約翰的選擇

郭樹霞

Sounds of constant traffic and busy sidewalks roared throughout the park. To any other man this would be the worst environment for thinking， but for John， the rainbow of noises was the perfect escape.

"Sir， would you like ketchup1） or mustard2）？"

John wasn't an average man. He was average to the extent that he put his pants on one leg at a time， but with John， the problem wasn't putting on his pants. To any other person， John would have been categorized in the "one heck of a3） lucky kid" group. John was the son of two entrepreneurs. He had attended the best schools and was instructed by the best tutors. He had had the best coaches for every sport and had always been the star player. All of the choices John's parents had made had earned him success， success in everyone else's eyes， at least.

"Sir， I ain't got all day. The question ain't that hard. Ketchup or mustard？"

"Oh， I apologize，" said John， "I'll take both， please."

Walking away from the stand4） with his covered hot dog， John had to once again face reality. The noise of the street still remained but it had lost its effect when answering the question， "Ketchup or mustard？"

John had just graduated from college， first in his class， of course. Job offers were flying at him like Pottery Barn5） catalogs came in the mail. He had gotten offers from law firms， publishing companies and other large companies. John had interviewed with many of the high-paying jobs， but when he was offered the job， his stomach would turn and he would reject it.

Finishing his hot dog， John began to get nervous about the interview. He wasn't nervous because he was afraid of getting the job， but because he was afraid that once again his stomach would turn.

A few hours later， after long interviewing and stomach turning， he was once again sitting on a park bench by the hot dog stand. It was the same stand where he had felt satisfaction from answering the simple question about a hot dog topping， and the same bench where he could drift away， lulled6） by the street noise.

When John was a kid， he often felt like something was wrong with him. In his parents' eyes， he was a prodigy. Adults had always called him a genius and told him how he was going to be very successful. Whenever John would win at sports， he felt like people felt better for him than he did for himself. John had always been interested in other people， not himself. At one point in his childhood， his parents noticed his lack of smiles and hired the famous therapist Odys Seus to help him. John had hated his sessions with Dr. Seus because he couldn't stand talking about himself.

"What're you all dressed up for？ Not often I see a successful-looking guy like yourself getting a hot dog."

Somewhat annoyed that someone else wanted to hear about him and his "success"， John hesitated. "Well， I just had an interview with Lynyrd Publishing."

"Lynyrd Publishing！" the man exclaimed. "That's the biggest publishing company in the city！ How'd you do？"

"I got the job ..." replied John， "but I turned it down."

"Turned it down？ Why on earth would you do that？"

John thought about the question. Why did I turn it down？ According to other people， it was an amazing job. "I guess it just wasn't for me. Well， I'm on my way to another interview now. Thanks for the hot dog，" said John.

"It's what I do，" chuckled the vendor7）.

John finished his hot dog and felt ready to take on8） life. The hot dog was his Excalibur9）. He soon reached the building. There he stood at the foot of his last hope： Richards law firm. Though it was the last， it definitely wasn't the least. Richards was like the owl and all the other law firms were mice. So， of course， it was also the interview that John had been afraid of the most.

He walked into the building and felt even more frightened when he noticed eerie10）， black-marble walls. He could see his reflection in each of the black tiles11） and realized how nervous he looked. John rode the elevator to the top floor and waited.

"Sir， we're ready for you，" said the over-exuberant12） secretary.

John entered the office and met eyes with his interviewer. She walked toward John and gave him a handshake like a robot. The interview was John's last chance to be successful. Because of that and the frightening， robot-like interviewer， John could barely breathe. From his point of view， the interview went horribly， but like everyone else， the interviewer thought he did a successful job and welcomed him to the team.

John closed his eyes and waited for his stomach to turn. His stomach didn't turn but the light pouring through the window gave him the answer he needed.

John stood up. Confident.

"Sorry， but I can't take this job."

"What？！" she exclaimed. "Are you serious？ Do you know how many people would like to have a job here？ You will never be more successful anywhere else！ You're crazy！"

Slightly frightened by the screaming robot-lady， John quietly replied， "Sorry， ma'am， but I'm going to go get a hot dog now."

Thirty years later at a park bench near a hot dog stand， two boys laughed and waited for their hot dogs.

"Shouldn't you kids be in school？" asked John.

The boys laughed， "Yeah， right. Like we need be going there."

"Well， if you don't go to school， what will you do for a living？"

"Who knows， old guy？ I'm pretty sure we'll be more successful than a hot-dog guy. That's for sure."

The boys paid for the hot dogs and walked away laughing like two hyenas13）.

John stared at the kids and chuckled to himself. He no longer had to hear people be interested in him. Now he was just the hot-dog guy， taking an interest in others by talking to his customers. John was married with two kids and a grandson. He was the most successful man he knew.

John had found success in what may seem like the most unexpected place. Every day he looked back on the moment he realized what success was to him. The day when he was asked， "Ketchup or mustard？"

道路上車流滾滾，人行道熙熙攘攘，嘈雜的聲音響徹整個公園。對于其他任何人來說，這都會是個最不適合思考的環境；但于約翰而言，這喧鬧像道彩虹，是最佳的避遁之所。

“先生，您要番茄醬還是芥末醬？”

約翰不是個普通人。他穿褲子時一條褲腿一條褲腿的穿，從這點來看，他也算是個普通人。但對于約翰，問題不在于他是怎樣穿褲子的。在任何旁人的眼里，約翰應該都會被歸為“超級幸運兒”這一類。約翰是一對企業家夫婦的兒子。他上過的學校都是最好的，教他的家庭老師也是最好的。每一個運動項目他都有最優秀的教練指導他，并且他永遠都是明星運動員。約翰的父母做的所有選擇都為他贏得了成功——至少在其他所有人眼里那是成功。

“先生，我可沒一整天的時間等您回答。這個問題沒那么難吧。您要番茄醬還是芥末醬？”

“哦，抱歉，”約翰說，“我兩樣都要，謝謝。”

約翰拿著抹了醬的熱狗，從攤位前走開，不得不再一次面對現實。街道依舊喧鬧不斷，但是當他回答“要番茄醬還是芥末醬？”這個問題時，這些喧鬧好像失去了效果。

約翰剛剛大學畢業，當然，是以全班第一的成績畢業。工作機會紛至沓來，就像陶瓷谷倉家居店的廣告目錄涌進郵箱一樣。他早已得到了律所、出版公司以及其他大公司提供的工作機會。他參加了很多高薪職位的面試，但當對方提出要錄用他，他就會覺得反胃，然后就會拒絕這個工作機會。

吃完熱狗，約翰開始為面試的事兒緊張起來。他緊張并不是因為害怕得到這份工作，而是因為害怕他會再一次反胃。

幾個小時之后，經過了長時間的面試和反胃，他再一次坐在了公園里熱狗攤位旁邊的長椅上。剛才正是在這個攤位上，他回答了那個關于在熱狗上抹什么醬的簡單問題，并從中得到了滿足感。也正是在這條長椅上，街道的喧囂讓他感到內心安寧，他得以神游物外。

在約翰小的時候，他常常感覺自己好像哪里不對勁。在父母眼里，他是個神童。大人們總說他是個天才，還說將來他會如何非常成功。每當約翰在體育比賽中勝出，他都覺得人們對他比他對自己的感覺還要好。約翰感興趣的一直是別人，而非自己。在他童年的某個階段，父母注意到他很少笑，于是請了著名的心理醫生奧德賽·蘇斯來幫助他。約翰痛恨蘇斯醫生對他做的那些療程，因為他無法忍受談論自己。

“你穿這么正式是要干嗎？我很少看到像你這樣看上去很成功的人來買熱狗吃的。”

見別人想探聽他以及有關他“成功”的事情，約翰不免有點生氣，他遲疑了一下說：“呃，我剛去林納德出版公司面試了。”

“林納德出版公司！”那人驚叫道，“那可是這個城市最大的出版公司！結果怎樣？”

“我通過了面試……”約翰回答，“但是我拒絕了。”

“拒絕？您究竟為什么那么做？”

約翰思考著這個問題。我為什么拒絕了呢？在別人看來，那可是份非常不錯的工作。“我想那個工作只是不適合我。對了，我現在要去參加另一個面試了。謝謝你的熱狗。”約翰說。

“我就是干這個的，不謝。”熱狗攤主輕聲笑道。

約翰吃完熱狗，感覺又準備好迎接人生的挑戰了，而那個熱狗就是他的王者之劍。他很快就到了面試的大樓。他站在樓下，這里的理查茲律所是他最后的希望。盡管這是最后的希望，但絕對不是最無足輕重的希望：理查茲律所就像是貓頭鷹，而其他所有律所都是老鼠。因此，這自然也是約翰一直最為擔心的一場面試。

他走進大樓，當他看到那些怪異的黑色大理石墻壁時，覺得更害怕了。在每一塊黑色的瓷磚上，他都能看到自己的身影，他意識到了自己看上去有多么緊張。約翰乘電梯來到了頂層等候面試。

“先生，我們可以開始了。”那位活力四射的秘書說。

約翰走進辦公室，與面試官對視。她朝約翰走過來，像機器人一樣和他握了握手。這次面試是約翰成為成功人士的最后機會。正因為這個原因以及這位令人害怕的、像機器人一樣的面試官，約翰幾乎無法呼吸。在他看來，這場面試糟透了，但就像其他所有人一樣，面試官卻認為他表現非凡，歡迎他成為公司的一員。

約翰閉上雙眼，等著自己反胃。這次他并沒有反胃，但是從窗戶傾灑而入的陽光給了他所需要的答案。

約翰站起身來，信心滿滿。

“抱歉，我不能接受這份工作。”

“什么？！”面試官喊道，“你是說真的嗎？你知道有多少人想在這兒得到一份工作？你在別的任何地方都不可能比在這兒更成功！你瘋了！”

約翰有點兒被這個大喊大叫的機器人女士嚇著了，他平靜地回答：“對不起，女士，我現在得去買個熱狗。”

30年后，在公園里一個熱狗攤位附近的長椅上，兩個男孩嬉笑著，等著他們的熱狗。

“你們兩個小孩兒現在不是應該在學校里嗎？”約翰問道。

那兩個男孩笑道：“是哦，沒錯。貌似我們應該去上學哦。”

“就是啊，如果你們不上學，以后你們靠什么生活呢？”

“誰知道啊，老頭兒？但我很肯定我們會比一個賣熱狗的家伙更成功，這是肯定的。”

男孩們付了熱狗的錢，像兩只土狼一樣大笑著走開了。

約翰看著兩個小孩，自顧自地輕聲笑了。他再也不用聽別人饒有興趣地打探他的事情了。現在他只是個賣熱狗的家伙，在跟他的顧客們聊天時會對他們產生興趣。約翰結了婚，有兩個孩子，還有一個孫子。他是他認識的人里最成功的。

約翰在看似最意想不到的地方找到了自己的成功。每天他都會回憶那個讓他意識到成功于他意味著什么的時刻，就是他被問及“要番茄醬還是芥末醬？”的那一天。

1. ketchup [?ket??p] n. 番茄醬

2. mustard [?m?st?d] n. 芥末醬

3. one heck of a： 極度的，很

4. stand [st?nd] n. 攤位

5. Pottery Barn： 陶瓷谷倉家居店，美國的一個家居用品連鎖店，創立于1949年。

6. lull [l?l] vt. 使平靜

7. vendor [?vend?（r）] n. 小販

8. take on： 接受……的挑戰

9. Excalibur [?k?sk?l?b?] n. 王者之劍，也稱Caliburn，是（傳說中）英國國王亞瑟王的神劍。

10. eerie [???ri] adj. 怪異的

11. tile [ta?l] n. （貼墻或鋪地用的）瓷磚

12. exuberant [?ɡ?zju?b?r?nt] adj. 充滿活力的

13. hyena [ha??i?n?] n. 土狼