I've seen this guy at Starbucks in Marin City several times. Every time I’d see him I'd tell myself that I would take him to lunch but always found an excuse not to. Today was different. It might have been selfish but I was lonely. I didn't want to spend the whole day alone. I walked up to him, put my hand on his shoulder and said “ do you want to have lunch with me?”
我曾经在马林城的星巴克里见过这个家伙几次了。每次见到他，我都告诉自己，要请他吃顿午饭，但总是能找到借口推脱。今天有些不同，我独自一人，说起来也许有些自私，但我确实不想孤独地呆一整天。于是我向他走去，拍拍他肩膀说：“你愿意和我共进午餐吗？”
Tarec Atkinson was born and raised in Jamaica. When he was a kid, he dreamt of being a famous futbol (soccer) player. He was recruited to play in school but never got the opportunity because of some trouble he got in as a teenager. He moved to the states 8 years ago and has spent the last 12 months living in a tent by the side of the freeway. Tarec goes days without eating, sometimes living off of the berries he picks, he spends 90% of his time alone and has no friends and no family in the states.
Tarec Atkinson生在、长在牙买加。小时候他就梦想成为一名著名足球运动员。他被招进学校踢球，但由于青年时期的一些麻烦事儿，他没有得到过任何机会。8年前，他来到了美国，在高速公路旁的帐篷里住了近12个月。Tarec已经好几天没有吃东西了，有时候靠摘来的浆果过活。90%的时间他都独自一人，在美国没有朋友，也没有家庭。
After hearing it had been a month since he bathed, I brought him back to my apartment so he could enjoy a hot shower. Because of all these hardships, trying to get a job is impossible. How can you fill out an application when you haven't eaten in days? I told Tarec that I would drive around with him next week and help him fill out applications and even speak on his behalf to help him land a job so he can get back on his feet. We agreed to meet that Friday at 9:30 AM at Starbucks.
在听说他有一个月没有洗澡之后，我带他回了自己的公寓，这样他就可以洗个热水澡了。因为他的困苦经历，想找到一份工作也基本不可能。就像你几天没吃东西，怎么会有心力去填工作申请表？我告诉Tarec下周我会拉着他到处转，帮助他填写申请，甚至可以替他说话，找到一份工作，让他可以找回自己的路。我们约定星期五上午9:30在星巴克见面。
If we were going to make this happen, I knew we had to get Tarec some new clothes. We stopped at Ross so he could pick out a shirt and some slacks. I was blown away at the immediate change in his demeanor. His smile was radiant, he stood up straighter, and even walked with a swagger.I couldn’t convince him to tuck in his shirt. I guess you win some and you lose some haha.
如果我们要办到这些事，我觉得有必要给Tarec弄一些新衣服。我们把车停在罗斯服装店门口，让他进去挑选衬衫和长裤。我随即被他的气质给惊呆了。他的笑容是那样灿烂夺目，站得更加笔挺了，甚至走起路来都昂首阔步。但我没能说服他把衬衫扎起来。好吧，你赢了，可惜少了一些调侃的乐趣。
Next step was to hit the streets. We spent the next two days going door to door to see who was hiring. We went to Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks just to name a few. I would walk in with him so he knew he wasn’t alone. It can be overwhelming to walk into a business and ask for a job. I was very proud of him. We had a few positive responses but the majority of business’s told us that applications were submitted online. Easy enough right?
下一步就是向着街道出击了，接下来的两天我们挨家挨户地走，看看有哪些招聘。我们去了Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Home Depot, Molly Stones, and Starbucks和一些耳熟的公司。我和他并肩走在路上，让他知道他并不孤单。其实亲自跑到一家公司求职的举动是难以让人回绝的。我为他感到骄傲，我们有一点积极的反馈，但大多数企业告诉我们，求职申请需要在线提交。这很容易，对吗？
Wrong.
Tarec doesn’t have a computer. So we went to the local library and began filling out applications. And let me tell you something. We take our computer literacy for granted. Watching him struggle to fill out an application put so much into perspective for me. Some people judge our homeless. We’ve all heard someone say “why don’t they just get a job?” or “they’re lazy”. I saw firsthand how the “system” is set up to fail people like Tarec. There is no way he would have been able to do any of this without my help. Just like there are many things in my life I have needed someone to help me overcome an obstacle. We all need a little help.
不对！
Tarec根本没有电脑。所以我们去了当地的图书馆，开始填写申请表。让我来告诉你一件事，我们认为我们的电脑素养是理所当然的。但是当看着他挣扎着填写一份申请，就打破了我许多原有的观念。一些人以审判的眼光看待这些无家可归的人。我们总能听到有人说：“他们为什么不找份工作呢？”或“他们懒”。我亲眼目睹了“制度体系”是怎样设置得让Tarec这样的人落魄。如果没有我的帮助，他没有任何门路去做任何事。就像我生命中有很多事情一样，我也需要有人帮我克服障碍。我们都需要一点点帮助。
After week of phone interviews Tarec landed an in person interview at Safeway. I remember driving to Safeway being nervous. I looked over to him and asked how he was feeling. He looked back at me and said “I got this”. I believed him.
在电话面试的一周后，Tarec收到了Safeway公司的人事面试。我还记得开车去Safeway公司时我心里的紧张感。我盯着他，问他感觉怎么样。他回过头看着我说：“我会拿下它的。” 我相信他。
I dropped him off, wished him luck and waited. 20 minutes later, I see him walk out of Safeway with a big smile and a thumbs up. I let out a Rick Flair sounding “WOO!”. We had accomplished a lot together in two weeks. It was an incredible moment.
他下了车，我祝他好运，开始了等待。20分钟后，我看到他走出safeway，脸上挂着一个大大的微笑，竖起大拇指。“我爱你！” 我高声喊叫。我们在两周内一起完成了那么多的事情，这是一个难以置信的时刻。
Obviously we had to celebrate with a little ice cream! :)
Like we all are, Tarec is searching for a purpose in life. He yearns for happiness. He craves for a woman to love and to feel the love from a woman. He wants to create a better life for himself so he could one day have a family and stability. He is just like you and me.
显然我们得用一点冰淇淋庆祝一下！:)
Tarec其实和我们一样，他也在寻找一个生活目标。他渴望幸福。他也渴望去爱一个女人，同时感受来自女人的爱。他想为自己创造更好的生活，以便有一天他能拥有自己的家庭和安稳的生活。他就是你和我。
My hope in sharing this story is that it will inspire others to spread LOVE. We all need help in one way or another. Sometimes all someone needs is a friend. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
我分享这个故事是希望它可以鼓励其他人传播爱。我们都需要不同形式的帮助。而有时，一些人需要的就只是一个朋友。谢谢你花时间读我的故事。
声明
本译文转自Quora，仅供个人研习、欣赏语言之用，谢绝任何转载及用于任何商业用途。本译文所涉法律后果均由本人承担。本人同意在接获有关著作权人的通知后，删除文章。