There was a time when I thought my dad didn't know a thing about being a good father. I couldn't remember him ever saying the words “I love you.” It seemed to me his sole purpose in life was to say “No” to anywhere I wanted to go and anything I wanted to do, including getting a car. Some parents bought their kids cars when they got their driver's licenses. Not my dad—he said that I'd have to get a job and buy my own.
So that's what I did. “I'll show him,” I said to myself. “If he won't get it for me, I'll get it for myself.” I got a job as a busgirl1 at a very nice, ocean-view restaurant and saved every penny I could. And when I had enough to buy my car, I did! The day I bought that car home, my dad was the first one I wanted to show it off to. “Look, dad, a car of my own—all on my own. If you ever want a ride, I'll only charge you five dollars.” I offered with a smug smile.
“I see,” was all he said.
One day, my father's truck had to go to the shop and wouldn't be ready to pick up until the next evening. So he needed a ride to work. “If that five-dollar offer is still open2,” my dad said.“I'll take you up on3 it.”
“Okay, but you have to pay on delivery4. I don't accept credit.”
“I see.” Was all he said.
The sun wasn't even up when we left the house, but it was already getting warm out. It was going to be a hot day. As I dropped my dad off5, I watched him, dressed in his work clothes, and boots, getting his tools from the trunk of my car. Watching his every move, hoping that he'd hurry so that I could get back home and get ready for my own day, I squinted6 in the rearview mirror7 at his sun-weathered8 face, and even from a distance I could tell there were more lines than I ever remembered being there before. I thought about it and then realized how hard my dad works for his family. My father is a cement finisher9.
Watching him lift the heavy tools from the car, buckets full of trowels, knee pads10 and other finishing tools, there was something about him that looked a little more fragile than I recalled. In that instant, it occurred to me that he actually got down on his hands and knees to sweat over hot concrete to make a living for his family. And he did this day in and day out, no matter how hot it got. Never, not once, had I heard him complain about it. Never had he held it up11 to his children as being some great sacrifice12 he made for us. I thought about how much he must love us—so much that he's willing to do this hard labor in hot weather, and without so much as ever complaining or asking for anything in return. To him, we were “worth” it. And never once did he “charge”us for it.
When he slammed13 the trunk, his tools set off to the side, he walked over to my window to hand me my five dollars. I rolled14 down the window and said “Good-bye, dad. Keep your five dollars. It's on me. Don't work too hard. I love you.”
At first, he looked puzzled, then in a clumsy sort of way15—pleased. “I won't,” he said, then added, “thanks for the ride in your beautiful new car.” His eyes met mine, then glanced away in the direction of his waiting tools, he cleared his throat and said, “Oh, and...me, too.”
As I drove away, I knew “me, too” was enough because my father showed me his love with his actions, day after day, year after year. In that moment, I decided I'd give him a ride in my car any time he wanted—free of charge16.
我曾认为老爸根本就不懂怎样做一个称职的父亲。在我的记忆中，他从没有对女儿说过“我爱你”之类的话。我只是觉得，无论我要去什么地方，也不管我要做什么事情，包括让他帮我买车，得到的回答都是“不行”。他人生惟一的目标似乎就是对我说“不”。别的家长在孩子拿到驾照后就会给他们买车，可是我的父亲就不干，他要我去找份工作自己赚钱买。
这样我只好找了份工作。我心里想：“一定要让爸爸瞧瞧，他不给我买车，我自己也能买。”我到一家餐馆做小工，这家餐馆环境不错，还可以欣赏海边风景。我把赚的钱一点点存起来，存够了，我就真的自己买了一辆车！车开回家的那天，我最先想到的就是把车在父亲面前炫耀一番。我沾沾自喜地笑着说：“爸爸，这是女儿自己的车，全靠自己买的。如果你要搭便车的话，我只收你5美元。”
“我知道。”父亲只这样答了一句。
一天， 我父亲的卡车不得不进了修理厂，要到第二天晚上才能取回来，所以，他需要搭便车上班，便对我说：“要是你那5美元搭车的建议还可行的话，我接受这个提议。”
“没问题，不过你得付现钱，你女儿可不赊帐。”
“我知道。”父亲还是这样一句话。
我们离家出发时，太阳还没有出来，不过户外已经热了起来，看来又是一个大热天。到了目的地，我让父亲下了车。那天他穿着工作服和工作靴，我看着他把工具一件件从行李箱里搬下来，我注视着他的一举一动，真希望他能利索些，好让我能早点回家准备做我自己的事情。从汽车的后视镜里，我无意中瞅见了父亲那张饱经风霜的脸。即使隔得那么远，我还是能够看出，与记忆中的父亲相比，现在的他脸上添了许多皱纹。想到这里，我忽然意识到，为了这个家，父亲的工作是何等辛苦啊！我父亲是一个水泥修整工。
我看着父亲把笨重的工具从车后拿下来，桶里装满了泥刀、护膝和其它修整工具。我似乎觉得父亲今天要比我想象的虚弱一些。在那一刹那间，我的脑海里闪过父亲辛苦养家的样子——跪在地上，手脚并用，在灼热的混凝土上挥汗如雨。无论天气有多么炎热，他天天如此。但我从未听他抱怨过，他也从未在子女们面前炫耀他为我们作了多大的牺牲。我终于意识到父亲对我们的爱有多深——爱到可以为了我们冒着酷暑辛苦劳作，却没有任何抱怨或是要求任何回报。在他看来，我们“值得”他这样付出，而他也从没想过因此而找我们“收费”。
父亲关好行李箱，把工具放在一边，朝车窗走来，递给我5美元。我把车窗摇下来，对他说：“爸爸，我们回头见。把这5元收好，这次算女儿请您的。还有，不要太辛苦了。我爱您。”
起初父亲显得很困惑，随后略微笨拙地露出开心的表情。“我不会干得太累的。”他回答道，然后又说，“谢谢你用这么漂亮的新车送我。”他抬眼遇上我的视线，又转向一边看着放工具的方向，然后清了清嗓子说：“噢，而且……我也爱你。”
当我开车离开时，“我也爱你”这句话使我感到非常满足，因为我知道父亲在以他的行动，日复一日、年复一年地向我传达着他的爱。在那一刻，我作了一个决定：无论何时，只要父亲需要，我一定会为他开车——而且免费。
1． busgirl n．bus此处指餐馆里装盘子的四轮手推车，busgirl指餐馆小工
2． open adj．可供选择的，愿意考虑的，这里指提议还有效
3． take up on接受（邀请等），这里指父亲同意建议
4． pay on delivery现付
5． drop off让……下车，让搭车到某地
6． squint [skwint] v．斜视
7． rear view mirror 后视镜
8． sun－weathered 常晒太阳的
9． cement finisher 水泥修整工
10．trowel n．泥刀；knee pad [ni?蘼 p?覸d]护膝垫
11．hold up 列出，拿出事实等
12．sacrifice n．牺牲
13．slam v．用力关
14．roll v．使滑动
15．in a clumsy sort of way 有些不自然
16．charge n．收费