I am a music store owner. One day, when I was cleaning the instruments in my store, I saw an old man come in. His short steps dragged on the carpet. “Is 77 too old to learn the banjo?” he asked.
“It's never too late to learn to play,” I replied, holding back my doubts. Arthritic knuckles told me I was giving false encouragement. I reached the instructor's schedule and gave the rates, the available time and the additional information that he would need. To my surprise and delight, the old man, Carl, began banjo lessons three days later with my most patient teacher.
With nothing to do at home but practice, Carl made surprising progress. After breakfast he practiced for his required half hour. While waiting for lunch he picked up his banjo again for just a couple of minutes. Since TV was difficult for him to see and hear, he often played the banjo in the evenings. Carl was always early for lessons so it was a surprise that he didn't arrive one Tuesday.
The next morning I listened to the answering machine with sadness. “Carl's in hospital,” the voice recorded.
Two months later, I shared the newspaper obituary with the banjo teacher. We both shed tears for a surprisingly clever banjo student.
Several months later, an old woman came into the store carrying a plant. “This is for Carl's banjo teacher,” she said. “I'm his wife, Mary.”
“Why did Carl want to play the banjo?” I asked. Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Carl was at some show when he was 10 years old. He came close to the stage to watch the performers. When they were packing up their instruments, the banjo player said to Carl, ‘You want to see this up close?' Carl climbed up on the stage and from then on he wanted to play the banjo.” Carl had waited 67 years to fulfill this dream! Mary gave the plant to me. “Thank you for the best six months of his life,” she said.
【助读词汇】
-banjo n. 班卓琴
-arthritic adj. 关节炎的
-knuckle n. 指关节，膝关节
-rate n.费用，价格
-obituary n. 讣闻，讣告
【参考译文】
我是一家乐器行的老板。一天，当我在店里清理乐器的时候，我看见一位老人走了进来。他拖着小步走过地毯，问：“77岁才学班卓琴会不会太老了？”
我抑制住自己的怀疑，说：“学习乐器，从任何时候开始都不晚。”我患关节炎的指关节告诉我，可能不该这样鼓励他。我伸手拿出指导老师的安排表，然后告诉他学费，上课的时段，以及一些其他需要了争的信息。让我意外和高兴的是，老人卡尔三天后就跟我手下最有耐心的老师开始学弹班卓琴。
因为在家里除了练习没别的事做，所以卡尔取得了惊人的进步。早饭后，他按自己的要求练习半个小时。在等午餐的时候，他又拿起琴来弹上几分钟。因为他看不清电视，也听不清里面讲些什么，所以他常常在晚上练琴。卡尔上课一直来得很早，所以当有一天星期四他没有来上课时，让大家感到很意外。
第二天我打开电话答录机，伤心地听到里面的声音说：“卡尔住院了。”
两个月后，我把报纸上的讣闻给班卓琴老师看。我们都为这个出奇聪明的学生流下了眼泪。
几个月后，一位老女人端着一盆植物走进了乐器行。“这是送给教卡尔班卓琴的老师的，”她说，“我是他的妻子，玛丽。”
“卡尔为什么想弹班卓琴呢？”我问。玛丽深深吸了口气，然后慢慢地吐了出来。“当卡尔10岁的时候，他去看表演。为了看清演奏者，他站到了在舞台的最前面。当他们收拾乐器的时候，班卓琴的弹奏者对卡尔说：‘你想靠近来看吗？'卡尔爬上了舞台，从那以后他就想弹班卓琴。”卡尔等了67年才实现这个梦想！玛丽把盆栽递给我，说：“谢谢你让他度过了人生中最美好的6个月。”
【人生启迪】
生命一天没结束，我们的奋斗就一天都不会终止。不要在人前唏嘘感叹儿时不能实现的梦想，现在开始努力去实现它也不晚。无所为的话，你和梦想就天各一方。现在就行动的话，你和梦想可能只有一步之遥。