I've seen this guy at Starbucks in Marin City several times. Every time I’d see him I'd tell myself that I would take him to lunch but always found an excuse not to. Today was different. It might have been selfish but I was lonely. I didn't want to spend the whole day alone. I walked up to him, put my hand on his shoulder and said “ do you want to have lunch with me?”
我曾經在馬林城的星巴克里見過這個家伙幾次了。每次見到他，我都告訴自己，要請他吃頓午飯，但總是能找到借口推脫。今天有些不同，我獨自一人，說起來也許有些自私，但我確實不想孤獨地呆一整天。于是我向他走去，拍拍他肩膀說：“你愿意和我共進午餐嗎？”
Tarec Atkinson was born and raised in Jamaica. When he was a kid, he dreamt of being a famous futbol (soccer) player. He was recruited to play in school but never got the opportunity because of some trouble he got in as a teenager. He moved to the states 8 years ago and has spent the last 12 months living in a tent by the side of the freeway. Tarec goes days without eating, sometimes living off of the berries he picks, he spends 90% of his time alone and has no friends and no family in the states.
Tarec Atkinson生在、長在牙買加。小時候他就夢想成為一名著名足球運動員。他被招進學校踢球，但由于青年時期的一些麻煩事兒，他沒有得到過任何機會。8年前，他來到了美國，在高速公路旁的帳篷里住了近12個月。Tarec已經好幾天沒有吃東西了，有時候靠摘來的漿果過活。90%的時間他都獨自一人，在美國沒有朋友，也沒有家庭。
After hearing it had been a month since he bathed, I brought him back to my apartment so he could enjoy a hot shower. Because of all these hardships, trying to get a job is impossible. How can you fill out an application when you haven't eaten in days? I told Tarec that I would drive around with him next week and help him fill out applications and even speak on his behalf to help him land a job so he can get back on his feet. We agreed to meet that Friday at 9:30 AM at Starbucks.
在聽說他有一個月沒有洗澡之后，我帶他回了自己的公寓，這樣他就可以洗個熱水澡了。因為他的困苦經歷，想找到一份工作也基本不可能。就像你幾天沒吃東西，怎么會有心力去填工作申請表？我告訴Tarec下周我會拉著他到處轉，幫助他填寫申請，甚至可以替他說話，找到一份工作，讓他可以找回自己的路。我們約定星期五上午9:30在星巴克見面。
If we were going to make this happen, I knew we had to get Tarec some new clothes. We stopped at Ross so he could pick out a shirt and some slacks. I was blown away at the immediate change in his demeanor. His smile was radiant, he stood up straighter, and even walked with a swagger.I couldn’t convince him to tuck in his shirt. I guess you win some and you lose some haha.
如果我們要辦到這些事，我覺得有必要給Tarec弄一些新衣服。我們把車停在羅斯服裝店門口，讓他進去挑選襯衫和長褲。我隨即被他的氣質給驚呆了。他的笑容是那樣燦爛奪目，站得更加筆挺了，甚至走起路來都昂首闊步。但我沒能說服他把襯衫扎起來。好吧，你贏了，可惜少了一些調侃的樂趣。
Next step was to hit the streets. We spent the next two days going door to door to see who was hiring. We went to Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks just to name a few. I would walk in with him so he knew he wasn’t alone. It can be overwhelming to walk into a business and ask for a job. I was very proud of him. We had a few positive responses but the majority of business’s told us that applications were submitted online. Easy enough right?
下一步就是向著街道出擊了，接下來的兩天我們挨家挨戶地走，看看有哪些招聘。我們去了Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks和一些耳熟的公司。我和他并肩走在路上，讓他知道他并不孤單。其實親自跑到一家公司求職的舉動是難以讓人回絕的。我為他感到驕傲，我們有一點積極的反饋，但大多數企業告訴我們，求職申請需要在線提交。這很容易，對嗎？
Wrong.
Tarec doesn’t have a computer. So we went to the local library and began filling out applications. And let me tell you something. We take our computer literacy for granted. Watching him struggle to fill out an application put so much into perspective for me. Some people judge our homeless. We’ve all heard someone say “why don’t they just get a job?” or “they’re lazy”. I saw firsthand how the “system” is set up to fail people like Tarec. There is no way he would have been able to do any of this without my help. Just like there are many things in my life I have needed someone to help me overcome an obstacle. We all need a little help.
不對！
Tarec根本沒有電腦。所以我們去了當地的圖書館，開始填寫申請表。讓我來告訴你一件事，我們認為我們的電腦素養是理所當然的。但是當看著他掙扎著填寫一份申請，就打破了我許多原有的觀念。一些人以審判的眼光看待這些無家可歸的人。我們總能聽到有人說：“他們為什么不找份工作呢？”或“他們懶”。我親眼目睹了“制度體系”是怎樣設置得讓Tarec這樣的人落魄。如果沒有我的幫助，他沒有任何門路去做任何事。就像我生命中有很多事情一樣，我也需要有人幫我克服障礙。我們都需要一點點幫助。
After week of phone interviews Tarec landed an in person interview at Safeway. I remember driving to Safeway being nervous. I looked over to him and asked how he was feeling. He looked back at me and said “I got this”. I believed him.
在電話面試的一周后，Tarec收到了Safeway公司的人事面試。我還記得開車去Safeway公司時我心里的緊張感。我盯著他，問他感覺怎么樣。他回過頭看著我說：“我會拿下它的。” 我相信他。
I dropped him off, wished him luck and waited. 20 minutes later, I see him walk out of Safeway with a big smile and a thumbs up. I let out a Rick Flair sounding “WOO!”. We had accomplished a lot together in two weeks. It was an incredible moment.
他下了車，我祝他好運，開始了等待。20分鐘后，我看到他走出safeway，臉上掛著一個大大的微笑，豎起大拇指。“我愛你！” 我高聲喊叫。我們在兩周內一起完成了那么多的事情，這是一個難以置信的時刻。
Obviously we had to celebrate with a little ice cream! :)
Like we all are, Tarec is searching for a purpose in life. He yearns for happiness. He craves for a woman to love and to feel the love from a woman. He wants to create a better life for himself so he could one day have a family and stability. He is just like you and me.
顯然我們得用一點冰淇淋慶祝一下！:)
Tarec其實和我們一樣，他也在尋找一個生活目標。他渴望幸福。他也渴望去愛一個女人，同時感受來自女人的愛。他想為自己創造更好的生活，以便有一天他能擁有自己的家庭和安穩的生活。他就是你和我。
My hope in sharing this story is that it will inspire others to spread LOVE. We all need help in one way or another. Sometimes all someone needs is a friend. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
我分享這個故事是希望它可以鼓勵其他人傳播愛。我們都需要不同形式的幫助。而有時，一些人需要的就只是一個朋友。謝謝你花時間讀我的故事。
聲明
本譯文轉自Quora，僅供個人研習、欣賞語言之用，謝絕任何轉載及用于任何商業用途。本譯文所涉法律后果均由本人承擔。本人同意在接獲有關著作權人的通知后，刪除文章。
