Late for dinner
《迟到的晚餐》

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often?
杰克仔细地看了一眼迈速表——车速73，限速55，然后放慢了车速。这已经是几个月来的第四次了，一个人怎么会如此频繁地被抓到？
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.
车速减到每小时10英里时，杰克把车子靠边停了下来，但车子停靠的位置距离路边还有一段距离。这让警察很担心会造成后续的交通事故——或许其他车的后视镜会剐到这辆车的尾部。警察走出警车，手里拿着一个大大的便笺簿。
Bob? Bob from Church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.
鲍勃？就是那个与自己在同一所教堂做礼拜的鲍勃？杰克又往上提了提风衣的领口。这种情况比即将到来的罚单更糟糕。一名警察抓到了一个每周日与自己一起在教堂做礼拜的家伙。这个家伙在办公室忙了一整天后，正好有点着急回家。明天这个家伙还要和他一起打高尔夫球。
Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform. "Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this." "Hello, Jack." No smile. "Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids." "Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good.
杰克从车里跳了出来，朝着那个他每个星期天都会见到，而且之前从来没见过穿着制服的人走去。“嗨，鲍勃，很高兴见到你。”“杰克，你好。”鲍勃回应道，脸上没有一丝笑容。“我猜我是在赶着回家去见我的妻子和孩子的路上被你抓了个现行。”“是的，我猜是这样的。”鲍勃的语气似乎不太坚定。还好。
"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once." Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?"
“我最近工作非常忙，经常加班。您能通融一下吗？仅此一次，下不为例。”杰克一边用脚趾踢着人行道上的鹅卵石一边说道。“黛安说今晚要做烤牛肉和土豆。明白我的意思吧？”

"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct." Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.
“我明白你什么意思。我还知道你在我们的选区很有名气。”哎哟，情况不妙。我得换换策略了。
"What'd you clock me at?" "Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?" "Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.
“您记录的我当时的时速是多少？”“70迈。您坐回车里好吗？”“等一下，鲍勃。我当时一看到您，就仔细看了一眼迈速表，也就刚刚65迈。”在罚单面前，谎言总是来的更容易些。
"Please, Jack, in the car." Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?
“杰克，请留在车里。”杰克穿过敞开着的车门进入车内，然后身体蜷成一团，样子有点惊慌失措。碰的一声，他把门关上了，眼睛盯着仪表盘。他没急着打开车窗。时间一分一秒地过去，鲍勃在便笺簿上草草地写着什么。可为什么他没让我出示驾驶证？
Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.
不管出于什么原因，之后的一个月里，杰克都不会在星期天坐在这个警察身边做礼拜了。轻轻敲打车门的声音让他的头猛地转向了左侧。是鲍勃，手里还拿着一张折叠起来的纸。杰克把车窗摇开了只有两英寸的一条缝，刚好能够让鲍勃把纸递给他。
"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice. Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:
“谢谢”杰克几乎没有掩饰住自己声音中带有的冷笑语气。鲍勃则一声不吭地回到了警车上。杰克从后视镜中用目光将鲍勃送上了车，然后打开了那张纸。这次得罚我多少钱？等一下，这是什么？不是开玩笑吧？杰克手中的纸确实不是罚单。上面写道：
"Dear Jack, once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it -- a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters. All three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left." —Bob
“亲爱的杰克，我曾经有一个女儿。她六岁时一次车祸夺走了她生命。你猜对了——是因为肇事司机超速。那个夺走我女儿生命的人交了罚款，坐了三个月牢，就什么事也没有了，就可以随时拥抱他的女儿们了。他有三个女儿，我只有一个，而且我只有去了天堂才能再次与她拥抱。我曾经尝试过一千次去原谅那个人。我也认为自己一千次都做到了。也许我的确原谅过他，但现在我还是需要再次尝试去原谅他。即使在现在也是如此。请为我祷告。开车小心点，杰克，我的儿子现在就是我的全部。”——鲍勃
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
杰克立即转过身去，可鲍勃的车已经开走了，正沿着公路朝远处驶去。杰克注视着那辆车，直到它消失在公路的尽头。足足15分钟后，他也启动了汽车，速度缓慢地将车开回了家。回到家里，他拥抱了有些惊讶的妻子和孩子们，心里祈求着宽恕。
The moral of this story: Life is precious. Handle it with care. This is an important message; please pass it along. Drive safely and carefully.
这则故事的寓意：生命是宝贵的，请珍爱生命。请认真对待这一忠告，并把它传播给更多的人。请大家小心驾驶，注意安全！