第11章 Thanks for Your Time
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.College,girls,career,and life itself got in the way.In fact,Jack moved across the country in pursuit of his dreams.There,in the rush of his busy life,Jack had little time to think about the past and stay with his wife and son.He was working on his future,and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone,his mother told him,"Mr.Belser died last night.The funeral is on Wednesday."
Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack,did you hear me?"
"Sorry,Mom.Yes,I heard you.It's been so long since I thought of him.I'm sorry,but I honestly thought he died years ago,"Jack said.
"Well,he didn't forget you.Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing.He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,"Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in,"Jack said.
"You know,Jack,after your father died,Mr.Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,"she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry,"he said."I wouldn't be in this business without him.He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom,I'll be there for the funeral,"Jack said.
As busy as he was,he kept his word.Jack caught the next flight to his hometown.Mr.Belser's funeral was small and uneventful.He had no children of his own,and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home,Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway,Jack paused for a moment.It was like crossing over into another dimension,a leap through space and time.
The house was exactly as he remembered.Every step held memories.Every picture,every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong,Jack?"his Mom asked.
"The box is gone,"he said.
"What box?"Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk.I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside.All he'd ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,"Jack said.
It was gone.Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it,except for the box.He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him,"Jack said."I'd better get some sleep.I have an early flight home,Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr.Belser died.Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox."Signature required on a package.Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,"the note read.
Early the next day jack got the package.The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago.The handwriting was difficult to read,but the return address ‘Mr.Harold Belser’ caught his attention.
Jack took the box out to his car and opened the package.Inside there was the gold box and an envelope.Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death,please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett.It's the thing I valued most in my life."A small key was taped to the letter.His heart racing,tears filling his eyes,Jack carefully unlocked the box.There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the beautiful casing,he unlatched the cover.Inside he found these words engraved:"Jack,thanks for your time!—Harold Belser"
"The thing he valued most was my time!"Jack held the watch for a few minutes,and then called his office to cancel his appointments for the next two days."Why?"Janet,his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son,"he said."Oh,by the way,Janet,thanks for your time!"
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.
感谢你的陪伴
距离杰克上次见那位老人已有段日子了。学业、女友、事业和生活琐事使杰克无暇去看望老人。他为了追逐自己的梦想游走在全国各地，如此一来，为了生活奔波的杰克少有时间去思索过去、陪伴妻儿。他忙于前途，什么也阻挡不了他。
电话里，杰克的母亲告诉他：“贝尔瑟先生昨晚去世了，葬礼周三举行。”
回忆不断闪过杰克的脑海，就像一部老新闻片，他静静地坐在那里追忆自己的童年时光。
“杰克，你在听吗？”
“抱歉，妈妈。是的，我在听。上次想起他已是很早以前了。我很抱歉，但说实话我原以为他几年前就去世了。”杰克说。
“噢，他可没有忘记你。每次我见到他，他都会问你的情况。他总会提到那些你在‘篱笆那边他家’度过的日子，他是这么说的。”母亲告诉他。
“我喜欢他住的那栋老房子。”杰克说。
“杰克，你要知道，你爸爸去世之后，贝尔瑟先生走进了我们的生活，确保你能够受到成年男性的影响。”母亲说。
“他正是那个教会我做木工活的人。”杰克说，“没有他，我不会进入这个行业。他花了很多时间教我他认为重要的事情……妈妈，我会去参加葬礼的。”
他依旧繁忙，但他遵守了承诺。杰克乘坐最近的一个航班回到自己的家乡。贝尔瑟先生的葬礼规模很小，平淡冷清，他自己没有儿女，亲戚大多已不在人世了。
回家的前一天晚上，杰克和他母亲顺道又一次去看看那栋老房子。
站在门廊里，杰克踟蹰了一会儿。他仿佛跨越了时空，进入了一个异度空间。
这栋房子正如他记忆中的那样，每个台阶都饱藏着回忆，每幅画，每件家具……杰克突然站住了。
“怎么了，杰克？”母亲问道。
“盒子不见了。”他回答。
“什么盒子？”母亲问。
“他锁着放在书桌上的一只小金盒。我问过他一千次里面放的是什么，每次他告诉我的只是‘我最珍视的东西’。”杰克说。
盒子不见了。房子里的每件东西都一如杰克记忆中的样子，除了那个盒子。他推测是贝尔瑟先生家里的人拿走了。
“好了，我永远都不会知道是什么对他那么重要了，”杰克说，“我最好睡一会儿。我是凌晨的飞机，妈妈。”
贝尔瑟先生去世大约两周后，有一天杰克下班回家，发现邮箱里有个纸条。“包裹需要签收。请于三日内到邮政总局取。”纸条上写道。
次日清晨，杰克取了包裹。那个小盒子旧迹斑斑，如同一百年前邮寄的一般。字迹难以辨认，但寄件人“哈罗德·贝尔瑟先生”引起了他的注意。
杰克拿上盒子，走出邮局，来到车上，打开包裹。里面装着那只金盒和一个封信。杰克读着里面的信，手颤抖着。
“我死的时候，请把这个盒子和里面的东西转寄给杰克·班尼特。这是我这一生最珍视的东西。”一把小钥匙附在信上，杰克的心怦怦直跳，泪水盈眶。他小心翼翼打开盒子，在盒子里面，他看到一块漂亮的金怀表。
杰克手指摩挲着漂亮的表盒，打开表盖，注意到里面几个刻下的文字：“杰克，谢谢你的陪伴！——哈罗德·贝尔瑟。”
“他最珍视的东西是我陪伴他的时间！”杰克握着怀表好几分钟，然后打电话到办公室取消了接下来两天的预约。“为什么呢？”他的助手珍妮特问道。
“我需要点时间来陪儿子，”他说，“噢，顺便说一句，珍妮特，谢谢你的陪伴！”
生命不取决于我们呼吸的次数，而取决于那些带走我们呼吸的时光。