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"I need some food," she muttered in reply to my bright "Can I help you?"
“我需要点食物，”她小声嘟哝，算是在回应我那句响亮的“能为您效劳吗?”
"Are you looking for corn, ma'am?"
“太太，您是在找玉米食品吧?”
"I need some food," she repeated. "Any kind."
“我需要点食物，”她重复了一句。“随便什么。”
"Well, the com is ninety-five cents," I said in my most helpful voice. "Or, if you like, we have a special on bread today."
“嗯，这罐玉米九角五分，”我用一种最乐意效力的语气说。“要不，如果您喜欢的话，来一份我们今天的特价面包。”
"I can't pay," she said.
“我没钱支付，”她说。
For a second, I was tempted to say, "Take the com." But the employee rules flooded into my mind: Remain polite, but do not let customers get the best of you. Let them know that you are in control. For a moment, I even entertained the idea that this was some sort of test, and that this woman was someone from the head office, testing my loyalty. I responded dutifully, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't give away anything for free."
有那么一刹那，我真想说，“把玉米拿去吧。”但雇员守则却涌入了我的脑海：保持礼貌，但不要让顾客占你的便宜。要让他们知道，店是在你经管之下的。片刻间，我甚至心存这样的念头：这是对我的某种考验吧；这个老太婆嘛，没准是公司总部派了测试我的忠诚的。我恪尽职守地回应道：“很抱歉，太太，这儿的任何物品我都不能免费赠送的。”
The old woman's face collapsed a bit more, if that were possible, and her hands trembled as she put the can back on the shelf. She shuffled past me toward the door, her tom and dirty clothing barely covering her bent back.
老妇人的脸似乎更往内萎陷了些（如果还有往内萎缩余地的话），她把罐装玉米放回货架时，双手在不住哆嗦。她拖着脚，经过我身边，一路朝店门那儿走去，那一身破烂、肮脏的衣衫，勉强将她那弯曲的背部遮盖住。
Moments after she left, I rushed out the door with the can of com, but she was nowhere in sight. For the rest of my shift, the image of the woman haunted me. I had been young, healthy, and smug. She had been old, sick, and desperate. Wishing with all my heart that I had acted like a human being rather than a robot, I was saddened to realize how fragile a hold we have on our better instincts.
她刚离开一会儿功夫，我赶紧拿起那罐玉米冲出店门，但是已不见其人踪影。在余下的那段上班时间里，老妇人的形象始终萦绕在我心头。我年轻，身强力壮，沾沾自喜。她年迈，体弱多病，心情绝望。我真心希望我当时能表现得像个活人而不是“机器人”，但意识到我们保持自身良好本性的力量是多么的脆弱，又令我感到悲哀。
