Growing Up|长大吧！

by Olivia Wycech

A deformed man can teach an impressionable kid a lot about life.

Growing up, we lived in a house across the street from a hospital. We rented out the upper floor to outpatients over the years, so I had become accustomed to people with varied ailments appearing on our doorstep. One evening, when I was about 10, a man no taller than me knocked on our door. He said he'd been looking for a room all day, but to no avail. It didn't take me long to understand that he'd been refused on account of his appearance. His face was so swollen that it was lopsided.

Although I was frightened, I knew we had to accommodate him. He said he didn't want to put us out, so he suggested he could sleep on the rocking chair on our porch. I talked with him while my parents set up a cot, and it didn't take long for me to realize that the man was weathered from raising his daughter and five grandchildren while plagued with cancer. The next morning, the man left us after refusing breakfast. He stayed with us every time he returned for his treatment, always bringing us fresh oysters, fish, or vegetables that he had grown in his garden. One thing that didn't change was the looks we got from our neighbors, who thought the man was bad for business.

Recently, I was at a friend's greenhouse when she showed me a beautiful flower potted in a rusty bucket. My friend just knew that it would turn out to be gorgeous, so it didn't matter what pot it was in. I chuckled because it reminded me of the man with the rough exterior, who had one of the nicest souls I had ever met.

    1.     Why was the storyteller frightened?

(A) She was worried the man would hurt her.

(B) She was wary of the man's appearance.

(C) She didn't want her neighbors to see her hanging out with a strange man.

(D) She didn't want her family to be robbed.

    2.     Why did the man offer to sleep outdoors?

(A) He didn't want to cause the family any inconvenience.

(B) He enjoyed sleeping in the wilderness.

(C) There was no room for him inside.

(D) He was used to living in the country.

    3.     Why did the flower remind the storyteller of the man?

(A) The flower didn't need a nice pot to be beautiful.

(B) The man always brought flowers when he stayed with them.

(C) Flowers were a symbol of the relationship between the girl and the man.

(D) It was the man's favorite kind.

    4.     Which of the following statements best describes the story?

(A) Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

(B) Actions speak louder than words.

(C) People shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

(D) Laugh and the world laughs with you.

长大吧！

一名畸形的男子能教导一位易受外在环境影响的小朋友许多有关生活的体验。

成长过程中，我们都住在某家医院对街的一栋房子。几年来，我们家将楼上那层楼租给门诊病人，所以我已对各种患有不同疾病的病人出现在家门口习以为常。我 10 岁时的某天晚上，一个个头比我矮的男子敲了我们家的门。他表示他已为住房找了一整天，但毫无结果。没多久我就明白了，因为外貌的缘故，所以他一直被人拒于门外。他的脸肿胀到都歪一边了。

我虽然很害怕，但我知道我们得供他住宿。他说他不想增添我们的麻烦，所以提议要睡在我家门廊的摇椅上。当我父母在帮他架设帆布床时，我则和他聊天，没多久我就得知该男子正受癌症之苦，同时还要养育他女儿及 5 个孙子，因此一副历经风霜的模样。隔天早上，该男子不肯吃早餐就离开了。

每次回诊治疗时他都会来与我们同住，他总会带新鲜牡蛎、鱼或从自家菜园带自己种的蔬菜来给我们。不变的是邻居看待我们的眼光，他们认为该男子对他们的生意有影响。

最近，我在朋友的温室内参观，她向我展示了一株种在生锈桶子里的美丽花朵。我朋友只知道它最终会成为一株艳丽的花，所以种在哪里并不打紧。我轻笑着，因为这让我想起那名男子，即使他的外表不好看，但却保有我见过最美的内在。