When I was young， my father always stopped what he was doing and listened when I’d breathlessly fill him in on my day. For him， no subject was off-limits. When I was lanky 13， Dad coached me on how to stand and walk like a lady. At 17 and madly in love， I sought his advice on pursuing a new student at school.“Keep the conversation neutral.”he counseled.
I followed his suggestions and gave him daily progress reports“，Terrywalked me to my locker！”“Guess what？ Terry held my hand.”“Dad！ He asked me out！”Terry and I went steady for over a year， and soon Dad was joking，“I can tell you how to get a man； the hard part is getting rid of him.”
By the time I graduated from college， I was ready to spread my wings. I got a job teaching special education at a school in Coachella， Calif， a desert town about 170 miles from home. It was no dream job.
Low-income housing across the street from the school was a heaven for drug users. Street gangs hung around the school after dark. Many of my charges， emotionally disturbed ten to fourteen-year-old boys， had been arrested for shoplifting， car theft or arson.
“Be careful.”Dad warned me during one of my frequent weekend visits home. He was concerned about my living alone. But I was 23， enthusiastic and naive， and I needed to be on my own. Besides， teaching jobs were tight in 1974， and I felt lucky to have one.
“Don‘t worry.”I reassured him， as I loaded up the car to start my trip back to the desert and my job.
Several evenings later I stayed after school to rearrange my classroom. Finished， I turned out the light and closed the door， then I headed toward the gate. It was locked！ I looked around. Everyone- teachers， custodians， secretaries had gone home and， not realizing I was still there， stranded me on the school grounds. I glanced at my watch- it was almost 6 p.m. I had become so engrossed in my work that I hadn’t noticed the time.
After checking all the exits， I found just enough room to squeeze under a gate in the rear of the school. I pushed my purse through first， lay on my back and slowly edged through.
I retrieved my purse and walked toward my car， parked in a field behind the building. Eerie shadows fell across the schoolyard.
Suddenly I heard voices. I glanced around and saw at least eight high-school-age boys following me. They were half a block away. Even in the near darkness I could see they were wearing gang insignia.
“Hey！”one called out，“You a teacher？”
“Nah， she‘s too young- must be an aide！”another said. As I walked faster， they continued to taunt me.
“Hey！ She’s kind and cute！”
Quickening my pace， I reached into my shoulder bag to get my key ring. If I have the keys in my hands， I thought， I can unlock the car and get in before... My heart was pounding.
Frantically， I felt all over the inside of my handbag. But the key ring wasn‘t there！
“Hey！ Let’s get the lady！”one boy shouted.
Dear Lord， please help me， I prayed silently. Suddenly my fingers wrapped around a loose key in my purse. I didn‘t even know if it was for my car， but I took it out and clutched it firmly.
I jogged across the grass to my car and tried the key. It worked！ I opened the door， slid in and locked it- just as the teenagers surrounded the car， kicking the sides and banging on the roof. Trembling. I started the engine and drove away.
Later， some teachers went back to the school with me. With flashlight， we found the key ring on the ground by the gate.
But where did the other key come from？
When I returned to my apartment， the phone was ringing. It was Dad. I didn’t tell him about my ordeal； I didn‘t want to worry him.
“Oh， I forgot to tell you！”he said，“I had an extra car key made and slipped it into your pocketbook- just in case you ever need it.”
Today， I keep that key and treasure it. Whenever I hold it in my hand， I am reminded of all the things Dad has done for me over the years. And I understand how a simple act of love can make extraordinary things happen.
一次惊险的经历让我明白：简单的提示背后是父亲深深的爱。
参考翻译（佚名）
小时候，爸爸常常会停下手里的活儿，听我气喘吁吁地讲述一天里那些鸡毛蒜皮的事儿。我和爸爸之间无话不谈。13岁的时候，我身形瘦长，爸爸开始训练我走路和站立都要像个淑女。17岁那年，我发疯似的爱上了学校的一位新同学，于是我问爸爸该如何追他。爸爸劝诫道：“保持中立，不偏不倚。”
我听取了他的建议，并每天向他报告进展情况：“特瑞陪我去储物柜了。”“知道吗，特瑞牵了我的手。”“爸爸，他约我出去了。”我和特瑞交往了一年多，不久，爸爸开玩笑说：“我可以告诉你如何搞定一个男人，但要甩掉他可就难喽！”
大学毕业后，我打算出去好好闯一闯。我在加州考施拉城找了份在学校从事特殊教育的工作，那是一个沙漠城市，离家有170英里远。这并不是份儿理想的工作。学校对面的低收入经济房可是吸毒者的天堂。天黑后，常有成群结伙的青少年在学校周围逗留。我负责的多是10到14岁的男孩，他们由于入店行窃、盗窃汽车或纵火而被捕。
我常常周末回家，有次回家爸爸警告我“一定要当心”。我一个人单独住，他非常不放心。可我已经23岁了，踌躇满志而又天真幼稚，而且我需要独立。更何况教书在1974年可是很紧俏的，而我就有幸有了这样一份儿工作。
“别担心。”我安慰爸爸，同时往车上搬东西，准备起程返回沙漠工作。
几天后的下午，放学后我留下来重新布置教室。事毕，我关好电灯和门，然后朝校门走去。可是大门锁了！我环视四周，原来所有人，包括老师、管理员、秘书都回家了，他们走时没有注意到我还在呢。站在学校操场上，我真的束手无策。我看了看表，快6点了。我太专注于工作了，竟然忘了时间。
我检查了所有出口，发现学校后面有个门可以从下面钻出去。于是我首先将钱包扔了出去，然后躺下仰面慢慢地挤了出去。
我拾起钱包向我的车走去，我的车就停在大楼后面的空地上。校园到处晃动着恐怖的影子。
突然我听到有动静。环顾四周，我看见至少有八个高中生模样的男孩在跟踪我。他们离我只有半个街区远。即使天很暗了，我还是看见了他们佩戴的帮徽。
“喂！”其中一个喊道，“你是老师？”“不是，她太年轻了，肯定是个助手。”另一个人说。我于是加快了步伐，他们还继续嘲笑我。“嘿！她善良可爱！”
我一边加快步伐，一边把手伸进包里掏钥匙圈。我想，如果我手里有钥匙，就可以打开车门，在一切还没发生前钻进去……我的心怦怦狂跳不已。
我抓挠着翻遍了手提包，可是却没摸到钥匙圈。“喂，我们来泡泡这位小姐吧！”一个男孩喊道。仁慈的主啊，请你帮帮我，我默默地祈祷。突然我碰到了钱包里有把钥匙。我根本不知道这是不是车钥匙，但我还是掏出来紧紧地攥在手里。
我踉踉跄跄地穿过草地跑到我的车前，把钥匙塞进锁眼，车门开了！我打开车门钻了进去，然后锁上车门--就在那时，那群青少年围了上来，对我的车又踢又砸。我战战兢兢地发动了引擎，连忙开走了。
后来，有些老师和我一起回到学校。我们带着手电筒，在门外的地上找到了那串钥匙。
可是钱包里的那把钥匙是哪儿来的呢？回到住处时，电话铃响了。是爸爸打来的，我并没有告诉他这次惊险的经历，因为不想让他为我担心。“对了，我忘了告诉你！”他说，“我另外给你配了把车钥匙，就夹在你的钱包里，以防万一。”直到今天，我还保存着那把钥匙，并且非常珍视它。只要拿在手里，我就会想起这些年爸爸为我做的所有事情。而且我也明白一个简单的爱的表示，能够带来怎样的奇迹。
Caught by Her Smile 令人心醉的微笑
Anonymous
Well like most authors I am one who do not believe in love at first sight until I experienced it myself.
It all started like this， I was with a few friends at McDonalds， after my lecture from school， we were chatting and laughing at some stupid stories that one of my friends told.
Just then， a group of girls came and took their seats， there was this girl， quite outstanding for that striking red top she was wearing and she had this sweet smile.
Then， while they were at the counter， ordering their food， I noticed something， they all had a disability， and they could not talk. But， this was not considered a disability to me， I walked up to them， and ask for her number， well， she was surprised.
But， she eventually gave me her address and her name is Elaine， she did not have a phone at home and there was no possibility to talk to her.
