The Day I Finally Cried
那天，我终于哭了
I didn’t cry when I learned I was the parent of a mentally handicapped child.
当我知道我是个智障儿的母亲时，我没有哭。
“Go ahead and cry,”the doctor advised kindly.
“想哭就哭吧。”医生善意地劝到。
But I couldn’t cry then nor during the months that followed.
但是，当时的我是不能哭的，在以后的日子里我也不能。
We enrolled her in our neighborhood school’s kindergarten at age seven.
克里斯蒂七岁时，我们把她送进了我们家附近的一所幼儿园上学。
I worried that when she was the“different”child among twenty five-year-olds, it was probably the loneliest moment she had ever known.
我担心，当她发现自己不同于其他二十个五岁孩子们的时候，她会感到前所未有的孤独。
However, positive things began to happen to Kristi in her school, and to her schoolmates, too.
然而,在学校里乐观的事情开始垂青于克里斯蒂和她的同学们。
When boasting of their own accomplishments,
当她们炫耀自己的作业完成得如何好的时候,
Kristi’s classmates always took pains to praise her as well,
她们总也要特意夸奖克里斯蒂，
“Kristi got all her spelling words right today.”
她们说：“克里斯蒂今天的拼写全都做对了。”
No one bothered to add that her spelling list was easier than anyone else’s.
没有人会再加上一句说她的拼写作业比其他任何人的都简单得多。
During Kristi’s second year in school, she faced a very special experience.
克里斯蒂上学的第二年,她面临了一次特别的经历。
The big public event of the term was a competition based on a culmination of the year’s music and physical education activities.
那学期的公众活动是一个建立在年度的音乐体育活动上的竞赛。
Kristi was way behind in both music and motor coordination.
克里斯蒂在音乐和运动方面都远远落在后面。
My husband and I dreaded the day as well.
我和我丈夫都很担心这一天的到来。
On the day of the program, Kristi pretended to be sick.
活动的那天，克里斯蒂假装生病了。
Desperately I wanted to keep her home.
我也非常想让她呆在家里。
Why let Kristi fail in a gymnasium filled with parents, students and teachers?
为什么要让克里斯蒂在这么多家长、学生、老师面前输掉比赛呢?
What a simple solution! But I finally got her onto the school bus.
为什么不找这样一个简单的解决办法呐!但是，我最终还是把她送上了校车。
Just as I had forced my daughter to go to school, now I forced myself to go to the program.
就像我强迫女儿去学校一样,现在轮到我强迫自己去比赛的地方。
Then I knew why Kristi had been worried.
那时我明白克里斯蒂为何担心了。
Her class was divided into relay teams.
她们班被分到了接力赛跑组。
With her limp and slow, clumsy reactions, she would surely hold up her team.
而克里斯蒂行动不便且缓慢笨拙,这样肯定会拖她这组的后腿。
But as Kristi’s turn to participate neared, a change took place in her team.
当快到克里斯蒂的时候，她们组发生了一件事情。
The tallest boy in the line stepped behind Kristi and placed his hands on her waist.
组里个子最高的男孩子走到了克里斯蒂的身后把手放在克里斯蒂的腰上，
Two other boys stood a little ahead of her.
另外有两个男孩子站到克里斯蒂稍前一点的位置。
The moment the player in front of Kristi stepped from the sack,
正当克里斯蒂前面的那个选手从袋子里出来的时候，
those two boys grabbed the sack and held it open while the tall boy lifted Kristi and dropped her neatly into it.
那两个男孩子抓住打开袋子，高个子的男孩举起克里斯蒂使她刚好被套进袋子里，
A girl in front of Kristi took her hand and supported her briefly until Kristi gained her balance.
克里斯蒂前面的女孩抓住她的手直到她站稳。
Then off she hopped, smiling and proud.
接着克里斯蒂开始跳跃，带着微笑和自豪。
Amid the cheers of teachers, schoolmates and parents,
在老师，同学和家长们的喝彩声中，
I crept off by myself to thank Heaven for the warm, understanding people in life who make it possible for my disabled daughter to be like her fellow human beings.
我悄悄地离开了。我感谢上天把热情，善解人意的人们带给我和克里斯蒂，他们让我身患残疾的女儿能像她的同伴们一样生活。
Then I finally cried.
于是，我终于哭了出来。
