熟悉的陌生人

熟悉的陌生人

这一天又是一个平常的日子。事实上，安迪甚至不记得他上一次有不正常的一天是什么时候。可能是一年前，也许两年前。连他自己的生日也没有足够的意义来形容那一天有什么不寻常的。唯一能表明时间流逝的，是挂在安迪门后的日历上不直的黑色标记，上面盖着大衣。

雷安迪是典型的美国男人，跟你看到在好莱坞电影的街头扮演角色的人一样。 他个子很高，深棕色的短发梳到脑后，手里拿着一个公文包，一个装满西装的衣柜，左手腕上有个手表上的凹痕。

如果他的生活可以用一个词来形容，那就是：工作。 他的脑子里有一个日程安排。 所以，他甚至不需要他戴的手表，手表对他来说只是一个配件。 无论如何，就像其他任何一天一样，早上 7:00，他的闹钟响起了令人讨厌的声音，但在几秒钟内就停止了。 仅在今天，它响了 8 秒，而不是常规的 5 秒。

安迪挣扎着寻找卡在床底下的左拖鞋，7 点 02 分刷牙，7点13分换衣服，7 点 20 分搅拌他的早晨咖啡。他忍不住打了个哈欠，这是一个特别阴沉的星期三早晨。 7 点 38 分，他一居室公寓的前门随着一声熟悉的吱吱声关上了，他要去上班了。 迟到了 2 分钟。

忘记扣大衣扣子，一缕头发从脑后伸出，安迪匆匆穿过芝加哥再熟悉不过的街区，来到他位于一栋高层建筑 11 楼的办公室。 这一天街道比平时更热闹。 人如此之多，以至于安迪在那天早上他走过的每条街道上都禁不住擦过某人至少一次。 安迪焦急地看了看手表，呼吸急促，想以最快的速度绕过一位正在慢慢走在他面前的老妇人。 看到机会，安迪连忙试图绕过她。若不是听到背后传来喘息声，看到所有人转头看去，他根本不会注意到有什么不对劲。

当安迪转身时，他看到一个塑料杯在街对面滚动，硬币散落在人行道上。 他花了几秒钟的时间才追查到杯子是从哪里来的，但当他意识到街上的每个人都在盯着他看时，一切都变得清晰起来。 视线移开，他看到一个二十多岁的年轻女子，一脸的心碎，卷着一条薄毯坐在地上，伸手去拿杯子，几乎希望这能阻止它滚到街上。

女人颤抖着，瘦得不自然，皮肤苍白，头发油腻。 她看起来和安迪同龄。

尴尬的安迪压抑住自己厌恶的情绪，跪下，默默地捡起了散落在街上的硬币。 将杯子还给女人的时候，他屏住呼吸，没有看她的眼睛。 她太脏了，他看不上。

现在得赶快跑，安迪迟到了 30 秒才到他的办公室， 正好赶在他的老板出现检查他当天必须提交的报告之前。

接下来的日子一如既往地按计划进行，但有些事情让安迪失望了。 那次遭遇之后，他开始注意到那个女人，每天上班的路上，她看着他，眼中带着希望。 但他越看，安迪就越生气和厌恶。 他更加想要让这个肮脏的女人搬到别的地方，这样他就再也见不到她了。

一天，他正享受着阳光明媚的好天气，那个女人在街上拦住了他。

她说：“从我来到这条街的第一天起，我就一直在看着你。你肯定也注意到了我。 我希望你能帮上忙……”

“我没时间！” 安迪喊道，试图逃跑。

安迪对她的无礼感到恼火，说不出话来，但如果他知道一件事，那就是他不想和她说话。然而，她紧紧抓住他的外套。

“就一次，好心的先生，就一次。 我从星期一开始就没有吃过东西，”她说，“我知道你能帮上忙。 我真的需要你的帮助。”

意识到她不会让他一个人就这样离开，而他上班已经迟到了，他掏出钱包，默默地朝她扔了一张10美元的钞票，自信地走开了。

几天后，这个女人的脸色比以往任何时候都更糟，安迪开始感到厌恶，但也开始有新的感觉 –– 一些新的情感。 几乎就像……同情。 他一言不发，一次又一次地拉开钱包，不停地往她的杯子里丢了 5 美元。

一周后，他开始在每次出门前在口袋里准备一张 5 美元的钞票。 一言不发，这变成了一种无声的仪式，一种例行公事。

一个星期六，他像往常一样四处闲逛，从那个女人身边经过，但身上没有带钱。 她一如既往地对他微笑，但他没有什么可以给她的。 他感到十分内疚，他停下来说：

“抱歉，我今天没有零钱。”

女人也带着同样的笑容回答说：“请不要担心。 你是我过去几周能够活下来的唯一原因。 没有你的帮助，我什么都吃不下。”

这回答让安迪震惊，他不知道如何回答。 他没有意识到她的情况有多严重。 他喃喃自语：“为什么？”

安迪感到很困惑。 在如此繁忙的街道上，不可能没有其他人帮助这个女人。 可他才发现，一直以来，他从没见过任何人给那个女人找零。 也许他真的是唯一一个帮助她的人。

“嗯，你看，”女人说，“我一个人在芝加哥的街道上。 我这里没有亲人，也没有人收留我，帮助我重新站起来。 我一直在努力让事情顺利进行，但你看看，我所做的一切都没有奏效。”

安迪问：“你怎么到了这里？”

她说：“在我无家可归以前，我和我单身母亲住在农村，她一生都在照顾我。 她为我而活，把她所有的钱都花在我身上，照顾我。 当时，她把她所有的积蓄都给了我，让我实现了上高中的梦想。 我非常高兴，这是我一生中最快乐的一天。 除了住在农村，我们不知道上高中要花多少钱。 在我一个人搬到芝加哥之后，我妈妈有一个​需要钱的紧急情况​。我很快就知道为了继续学习钱一点也不够。 我完成了第一年，成绩非常好，但在我第二年的中间，钱突然用完了，我不得不退学。”

安迪问问她：“你为什么找不到工作啊？”

女人回答说：“我到处找，从保姆到打扫卫生和上夜班，我什么都试过，但没人想要一个只受过中学教育的女人。 很快，我完全没钱了，没有办法回家乡看我妈妈。 这就是我最终流落街头的原因，”女人说完，满是悲伤地叹了口气。

安迪说：“原来如此，我很遗憾听到这个消息，”他补充道。 “你现在打算做什么？”

她冷静地回答说：“我希望我知道。现在只是想一天一天地过下去，”她补充道，试图让自己的脸上露出一丝微笑，但她的眼神透露出她的悲伤。

安迪再次说：“我明白了。” 这一次，他真的是说不出话来了。 他说再见，然后走回家，这次慢了一点，走路也不再像机器人，思考使他的步伐慢了下来。

这种情况使他很困扰。

他认为：“当她只有一条毯子和一个杯子的时候，她怎么还能每天微笑？ 她怎么会……开心？想不通那个女人怎么不放弃？”

过了几天，他又见到了那个女人，这次问的是她的名字。

“尼娜，”她说。

他说：“我是安迪。有什么我可以帮忙的吗？”

尼娜说：“我只希望我有另一条毯子。 这对我们两个来说还不够。“

安迪非常困惑。 尼娜是那条街上唯一的人。

“两个啊？”

她长叹一声回答道。 停顿了一下，她回答说，“两个”，把手放在她的肚子上，轻轻地揉着。

“怎么....怎么会...？” 喋喋不休的安迪。 他简直不敢相信。

“住在街头是有代价的。 你没有任何墙来保护你或任何人来照顾你。 你只能靠自己，这很危险。 ”她继续说：“到了晚上，当周围没有人的时候，你保护不了自己，成为别人欺负的目标。 我只是受害者之一。”她望着远方，不敢与安迪目光接触。

她感到内疚，她感到惭愧了。

他感到石化了。

那一刻，安迪吃不消，他知道自己必须做点什么。 犹豫、考虑了片刻，他拉着妮娜的手道：“跟我来。”

他穿过马路走进一家商店，给她买了几天的衣服和食物。 他不能让这个女人独自带着她的孩子。 这是错误的，即使对于像安迪这样冷漠的人也是如此。

临走前，他问道： “你还有什么想要的吗？”

尼娜默默地想着。

最后，尼娜说：“一份工作。我最大的梦想是找到一份工作，为我自己和我的孩子找到一个属于我们自己的小地方。 但这要求太多了，所以我再也不想向你要求了。 你真的救了我们。”妮娜眼里噙着泪水低声说道。

安迪说：“我会看看我能做什么，”就这样，离开了他的一居室公寓。 那天晚上，他的床感觉暖和了一些。

…

四个月后，安迪在周五晚上进行每周一次的邮件检查时，在平常的账单和广告传单中，他看到了一个他以前从未见过的信封。上面的字迹看起来寄信的人是一个儿童，他犹豫地打开信封。 看起来很可疑。 他不认识任何孩子，尤其是那些会给他寄信的孩子。

他把它放在一边，但很快禁不住好奇，小心翼翼地切开纸边，一张照片掉了出来。 上面是一个年轻女性，手里拿着一大卷粉红色的布料，她的怀里露出一张脸，脸上挂着灿烂的笑容。 她站在一间贴着丑陋墙纸和一扇小窗户的小卧室门口，看上去欣喜若狂。

“我们终于成功了！” 写在照片的背面。

签名，尼娜

It was a regular day. In fact, Andy did not even remember the last time he had a day that was not regular. A year ago, two maybe. Even his own birthday did not carry enough significance to be able to call that day anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that indicated the passing of time was the irregular black markings on the calendar hanging on the back of Andy’s door, covered in coats resting on top.

Andy Lei was the typical American man you see as filler characters on the streets of Hollywood movies. He was tall, with short dark brown hair slicked back, with a briefcase in his hand, a wardrobe consisting of suits, and a dent in his left wrist from his grandfather’s watch.

If his life could be described in one word, it would be: work. He had a schedule programmed into his head. So there wasn’t even a need for the watch he wore, it was more of an accessory. And so, just like any other day, at 7:00 am, his alarm buzzed an annoying sound that stopped within seconds. Only today, it rang for 8 seconds instead of the regular 5.

Struggling to find his left slipper that was stuck under his bed, Andy brushed his teeth at 7:02, got changed at 7:13, and was stirring his morning coffee at 7:20. He couldn’t help but yawn, it was a particularly gloomy Wednesday morning. At 7:38 the front door of his one-bedroom apartment shut with a familiar squeak and he was off to work. 2 minutes late.

Forgetting to button his coat and with a strand of hair poking up at the back of his head, Andy was rushing through the all-too-familiar neighborhoods of Chicago to his office on the 11th floor of a high-rise building. The streets were busier than usual. So much so that Andy could not help rubbing past someone at least once on every street that he took that morning. Looking anxiously at his watch, Andy was breathing fast and trying to find the fastest way around an elderly lady who was taking her time walking in front of him. Seeing an opportunity, Andy leaped around her and, in a hurry, would not have even noticed that anything was wrong if he did not hear a gasp from behind and see everyone turn around to look.

When Andy turned around, he saw a plastic cup that was rolling across the street and coins scattered all over the pavement. It took him a few seconds to trace where the cup came from, but it all became clear when he realized that everyone on the street was staring at him. Turning his attention down, he saw a young woman in her 20s with a heartbroken look on her face rolled up in a thin blanket sitting on the ground and reaching for the cup, almost hoping that this would stop it from rolling further down the street.

The woman was shivering and unnaturally thin, with pale skin and greasy outgrown hair. She looked at least double her age.

Embarrassed, Andy shut down the disgust he felt when looking at the woman, knelt down, and began picking up the coins that scattered all over the street in silence. When handing the cup back to the woman, he held his breath and didn’t look her in the eyes. She was too dirty for him to look at.

Now almost running, Andy got to his office 30 seconds late, just in time before his boss showed up to check up on the report that he had to hand in that day.

The following days were as always following the schedule, but something kept throwing Andy off. After that encounter, every day on his way to work, he began noticing that woman, who looked at him with hope in her eyes. But the more she looked, the more annoyed and disgusted Andy became. He wished this filthy woman moved somewhere else so that he would not see her again.

And one day, as he was enjoying a great sunny weather, the woman stopped him in the street.

“I have been watching you since the first day I came to this street,” said she, “and you surely have noticed me too. I was hoping you could help…”

“I have no time!” shouted Andy, trying to get away.

Andy, annoyed at her impudence, was lost for words but if there was one thing he knew, it was that he did not want to talk to her. But she clinged on to his coat.

“Just once, please kind sir, just once. I have not eaten since Monday,” said she, “I know you can help. I really need it.”

Realizing that she will not leave him alone and he was already late for work, he pulled out his wallet and threw a $10 bill at her in silence, walking away confidently.

A few days later, the woman looked worse than ever before, and through disgust, Andy began to feel something new. Some new emotion. Almost like… sympathy. Without a word, once again, he pulled our his wallet and dropped $5 in her cup without stopping.

A week later, he started preparing a $5 bill in his pocket every time before he headed out. Without a single word, it became a silent ritual, a routine.

One Saturday, he was strolling around and came past the woman like he did every day, but did not have any money on him. She was smiling at him as always, but he had nothing to give her. Feeling almost guilty, he stopped by and said,

“Sorry, I don’t have any change on me today.”

And with the same smile, the woman replied, “Please don’t worry. You are the only reason I have been able to survive these past weeks. Without your help, I would not have anything to eat.”

Almost shocked, Andy did not know how to reply. He did not realize how serious her situation was. The only thing he could think to mumble was, “How come?”

“Well, you see,” said the woman, “I am here on the streets of Chicago all on my own. I have no relatives here, no one to take me in and help me get back up. I’ve been trying to make things work, but as you can tell, nothing I did worked out.”

“How did you end up here?” asked Andy.

“I was never homeless before,” she replied. “I lived in the countryside with my single mother, who dedicated her whole life to taking care of me. She lived for me, spent all of her money on me, took care of me. And when the time came, she took all of her life savings and gave them to me to make my dream of attending high school come true. I was ecstatic, it was the happiest day of my life. Except, living in the countryside, we didn’t know how much attending high school would cost. And after I moved to Chicago all by myself, I quickly learned that it wasn’t enough. I finished the first year and was a straight A student, but in the middle of my second year my mom had an emergency that required money, and the money suddenly ran out. I had to drop out.”

“Couldn’t you find a job?” asked Andy.

“I looked everywhere,” answered the woman, “I tried everything from babysitting to cleaning and working night shifts, but nobody wanted a woman with only middle school education. Soon enough, I was completely out of money with no means of coming back to see my mom. And that’s how I ended up here on the streets,” finished the woman with a sigh full of sadness.

“I see,” replied Andy, “I’m sorry to hear that,” he added. “What will you do now?”

“I wish I knew,” she replied, “just trying to get by a day at a time,” she added, trying to pull a small smile onto her face, but her eyes gave away her sadness.

“I see,” said Andy once again. This time, he was truly lost for words. He said his goodbyes and walked back home, a bit more slowly and less robotically this time.

This situation bothered him.

“How can she still smile every day, when all she has is a blanket and a cup? How can she be… happy?” he thought.

After a few days, he saw the woman again, and this time asked for her name.

“Nina,” she said.

“Mine’s Andy,” Andy replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?” asked Andy.

“I just wish I had another blanket. It’s not enough for the two of us,” said Nina.

Andy was very confused. Nina was the only person sitting on that street.

“Two?” he asked.

She replied with a big sigh. And after a pause, she replied, “two,” placing her hand on her belly and rubbing it gently.

“H-how?” blabbered Andy. He couldn’t believe it.

“Living in the streets comes at a cost. You don’t have any walls to protect you or anyone to take care of you. You are on your own. And at night, when nobody is around,” she continued, “you become a target to those you cannot protect yourself from. I was simply one of the victims.” finished Nina. She was looking in the distance, too afraid to make eye contact with Andy. She felt guilty, she felt ashamed.

He felt petrified. At that point, he knew he had to do something. And after a moment of hesitation, he took Nina’s hand and said, “come with me.”

He led to across the street into a store and bought her clothes and food to last a few days. He could not leave this lady with her baby on their own. It was wrong, even for someone as cold as Andy.

And just before leaving, he asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

Nina, still barely able to speak from excitement, took a moment to think.

“A job,” she said, “my biggest dream is to find a job and get our own little place for myself and my baby. But that’s too much to ask for, so there is nothing more that I would ever want to ask for from you. You truly saved me,” Nina whispered with tears in her eyes.

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Andy. And with that, left back to his one-bedroom apartment. His bed felt a little warmer that night.

…

Four months later, Andy was doing his weekly mail check on Friday night, when among the usual bills and advertisement leaflets he saw an envelope that he’s never seen before. Signed with baby handwriting, he was hesitant to open the envelope. It looked suspicious. He didn’t know any children, especially ones who would send him a letter.

He put it to the side but was quickly overcome with curiosity. Carefully, he cut open the paper edge, and a single photograph fell out. On it was a young woman holding a huge roll of pink fabric with a face popping out in her arms and a huge bright smile on her face. She looked ecstatic standing in the doorway of a tiny bedroom with ugly wallpaper and a single tiny window.

“We made it!” was written on the back of a photograph.

Signed, Nina