美文賞析:誠實，是爲了無愧於自己

At 12, I believed honesty was always rewarded.
十二歲時，我以爲誠實總會有回報。

One afternoon, I hit a ball through a vacant apartment’s window.
一天下午，我不小心將球踢進了一間空公寓的窗戶中。

The sound of shattering glass was followed by kids running in all directions screaming, “Run! No one will tell.”
一聲窗戶玻璃碎裂的聲音後，小夥伴們四下逃竄，邊跑邊喊：“快跑，沒有人會知道的！”

I went to the manager, expecting praise for being so honest. He laughed, saying, “I’ve never had a kid snitch on themselves. Kind of dumb.”
而我找到了大樓的經理，希望他會表揚我的誠實。他笑了，說：“我還從來沒見過像你這樣主動告密的蠢孩子呢。”

I didn’t understand until my mother said, “How did you feel when you told the truth? Remember that instead of what he said. Pride in yourself will always be your reward.”
我對此很是不解，這時，媽媽告訴我：“忘記他所說的，只需記住你講真話時的感受。誠實所帶來的驕傲是永恆的回報。”