此刻，我已经忘记了那块蜜桃派，入迷地听着祖母说话。“然后发生了什么事情呢？”当她停下来吃了几口派 时，我追问道。
“我告诉他，他并不是唯一失去了一条腿的人，尽管我的腿没给截掉。我给他看了关于我发生车祸的剪报。所以，如果你觉得我会让你在余生自怨自艾，想都别想。在外面还有全新的生活在等待着我们！我不打算为此 而顾影自怜。而眼下我要做的事情已经够多的了，所以你最好也赶紧给我振作起来。而且你可别想我会背你——你要自己向前走。，”祖母咯咯地笑着，这位满头银发的老妇人令人吃惊地发出了少女般的笑声。
“我一瘸一拐地走开了几步，然后让他看我从口袋里掏出的一样东西。现在让我看看，你还是个男子汉。我可不会说第二次。，他弯下腰从地上拿起他的拐杖，挣扎着从那副轮椅中站出来。可以看得出他之前从未这 样做过，现在只有一条腿的他差点扑倒在地。但我没打算帮他。接着他设法自己站稳了，向我走来，而且在他 的后半生里再也没有坐回到轮椅上。”
“你给他看了什么东西呢？”我一定要知道。祖母看着我咧嘴而笑，说道：“当然是一对订婚戒指了。在他从 军参战的第二天我就买了这对戒指，我可不想把戒指浪费在其他任何男人身上。”
我看着厨房墙壁上的那幅画像，那是多年前我祖父亲手绘就的。我眼中满含泪水，眼前的画像变得模糊起来。“你才是我的幸福。爱你一生。”我轻声低语道。画像中的年轻女人坐在公园长椅上，眼神清亮、笑容可掬地看着 我，她的手指上被精心地画有一枚订婚戒指。
cripple
【释义】v. 使成跛子 adj. 残废的，跛腿的
【短语】cripple cart 残疾人用手推车
stiffly
【释义】adv. 顽固地；呆板地；生硬地
insensible
【释义】adj. 昏迷的；无知觉的；麻木不仁的
【短语】be insensible of 对……没有感觉；不知道
pirouette
【释义】n.（芭蕾舞）脚尖旋转 vi.（芭蕾舞）以脚尖旋转
【短语】pirouette renverse 仰翻轴转
abruptly
【释义】adv. 突然地；唐突地
【短语】rather abruptly 冷不丁；stop abruptly 戛然而止
mesmerize
【释义】vt. 施催眠术；迷住；以魅力迫使
【短语】Mesmerize Blade 梅兹马拉斯之刃
grin
【释义】n. 露齿笑 v. 露齿而笑，咧着嘴笑
【短语】grin and bear it 逆来顺受
broadly
【释义】adv. 明显地；宽广地；概括地；露骨地；粗鄙地
【短语】broadly representative 有广泛代表性
Aunt Dolly，s Hat/ 多莉姑姑的帽子
Three things I was sure of as a child： My family loved me. The sun would come up tomorrow. I had a wonderful voice.
I figured the last one was unquestionably true，because I participated at the top of my lungs in all the family sing-alongs，and no one ever stopped me. So I was delighted when my second-grade teacher announced her plans for a musical pageant at Christmas.
“Singing，”said Sister Kathleen to our class，“is one of the most important ways you can tell God how much you love him.”She said she would cast singers according to ability. All 26 of us students raised our hands in eager anticipation.
“Those who feel confident about a solo role，from a line to the right of the piano，”she said. “If you feel more comfortable as a chorus member，stand to the left.”
Without hesitation，I stand in the line to the right of the piano.
It was my turn and I sang with all the emotion a seven-year-old could muster.“Thank you， Jacquelyn，”she said，interrupting.“Next，please.”I，d barely sung a dozen lines. Some of the kids snickered as I returned to my seat. What had I done wrong？
One by one the solo roles were soon filled. While the other children studied their music，Sister Kathleen motioned me to her desk. She looked kindly at me.
“Jacquelyn，have you heard the expression tone-deaf，？”
I shook my head.
“It means what you think you are singing is different from the music.”She patted my hand.“It，s nothing to be ashamed of，dear. You will still be in the pageant. You may mouth the words， but no sound must be uttered. Do you understand what I，m saying？”
“I understood，all right.”I was so ashamed，I didn，t go home after school. I took the bus straight to Aunt Dolly，s house. She had an answer for everything. Independently single in an era when most women wed，she，d gone on safari，shook hands with President Eisenhower，kissed Clark Gable on the cheek，and planned to visit every country in the world. More than anyone else，she would understand that my world had been turned upside down by this terrible revelation .
Aunt Dolly served me cookies and milk.“What will I do？”I sobbed.“If I don，t sing，God will think I don，t love him.”
She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table as her brow creased in thought. Finally her eyes grew wide.“I，ve got it！”she said.“I will wear my hat！”
Hat？ How can a hat help me with being“tone-deaf”？ Aunt Dolly leveled her brown eyes on me. Her voice dropped.“Jacquelyn，I，m about to reveal a bit of secret information about angels，but first you must swear that you will never tell a soul.”“I swear，”I whispered.
Aunt Dolly took my hand in hers.“When I was in Rome，praying in St. Peter，s，”she said，“I overheard a conversation in the next pew. They were also tone-deaf people，and also have concerns about God not understanding their silence in song. They were told，in the strictest confidence， of course，that a simple piece of aluminum foil is the answer.”
“I don，t understand.”
“You mouth the words，”she said.“Your silent words reflect off the foil. Angels capture the words and put them in special pouches they carry up to God. The result is that God hears your beautiful voice，singing in his praise along with your classmates.”
As fantastic as it seemed，I could picture angels doing this. Absolute faith shone in Aunt Dolly，s face. She would not cheat me.
“Where will I hide the foil？”
“I，ll hide it in my hat.”said Aunt Dolly，“I，ll sit in the front row. As for Sister Kathleen and your parents，not a single word to them.”
My entire family attended the pageant. With my eyes firmly on her hat，the fact that none present could hear my voice didn，t matter. My silent singing was for God，s ears alone. I gave what Aunt Dolly called“an Oscar-winning performance”.
Four years ago Aunt Dolly died at the age of 90. When the nieces and nephews gathered to reminisce about her，we discovered something many of us had in common，her“angelic hat”. A stutterer made it through a dreaded speech by concentrating on the hat. Even the most timid of us took part in school plays，spelling bees and talent shows because Aunt Dolly sat in the front row wearing her hat.
Her surefire faith that God，s angels are here to help us overcome life，s stumbling blocks enabled us kids to do things we thought were impossible.
Even now at times，when my world is turned upside down，I think of Aunt Dolly and her“angelic hat”. I remember that my childhood beliefs still hold true： My family loves me. The sun will come up tomorrow. And for one unforgettable Christmas pageant，I had a wonderful voice. I guess just about anything is possible when angels are on our side.
当我还是小孩子时，曾对三件事情笃信不疑：我的家人都爱我；太阳明天早上会升起；我的嗓音很美妙。
我认为最后一点毫无疑问的正确。因为每当全家一起唱歌时，我都会扯着嗓门大喊，从来没有人阻止过我。所 以当二年级的老师宣布圣诞节当天要举行一场演唱会的计划时，我别提有多高兴了。
凯瑟琳修女对我们全班说：“唱歌是你们表现有多爱上帝的最重要方式之一。”她说她将根据能力选出歌手。我们26个学生全都怀着热切的期望举起了手。
“你们当中对独唱有信心的在钢琴右边站一队，”她说，“如果你们对成为合唱成员更有信心，站在左边。”
我毫不犹豫地站在了钢琴右边的那一队里。
轮到我了，我以一个7岁女孩所能展示的最丰富的感情开始演唱。可没唱几句就被她打断了：“谢谢你，杰奎琳，下一位。”当我回到座位上时，有些同学在窃笑。我做错什么了吗？
一个接一个，独唱的名额很快就满了。当其他同学开始熟悉歌谱时，凯瑟琳修女把我叫到她的桌前，温和地看 着我。
“杰奎琳，你听说过音盲，这个词吗？”
我摇了摇头。
“就是说你发出来的声音与你自己想象的不一样，”她拍拍我的手说。“这没什么值得害羞的，亲爱的。你仍 然可以参加合唱队。你做出发音的口型就可以了，但不要发声。你明白我的意思吗？”