The Accident 劫后重生

愛爾蘭劇作家蕭伯納有句名言：“讓你疲憊不堪的不是連綿不斷的群山，而是你鞋里的一粒沙子。”這粒沙子就是我們經(jīng)歷劫難后的心理障礙，人生旅程漫漫，積極甩掉鞋里的那粒沙子才能以輕快的步伐繼續(xù)前行。

Two years ago， when I was 16， I thought I would live forever. I would never have to be like other people. I was going to break out of the ordinary. It was junior year and I was already being scouted1） to play volleyball in college for full scholarships. My friends were great and I was getting the best grades ever.

One Friday just like any other， I went to school and then to volleyball. It had been a good day， I had no homework and I had fun plans for the weekend. After practice my friend Kris and I stuffed a lot of sports equipment in his little red and blue Beetle and headed to his house， just like we had done every other day that year.

The stoplight at the top of a hill about a mile from Kris' house was red， so we waited， talking about one of our teachers. There were no other cars there. The light turned green and we started to move. All of a sudden a Camaro2） going at least 65 m.p.h. came out of nowhere. It smashed into the side of our car， which spun around and around， flipped a few times and finally stopped when it smashed into a tree.

My leg was trapped， wedged3） between the seat and the door. I don't know how it got there. When the car flipped the first time my leg was freed. Crushed and shattered， I was thrown from the car. I saw the car smash into the tree and I wondered about Kris. Was he dead？ Was he in the car？ Neither one of us had been wearing seat belts.

I was in a frenzy4）， trying to find Kris but I was losing a lot of blood from cuts on my leg. I could not move my legs at all and had pain in my back. I tried to get up， but couldn't. I decided to move any way I could. This only left me the choice of pulling myself along with my arms. It was hard and slow. I was feeling faint. I wanted to lie down and sleep. I had a pain in my right arm that I had not noticed before. I had to find Kris. I started screaming.

\"Kris， Kris， where are you ... Kris， Kris！\"

All I could think of was that he had died. I would have to go to his mom and tell her that I was sorry her son had died and I had lived. After what seemed like an eternity， I made my way up to the road. I saw him lying in a heap5）. I didn't know what to do. I could not help. I began to slip in and out of consciousness. I never made it to Kris.

I don't know how long we laid there with the smashed cars， glass， blood and people strung about the intersection or how long it was before someone came along. I don't remember the trip to the hospital or the next seven days. They had to do four operations to repair my leg and other broken parts. They could not fix my spine. I broke it in half one inch above my hipbone.

I woke up some time later to a room full of my crying family， which was not what I needed. I looked around and thought， \"I lived， wow.\" I asked in a quivering voice， \"Where is Kris？\" My mother looked at me with tears running down her cheeks.

\"He's all right. He went home two days ago. I was so worried ...\" I stopped listening.

Then a doctor asked how I was feeling. I don't know what he expected me to say. He started to tell me that my leg was crushed badly and they had to put pins， bolts6） and other metal pieces in it. He was telling me that my spine was broken and I would not be able to run， walk or move my legs. I still had movement in my arms and hands， but not my legs. I didn't want to hear that. I wanted to see all the people I loved.

The next day Kris and a bunch of kids from school came to see me， which was so nice. They were all happy that we were all right. I didn't even know half the kids. They brought a big poster other kids had signed. The art class made get-well cards for me.

When the kids left I got to talk to Kris. He told me that he was so scared I was going to die. He felt it was his fault that I was in the shape I was. I told him I felt the same thing about him and I could not have handled it if he died. We started to talk about happier things.

I spent quite a bit of time in the hospital getting poked and pinched to see how bad I was. I will never walk again， but that doesn't matter to me. They said it was amazing that we lived. The driver of the other car died on impact. After a while I was almost as good as new. My leg healed and they took some of the pins out.

The fact that I can't walk does not bother me anymore. At first it was hard to get used to not having legs when for 16 years I used them every day. Some days are still harder than others.

Months later we went to the spot where the accident happened. You could still see the tire marks and where the car had rolled. It really made me think. This accident was one of the worst and best things that ever happened to me. But I will live， and Kris will live. Now I know I am not invincible7）.

I found what really matters to me： friends， loved ones and enjoying life. I'm glad I have not had to deal with the loss of a friend. I know some day I will， but everyone I care about will live forever in my heart. I am thankful for the time I have and the people I have to share it with.

So， love your friends and family. Don't hold grudges8）. Do all that you can to be happy. Don't sweat9） the small stuff. Smile when you feel like crying. And always remember that you are alive and life is what you make it.

兩年前，我16歲，那時我以為自己永遠(yuǎn)不會死。我永遠(yuǎn)不必像其他人一樣。我將擺脫普通人的宿命。當(dāng)時我上高三，已經(jīng)被大學(xué)的排球隊選中，還獲得了全額獎學(xué)金。我的朋友們都很好，我的學(xué)習(xí)成績也是有史以來最好的。

那個周五和任何一個周五沒什么兩樣，我去上學(xué)，然后去打排球。那天天氣很好，我沒有家庭作業(yè)，而且我已經(jīng)為周末制定了好玩的計劃。練完排球后，我和朋友克里斯將一大堆運動器材塞進(jìn)他那輛小巧的紅藍(lán)色甲殼蟲里，然后出發(fā)去他家，正如那一年我們每隔一天就做的那樣。

車開到離克里斯家大概一英里的一個小山坡上時，正好遇上紅燈，于是我們停車等候，聊起了我們的一位老師。當(dāng)時那里沒有其他車。信號燈變綠，我們啟動車子。突然，一輛時速至少為65英里的科邁羅不知從哪兒冒了出來。它從側(cè)面狠狠撞上我們的車，我們的車被撞得直打轉(zhuǎn)，接著翻了好幾個跟頭，最后撞上了一棵樹才停了下來。

我的一條腿被卡在了車座與車門之間，拔不出來。我到現(xiàn)在都不知道那條腿是怎么卡到那兒的。車翻第一個跟頭時，我的腿不是卡著的。我在車?yán)锉粩D過來壓過去，最后被甩出了汽車。我眼睜睜地看著我們的車撞到樹上，我想知道克里斯怎么樣了。他死了嗎？他在車?yán)飭幔课覀儌z當(dāng)時都沒有系安全帶。

我發(fā)瘋一樣地想要找到克里斯，但我腿部的多處傷口在大量出血。我根本沒法挪動雙腿，背部也疼痛不已。我想要站起來，但卻做不到。我決定不管怎樣都得盡我所能移動一下。這樣一來我唯一的選擇就是用雙臂讓自己往前蹭。這樣做艱難又緩慢。我感覺頭暈?zāi)垦＃蚁胍上聛硭挥X。我的右胳膊有一處之前沒有注意到的地方很疼。我必須找到克里斯。我開始大叫。

“克里斯，克里斯，你在哪兒？克里斯，克里斯！”

我滿腦子想的都是他死了。我將不得不去找他媽媽，告訴她我很抱歉，她兒子死了，而我活了下來。經(jīng)過一段似乎永無盡頭的時間之后，我終于爬到了馬路上。我看見他躺在地上動彈不得。我不知道該做些什么。我沒法幫他。我的意識開始斷斷續(xù)續(xù)，時而清醒，時而模糊。我始終沒能爬到克里斯身邊。

我不知道我們在那兒躺了多久，身邊是兩輛被撞得面目全非的汽車、玻璃碎片、斑斑的血跡和路口來來往往的行人，我也不知道過了多久才有人過來。我不記得是怎么去的醫(yī)院，接下來的七天里發(fā)生了什么我也沒有印象。他們不得不給我做了四次手術(shù)來接好我的腿和其他骨折部位。但他們沒法修復(fù)我的脊柱，因為我的脊柱在髖骨上方半英寸的地方折斷了。

一段時間之后，我醒了過來，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己躺在一個站滿了我的家人的房間里，他們都在流淚，而這不是我需要的。我環(huán)顧四周，心里想：“我活下來了，哇！”我用顫抖的聲音問：“克里斯在哪兒？”我的媽媽看著我，淚水順著她的面頰流了下來。

“他沒事兒了，兩天前出院回家了。我真擔(dān)心……”她后面說的話我就沒再聽了。

然后一位醫(yī)生問我感覺如何。我不知道他當(dāng)時期待我說什么。他開始告訴我，我的一條腿被嚴(yán)重擠壓，他們不得不在我的腿里放進(jìn)了鋼釘、螺絲和其他金屬部件。他正跟我講，我的脊柱折了，所以我將不能跑，不能走，也不能挪動雙腿。我的胳膊和手還可以動，但我的腿不能動了。我不想聽這些。我想看見所有那些我深愛的人。

第二天，克里斯和學(xué)校的一幫孩子來看我，這太好了。我倆大難不死，他們都很開心。這幫孩子里我甚至有一半都不認(rèn)識。他們帶來了一張巨大的海報，其他的孩子都已在上面簽了名。美術(shù)班的同學(xué)為我做了康復(fù)卡。

孩子們離開后我得以和克里斯說會兒話。他告訴我，他極怕我會死掉。他覺得我變成當(dāng)時那樣都是他的錯。我告訴他我和他一樣，覺得他受傷都是我的錯，要是他當(dāng)時死了，我肯定也承受不了。然后我們開始聊一些比較開心的事情。

我在醫(yī)院里待了相當(dāng)長一段時間，被人戳戳這里掐掐那里，好弄清楚我的情況到底有多糟糕。我再也不能走路了，但這對我來說并不重要。他們說，我們能夠活下來就已經(jīng)很讓人驚訝了，另一輛車的司機(jī)當(dāng)場就被撞死了。沒過多久我就恢復(fù)地完好如新。我的腿痊愈了，他們把腿里的一部分鋼釘取了出來。

我不能走路這個事實也不再困擾我。一開始，我很難適應(yīng)沒有雙腿的日子，因為這16年來我每天都在用它們走路。現(xiàn)在的有些日子仍然比其他時候更艱難。

幾個月后，我們?nèi)チ艘惶耸鹿拾l(fā)生的地點。你還是能看見輪胎留下的痕跡和汽車翻滾過的地方。這真正讓我開始思考。這場事故是發(fā)生在我身上最不幸也是最幸運的事情之一。但我將繼續(xù)生活，克里斯也是。現(xiàn)在我終于明白，我并不是不可戰(zhàn)勝的。

我發(fā)現(xiàn)了真正對我重要的是什么：朋友、我愛的人和享受生活。我很慶幸自己并未不得不去承受失去一個朋友的痛苦。我知道有一天我將不得不去面對，但每一個我關(guān)心的人會永遠(yuǎn)活在我心里。我很感恩我擁有的時光以及與我分享這些時光的人。

所以，一定要愛你的朋友和家人。不要積怨于心。要盡一切可能讓自己開心，不要為小事而煩惱。當(dāng)你覺得想要哭泣時請保持微笑。此外，永遠(yuǎn)記住你還活著，你的生活由你自己創(chuàng)造。

1.scout [ska?t] vt. 物色（運動員）

2.Camaro： 科邁羅，美國通用汽車公司的一款車

3.wedge [wed?] vt. 將……擠入

4.frenzy [?frenzi] n. 瘋狂

5.in a heap： 在地上一動不動

6.bolt [b??lt] n. 螺釘

7.invincible [?n?v?ns?bl] adj. 不可戰(zhàn)勝的

8.grudge [ɡr?d?] n. 怨恨

9.sweat [swet] vt. 為……擔(dān)心；為……著急