A light drizzle was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the Methodist Church, eager to get home and play with the presents that Santa had left for us and our baby sister, Sharon. Across the street from the church was a Pan American gas station where the Greyhound bus stopped. It was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing outside the locked door, huddled under the narrow overhang in an attempt to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I raced to keep up with Jill.

　　天上下著毛毛細雨，我和姐姐吉爾跑出衛理公會教堂，滿心只想著快點回到家玩聖誕老人給我們和小妹妹莎倫準備的禮物玩具。教堂的對面是泛美油站，灰狗長途汽車會在那裡中途停站。因為是聖誕節，那天油站沒開，不過我發現在緊鎖的站門外站著一家人，他們擠在狹小的簷篷下，想盡量不被雨淋溼。我閃過一個疑問，他們為什麼站在那裡呢?但在我趕上吉爾的時候也就把這個疑團拋諸腦後了。

　　Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was still there, standing outside the closed gas station.

　　回到家後其實根本沒時間讓我們盡情把玩禮物，因為我們馬上又得去爺爺奶奶家共進一年一度的聖誕大餐。在開車經過剛才那條大路時，我看到那一家人仍然站在緊閉的油站門外。

　　My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, "I can't stand it!"

　　在那主幹道上爸爸的車開得很慢。越接近去爺爺奶奶家的分岔路口，車子就越慢。突然，爸爸在半路中途來了個180度轉彎，把車子原路駛回，他說："我實在不忍心!

　　"What?" asked my mother.

　　"什麼?"媽媽問他。

　　"It's those people back there at the Pan Am, standing in the rain. They've got children. It's Christmas. I can't stand it."

　　"那幾個在雨中站在泛美油站外的人。他們還帶著小孩呢。聖誕節當前，我真的不忍心啊。"

　　When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children - two girls and a small boy.

　　爸爸把車開到油站旁停下，我看見那一家總共有5個人：父母倆和三個孩子--兩個女孩跟一個小男孩。

　　My father rolled down his window. "Merry Christmas," he said.

　　爸爸搖下車窗對他們說："聖誕快樂!"

　　"Howdy," the man replied. He was very tall and had to stoop slightly to peer into the car. Jill, Sharon, and I stared at the children, and they stared back at us.

　　"你好，"那個男人回了一句。他長得很高，要稍微彎下腰來往我們車裡瞧。我和吉爾、莎倫盯著那幾個小孩，他們也瞪眼看著我們。

　　"You waiting on the bus?" my father asked.

　　"你們在等汽車嗎?"爸爸問他們。

　　The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and prospects of a job.

　　男人回答說是，他們準備去伯明翰，他有個哥哥在那邊，而且期望能謀到一份工作。

　　"Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn's just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there, and some benches," my father said. "Why don't y'all get in the car and I'll run you up there."

　　"汽車起碼要好幾個小時後才到這裡，站在這兒等車你們都會淋溼的。往前幾英里就是溫邦站，那兒有個棚屋，有地方避雨，還有些板凳。不如上車我送你們到那裡吧。"

　　The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.

　　男人想了一下然後示意他家人過來。他們鑽進車裡，除了身上穿著的衣服，他們沒有任何行李。

　　Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three glum faces mutely gave him his answer.