致9号桌的女士和您的孩子

向晨

I did not introduce myself to you. My name is Tony Posnanski. I have been a restaurant manager for fifteen years now. My day consists of making sure my restaurant runs well. That could mean washing dishes， cooking and sometimes even serving tables. I have also dealt with every guest complaint you can imagine.

我还没有向你们介绍过我自己。我叫托尼·波斯南斯基。我做饭店经理已经十五年了。我每天的工作就是保证我的饭店运作良好。这意味着我需要洗碗、烹饪，有时甚至还要接待顾客。同时，我还得处理所有你们能想象得到的顾客投诉。

A few weeks back you came into my restaurant. I was very busy that night. I was running around helping cook food in the kitchen. I was asked to talk to a table close to yours. I did and they said your child was being very loud. I heard some yelling while I was talking to that table. I heard a very loud beep from a young girl.

几个星期前，你们来到我的饭店。那天晚上我很忙，在厨房东奔西跑地帮着烹饪。这时你们邻桌的顾客叫我去谈话，他们说您的孩子很吵。当我与他们谈话时，便听到了一些叫喊声，那是一个小女孩发出的很吵闹的哔哔声。

I started to walk to your table. You knew what I was going to ask. You saw the table I just spoke to pointing at you. I got to your table and you looked at me. You wanted the first word. You said，

我开始走向你们的桌子。您知道我是过来请您让孩子安静点的，因为当我和您的邻桌谈话时，您看见了他们指着你们。我来到您的桌前，您看着我，抢先说了话。您说：

“Do you know what it is like to have a child with autism？”

“您知道有一个患有自闭症的小孩是怎样的情形吗？”

You were not rude when you asked the question. In fact， you were quite sincere1. Your daughter could not have been more than five years old. She was beautiful and looked scared that I was at the table. She looked like she thought she was in trouble.

您问这个问题时并不粗鲁。事实上，您是如此地真诚。您的女儿应该不超过5岁，她长得很漂亮。看见我站在桌旁，她似乎很害怕，仿佛觉得自己有麻烦了。

In fifteen years I do not have a lot of memorable2 moments as a restaurant manager. I remember some guests who were mad that their burger was not the way they wanted it. I remember a woman who called corporate on me because she said I gave her a regular Coke instead of a Diet Coke. I remember having to keep people from drinking alcohol3 and I remember having to tell tables to have their child be quieter.

在这15年里，作为一个饭店经理，我并没有很多难忘的时刻。我只记得一些顾客因为汉堡不是他们想要的那种而生气；只记得一位女士打电话到公司投诉我，因为我给了她一杯普通的可乐，而不是健怡可乐；只记得我不得不阻止人们酗酒；以及我曾无奈地劝顾客请他们的孩子安静一点。

However， I do remember everything about the day my son was born. How I cried when I heard him cry. How I stood there and told him I would do anything for him and be the best father possible. I remember the day I married my wife. How I cried and promised to be the best husband possible. I remember the day my daughter was born. I did not cry that day. I was just so relieved4 because I lost a child two years earlier.

然而，我却记得儿子出生那天的一切。当听到他的哭声时，我喜极而泣。我站在那里告诉他，我会为他做任何事情，会尽可能地做一个最棒的爸爸。我记得我与妻子结婚的那天，我流着泪，承诺着要努力做个最称职丈夫。我还记得女儿出生的那天。那次我没有哭泣。在她出生的两年前我失去了我的儿子，而如今又重新拥有一个新生命使我终于感到了宽慰。

I know what I was supposed to5 say when I went to your table. I was supposed to politely tell you to please not have your daughter yell. I was supposed to offer to move you to another area. I was supposed to offend6 you by not offending you... I did not do any of that.

当我走向您时，我很清楚自己应该说些什么。我本应该礼貌地请您让您的女儿停止喊叫，或给你们提供另一个区域的桌子就座。我本应该向您提出这些请求，用一种并不冒犯您的方式。 但是，我并没那样做。

Instead I just told you I hoped your meal was awesome7. I high fived8 your daughter and then I told you that your meal was on us tonight. It was only sixteen dollars. It meant more to me than that. I do not think the other guests I spoke to were happy about it. At that moment it did not matter to me.

取而代之的，是我告诉您，我希望你们能用餐愉快。我与您的女儿击掌，然后跟您说今天的晚餐我请了。虽然只是16美元，但是这对于我的意义远远不止这些。我想邻桌的顾客听到我说的话肯定会不高兴，但是在那一刻，那些对我来说根本不重要了。

I did not know how you reacted. I had to leave to cook because the kitchen was not doing very good that night. When the server asked me why I bought the food I just said you did not enjoy your steak9. I did not tell anyone what you said to me. I was thankful you did say it to me though.

我不知道您后来作何反应。我不得不离开去烹饪了，因为那天晚上厨房那边表现得不太好。当服务员问我为何买单时，我只是说您不满意那份牛排。我没有告诉任何人您对我说过什么，但我真的很感激您对我说的那句话。

You asked me a question that I did not answer. The truth is I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism. I know what it is like to be a father. I know what it is like to be a husband. I know what it is like to not tell his wife how much he loves her enough. I know what it is like to want to spend more time with his children.

我当时没有回答您问我的问题，因为事实上我并不知道有一个患有自闭症的孩子会是怎样的情形。可我知道作为一个父亲和丈夫是怎样的情形；我知道没有告诉妻子自己有多么爱她是怎样的感受；我也知道想花更多的时间去陪伴孩子是怎样的心情。

You asked me the question right away. You have been through this before in other restaurants. I did not want to be like other managers for one moment. I did not want to tell you what you always heard.

当时您立刻就问了我那个问题，我想您一定是以前在别的饭店里就经历过这种情况。在那一刻，我不愿意像其他经理那样，去说您经常听到的那些话。

Honestly， I wrote this to you and your beautiful daughter because I wanted to thank you both.

说实话，我给您和您的漂亮女儿写这封信，是想感谢你们。

You have given me a great restaurant memory. One that I needed for the last fifteen years.

你们给了我一个很棒的饭店回忆，一个我需要用来度过下一个15年的记忆。

You also taught me a valuable lesson—Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy； just the people who need it the most.

你们也给我上了宝贵的一课。那就是：有时候，做一件正确的事并不能让所有人都快乐，可是让最需要得到帮助的人快乐，也就足够了。

Sincerely，

Tony Posnanski

托尼·波斯南斯基谨上