“Information Please,” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. 

“Information”  

好不容易找到聽眾，我禁不住淚如雨下，對著話筒啜泣著說「我的手指受傷了。」
對方問：「你母親不在家嗎？」
我答道：「只有我一人在家，」
我哭得更傷心了。

“I hurt my finger…” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. 

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question. 

“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered. 

 
「有沒有流血？」她又問。
我說：「沒流血，但手指被槌子打到，很痛。」
「你能從冰箱裡拿到冰塊嗎？」
我說可以。
「去取一小塊冰來，把它按在你受傷的地方」，那聲音又說。

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.  

“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.” 

“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. 

從此之後，一遇麻煩我就撥 “請接服務台”。
她會告訴我費城的地理位置，幫我解數學題目。
我在公園裡抓到一隻花栗鼠，她教我用水果及堅果餵它。

After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.   

後來，我們家的寵物，金絲雀貝蒂過逝了，我撥電話給“請接服務台”，告訴她這個惡耗。
她聽完，跟我說了些大人安慰小孩的話，可是我仍然非常傷心。

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown ups say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled.

 
我問她：「為何這樣一隻歌聲美妙，且給我們家帶來這麼多歡樂的小鳥，最後落得只剩一堆羽毛呢 ？」
她一定是感受到了我的哀傷，因為這次她用嚴肅的語氣回答說：
「保羅，永遠記住，牠還可以在其他的世界裡唱歌。」
我突然覺得舒服多了。

I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?” She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.”
Somehow I felt better.      

又有一天，我又打給“請接服務台”。
「服務台！」耳邊響起那已變得很熟悉的聲音，
「請問【FIX】怎麼拼？」我說。

 Another day I was on the telephone. “Information Please.” 

“Information,” said the now familiar voice. 

“How do you spell fix?” I asked.

上述事件發生在美國西北部臨太平洋的一個小鎮。
到我九歲時，我們雖舉家遷居東北部的波士頓市，我卻一直非常懷念我的朋友。
由於“請接服務台”是居住在老家的那個舊木盒裡，我從未想過要去使用那支放在新家客廳桌上的新話機。

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. 

“Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. 

後來年歲雖然漸長，幼時在電話機上的種種對話的記憶卻歷久彌新。
每當心中產生困惑和不安時，我總會回想起我那位朋友往日賜予我的安全感，我終於能體會她花在我這位小朋友身上的耐心、寬容和仁慈是何等可貴。

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. 
   

 
數年後某天，我乘飛機赴西岸就讀大學，途經西雅圖，趁約半小時的等機空檔，我和當時居住在那兒的姐姐通了個電話。
之後幾乎是不假思索，我又撥了另一個號碼─老家小鎮的接線生，「請接服務台」我說。

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 30 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. 

Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information, please.”

奇蹟似的我又聽到那熟悉、微細、卻清晰的聲音「服務台」
剎那間，毫無預備的我竟聽見自己說，
「能不能請你告訴我【FIX】如何拼？」

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. 

“Information.” 

I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying,” Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”

好長一陣寂靜之後，傳來那依然柔和的聲音，
「我想你的手指現在該痊癒了吧？」

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.” 

我不禁興奮的笑了出來。
「真沒料到你仍在這裡工作」我說，
「我想你大概無法了解，昔日你對我的意義是如何重大。」

I laughed, “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.”
  

她回道：
「我想你大概也無法了解在那段時日，你的電話，對我有多麼重要。
我自己未曾生育子女，所以經常盼望你打電話給我。」

“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.”
  

我告訴她，這些年來是如何的想念她，並問她以後若回來探望姊姊時，可否再打電話給她。
「你一定得再打給我。」她說：「我叫莎莉。」

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. 

“Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally.” 

 
三個月後，我再度回到西雅圖。
一個陌生的聲音回答說：「服務台。」
我說：「請找莎莉。」
「你是她的朋友嗎？」她說。
我回道：「是的，我叫保羅是非常老的朋友。」

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.” 

I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said. 

“Yes, a very old friend,” I answered.

「很抱歉，過去幾年莎莉因為生病，所以一直在上兼職的班，她已在五個星期前去逝了。」

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.”
 

在我即將掛上聽筒之際，
她說：「稍等一下，你說你叫保羅嗎？」
「是的」

Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Is your name Paul?” 

“Yes.”

「莎莉有留言要我轉告你，她把它寫在一張小條子上，讓我唸給你聽。

“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.

 
她說：請告訴他，我仍堅信還有其他的世界可讓我們唱歌。
他會懂我意思的。」

” The note said, “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”

 
我謝過她，並掛上聽筒。
是的，我的確明白莉莎的意思。

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. 

有心或是無心的幫別人一個小忙，
也許會佔用自己一些的時間、一些的心力，但是受到恩惠的人卻會感謝你一輩子.......

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?

所以，可以為別人服務不是一件很美好的事嗎？

謙遜~~使凡人彷如天使。