I run an online shop selling gadgets. A lot of Internet shoppers have asked me if I have a “real” store, where the products can be held, touched, turned over, or set up on a coffee table. So I rented a space at a local mall and started to face different kinds of customers.

Then one night, two days before Christmas and shortly before closing, a girl under ten and an adult came in. A candle caught the girl’s attention. She asked me the price and I told her, and she frowned, and told me that her mom really needed a new pair of slippers but she couldn’t get both on her small budget.

I asked her how much she thought she needed for the slippers and how much she had, then told her I’d let her have the candle for $2 (it was over $25). This made her happy. Then she told me how much her mom would love the candle while I wrapped it up for her.

Three days after Christmas a woman came in and asked me if I was Beverly. Getting ready for the worst and a possible refund, I said “yes”. The woman started crying. I became even more nervous. She went on to say how excited her daughter was on Christmas morning to give her a very special gift. When the woman opened the gift, they both cried with joy.

The adult woman who had been shopping with the girl was the mother’s sister, and she told the mother how the little girl came to get the candle. The mother just wanted to tell me how happy she was and how special this Christmas was for her, and to thank me in person. She started to cry again!

I lost money because of that candle, but I would do what I did again and again.

【日积月累】

gadget n. 小器具，小玩意，小配件

budget n. 预算

refund n. 退款

【参考译文】

蜡烛

我开了一个网店卖各种各样的小玩意儿。很多网上的顾客都问我有没有一个真实的店，在那里摆着商品，可以亲手摸摸，可以翻过来看看，还可以摆上一张咖啡桌。所以我在当地一家商场里租了一个店面，开始接触形形色色的客人。

圣诞节前两天的晚上，快关门了，一个不足10岁的女孩和一个大人走了进来。一支蜡烛把小女孩吸引住了。她问我多少钱，我报完价她便皱起了眉头，说她妈妈真的很需要一双新拖鞋，而以她不多的预算，不能买下两样。

我问她觉得买拖鞋会要多少钱，和她身上带了多少。知道后告诉她我可以以两美元的价钱把蜡烛卖给她(蜡烛至少值25美元)。她听了很高兴。在我给她打包起来的时候，她告诉我，她妈妈会多么喜爱这支蜡烛。

圣诞节过后的第三天，一位女士走进来问我是不是伯克利。做好了退货的最坏打算，我回答说“是”。她开始哭起来。我变得更紧张了。她说她女儿因为能在圣诞节早上送给她这么特别礼物兴奋得不得了。当她把礼物打开，两母女都高兴地哭了。

那天陪女孩一起购物的是她阿姨，她告诉这位母亲小女孩是怎么买下这支蜡烛的。这位母亲只想告诉我这年的圣诞节对她说很特别，想当面谢谢我。说完她又哭了。

因为那支蜡烛让我亏了本，但是我还会继续这样做。

【人生启迪】

你是否念念不忘曾经帮过你的人，虽然那只是个小小的举动，在那个时候对你来说却很重要。所以当你力所能及的时候，不要吝啬伸出你的双手，在你看来只是举手之劳，在他们眼里也许意义非凡。