餐馆的那个“门房”　The Doorman

Hugs are the universal medicine and a handshake from the heart.

～Author Unknown

On a road trip to California's breathtaking North Coast region, my hubby Ken and I, my teenage daughter Lahre, and my nine-year-old son Shawn, stopped to have lunch and stretch our legs a bit.

As we walked toward the restaurant's entrance, a gruff looking man jumped up from a nearby bench and opened the door for us.“Good afternoon and welcome to Denny's，”he said in a very jovial voice. In his hand he held a ceramic mug full of steaming coffee-which was inviting on such a cold day-but from the looks of the rest of him, it appeared that he hadn't had a good meal or a shower in a long time.

With a scraggly beard and dirty hair that went well past his shoulders, it was obvious he was homeless. An old bike loaded down with a sleeping bag and the rest of his earthly belongings rested against the bench, and his clothing told of hard times, from a weather-beaten jacket right down to his old boots with mismatched laces.But regardless of his appearance, he greeted us as if we were his best friends, adding as we entered，“Today's soup and sandwich special's a great deal.”

Once inside, my teenager whispered to me，“Mom, he smells.”And Shawn asked questions about him, not quite understanding the concept of a homeless person. After we ordered our lunch, Ken and I explained the best we could, telling the kids to look beyond the dirt and grime to the person underneath and within.As we explained, the four of us watched other customers approach the restaurant；they appeared unsure of the homeless man and many snubbed him or ignored him.

Seeing this rudeness truly frustrated me. The day I became a mother, I had resolved to set a good example for my children.Granted, some days, when things just didn't go right, being a good example was tough.

When our meal arrived, I realized that I had left the car-sick pills in the glove compartment. With the windiest part of our trip just ahead of us, the kids needed to take their medicine.I excused myself from the meal and went to the truck.

As I neared the front door, the“doorman”was opening it for an older couple and welcoming them to the restaurant. They rushed past him and didn't even acknowledge his presence.I let the couple come through first and then said a loud and gracious“thank you”to the doorman as I exited.He teased me by asking if I was running away from my family, and I told him I needed to get something from the truck.When I returned, I showed him the car-sick pills and he laughed, saying he had ridden his bike that direction once and understood the need for the pills.

We talked a bit longer. He told me that the restaurant's manager wouldn't let him inside unless he purchased food.All he could afford was coffee（which, he said, didn't count as“food”according to the manager），so he had to stay outside.But he learned that if he stayed close enough to the front door, the wait staff would sneak out and refll his mug.

I went back inside and told his story to my family. I then asked our waitress, who was bringing the kids their dessert, to add one soup andsandwich special to our bill.Both the kids looked at me funny-as we had already eaten-but Ken knew exactly what I was doing.The waitress was confused, too, but when I explained the order was for the doorman, and that he was to eat his meal inside with the rest of the customers, she smiled and thanked me.

Both children asked why I would order a meal for the“smelly guy”. Again, I shared that everyone has goodness inside of them regardless of what they look like or even smell like, and by expressing one simple act of kindness to a fellow traveler in life, the world could possibly become a better place.

By this time, we had to get back on the road to stay on schedule. But before we left, a visit to the“happy room”was necessary to relieve our bladders.As we rounded the corner of the very full restaurant, the doorman was sitting at a table enjoying his meal.When he saw me, he jumped up and thanked me profusely for the hot meal.He then extended his hand for a handshake, which I gratefully accepted.It was then I realized he had tears in his eyes-tears of gratitude.

What happened next drew gasps of astonishment from the restaurant customers, staff and even my own children：I gave the doorman a hug. Just as surprised as the rest of the crowd, the doorman held me tight for just a few moments.Pulling away, his tears were now streaming down his face, and others were beginning to cry, too.

While we can't choose many things in life, we can choose when to show gratitude, and I was doing just that. I was saying thanks to a man who had simply held open a door for me, and also saying thank you for that opportunity to teach my children by example.Hopefully, when someone opens a door for Lahre and Shawn during their journeys through life, they will remember to say thank you.And hopefully they'll have a great soup and sandwich special on the menu, too.

～Dahlynn McKowen

拥抱是包治百病的灵丹妙药，也是心灵之间的交流碰撞。

——佚名

那一次，我和老公肯开车带两个孩子去加州风景秀丽的北部海岸。女儿拉尔刚十几岁，儿子肖恩才九岁。有一天，我们走累了停下来，想找个地方吃午饭，顺便歇歇脚。

我们找了间餐馆准备进去，刚到门口，从门旁的长椅上跳起来一名粗里粗气的男子，并为我们打开了门。他用快活的声音冲我们说道：“下午好，欢迎光临丹尼饭店！”那天天气很冷，只见他手里拿着一只大陶瓷咖啡杯，杯子里热腾腾的咖啡着实诱人。但是，上下打量之后，可以看得出他已经有些日子没好好洗个澡，也没正经吃顿好饭了。

他胡子拉碴，头发又脏又长，都搭到肩膀上了。看得出来，这是一个流浪汉。一辆破旧的自行车上搭载着他的睡袋，其他的家当全在长椅边上靠着。这个人穿着一件破破烂烂的夹克，一双烂靴子上系的鞋带都不是一对。从衣着上不难看出，他过的日子肯定特别艰难。不管他看起来怎么样，人家招呼我们就好像是他最好的朋友一样。我们往里走的时候，他又说道：“今天的三明治加汤的特色套餐很不错哟。”

一进门，女儿就跟我嘀咕道：“妈妈，那家伙身上一股味儿。”儿子肖恩问了几个关于那个男子的问题，他还不懂一个人无家可归是什么样。点完餐之后，我和肯好好地给孩子们解释了一番，告诉他们看人不能光看人家满身尘垢，更要看内在的东西。就在我们给孩子们解释的时候，又有几个人陆陆续续走进了餐馆。我们看见这些顾客都用鄙夷的眼光看着这位流浪汉。许多顾客都奚落他、忽视他。

眼前的场景让我感到很难过。自从有了孩子的那天起，我就下决心要给孩子树立一个好榜样。显然到真赶上该树榜样的时候，我倒觉得难做了。

饭菜都上来了，我发觉自己把晕车药落在汽车仪表板的小抽屉里了。前面那段路可以说是这次行程中风最大的一段行程了。所以，孩子必须吃点晕车药才行。我跟他们说了一声，然后去车上取药。

往门口走的路上，我看见一对老年夫妇走了进来。那个“门房”热心地给他们开门，向他们表示欢迎。可那对上岁数的夫妇从他身边匆匆而过，甚至根本无视他的存在。我给夫妇俩让路，让他们先过。出门的时候，我大声地冲“门房”说了一声“谢谢”。那个人跟我开玩笑，问我是不是打算躲开家里人逃走。我跟他说我要去车上取点东西。回来的时候，我让他看了看手里的晕车药，这人一下子笑了。他跟我说自己曾经骑自行车往我们要去的方向走过一次，也觉得有必要吃点晕车药。

我又跟他多聊了一会儿。他跟我说除非自己点东西吃，要不然饭店的经理不让他进去。但是他只能买得起咖啡（而咖啡在经理看来又算不上是吃的）。所以，他只能待在饭店门外。他发现只要自己不远离店门，服务员就会偷偷过去给他加咖啡。

我回到饭店里，把那个人的故事讲给家人听。后来，女服务员来给孩子们上甜点，我让她给我们再点一份三明治加汤的特色套餐。我们刚刚吃了，为什么还要再点一份呢？肯看出了我的心思，两个孩子却双眼圆睁，不解地看着我。给我们上菜的女服务员也糊涂了。我跟她解释说，自己点的这份套餐是给门口那个“门房”的，这样他就可以和其他顾客一样进饭店来用餐了。听完我的解释，服务员笑了，并对我表示感谢。

两个孩子都问我为什么要给那个“浑身臭味的家伙”点餐。我又跟两个小家伙说，不管外表如何，也不管身上有没有味道，每个人的内心都有美好的一面。我跟他们说，在旅途中向一个同路人献出一点微薄的爱心，世界也许就会更加美好。

说完了，我们也该重新赶路了。但是，上路前我们还得去趟洗手间减轻一下膀胱的负担。当走到饭店的一个角落时，那个“门房”正在桌边坐着，享用自己的午餐。他看见我们，立刻站了起来再三表示感谢，感谢我给他点了一份热乎乎的饭。然后，他伸出手想和我握一下，我欣然接受。就在握手的一瞬间，我才发现他眼里噙着泪水——感激的泪水。

我接下来的举动不仅让饭店里的顾客和服务员惊诧不已，甚至让两个孩子都大吃一惊：我给了他一个拥抱。和周围的人一样，那个“门房”对我的拥抱也是措手不及，他紧紧地抱住我。过了一会儿，他放开拥抱，热泪纵横。其他人的脸上也流下了泪水。

虽然生活中的许多事情不是我们所能选择的。但是，我们可以选择什么时候感恩回报。我那天做的只是在表达自己的感激而已。我感谢那个人给我开门，也感谢他给了我这样一个机会，让我对子女言传身教。希望在拉尔和肖恩以后的人生道路上，当有人给他们开门的时候，他们会记得说声“谢谢”，也希望在他们的点餐单上也有一份美味的三明治加汤套餐。

——达琳·麦考文