheduled to talk to every class in the school. All the kids were well-mannered and attentive. Their questions kept coming: Where were people the kindest? How many pairs of shoes did I have? Had anybody tried to run me over? Were the pigs' feet as good in other parts of the country? Had I fallen in love with anyone? What was I most afraid of?
我同意了。没过多久，我就被安排给学校每个班讲话。所有的孩子都彬彬有礼而且聚精会神。他们的问题不断冒出来：哪儿的人们最友善？我穿坏过多少双鞋？有没有人试图轧死我？别的地方的猪脚也这么好吃吗？我有没有爱上过谁？我最害怕的是什么？
Although I hadn't planned it this way, I discovered that a patriotic tone ran through the talks I gave that afternoon. I told the students how my faith in America had been renewed. I told them how proud I was to live in a country where people were still willing to help out a stranger. I told them that the question I had in mind when I planned the trip was clearly answered. Indeed, no matter who you are, you can still depend on the kindness of strangers.
尽管我并没有打算这么做，我发现爱国主义的语调贯穿了那天下午的讲话。我告诉学生们，我对美利坚的信念如何重新燃起了。我告诉他们，生活在一个人们仍然愿意帮助陌生人的国度里，我有多么自豪。我告诉他们，我当初计划这次旅行时脑子里的问题已经得到明确的解答。的确，不管你是谁，你仍然可以依赖陌生人的善意。
