晶瑩的淚珠

晶瑩的淚珠

清晨依例到學校發二手鞋。這時，校外也擠滿當地居民。工友在門口嚴格地把關，卻敵擋不了一波波湧入想取鞋的大人，只見鐵絲網的大門被推擠地搖搖晃晃。孩子們在大人指示下，甘願冒著被工友鞭打的危險，以各種不同的方式爬行或鑽入鐵絲網混入領鞋行列。這畫面好像在逃難電影裡才看過，想不到卻真實地出現我眼前。

約略4歲的小女孩看著我，說著：「Please give me a pair of shoes.」我說：「Where is your trash?  If you pick up trash from the area, we will exchange it for a pair of shoes.」即使，我知道她不是這的學生。看她似懂非懂的神情說著：「I will be back soon.」我看著她孤單單的背影，心情不禁低落了下來。過了20分鐘，這孩子提了一小袋的垃圾來到我面前，我深深地吸了一口氣，我知道，我要帶著她去做一件「不良示範」(因為我知道她不是校內的孩子，所以不屬於發送內的名單。帶她去領鞋只因為我的不忍心。)

看著她和原本在找鞋的孩子們在鞋堆裏找啊找，卻怎麼也找不到適合自己尺寸的鞋子，她失望的神情轉變成一顆顆晶瑩的淚珠汩汩流下。我牽著她的手，不聽使喚的眼淚在眼眶裡打轉著，故作堅強地告訴她：「孩子別哭，我會想辦法」。

心裏響起一首歌「小小時候，有好多喜歡，喜歡問山是怎麼綠的、 喜歡問海是怎麼藍的、還有那星星是誰家的流螢?」這孩子的「喜歡」，也只有ㄧ雙鞋而已。等我回台灣再幫你找鞋，七月，我拜託人幫你專程帶過去——孩子別哭。

Falling Tears

I awoke early morning as usual and packed the donations to distribute at the school. When I arrived, however, I was surprised to see so many parents standing with their children, waiting to receive second-hand shoes. Although the guards were strict in preventing them from rushing in to grab the shoes, these children waited listlessly. They wanted the shoes. I watched them climb through small holes to pass the time. I could not connect this sight with the 21^st century.

“Please give me a pair of shoes”. A little girl stood before me. She could not be more than four years old. “Where is your trash?” I asked, “If you pick up trash from the area, we will exchange it for a pair of shoes”. “Okay,” she said, “I will be back soon”. As I watched her walk away, my heart ached for her. Because she was not a student at this school, I did not have permission to give her a pair of shoes. But how could I deny her, especially when she returned twenty minutes later with a bag full of trash?

And so she stepped into line with the other children, searching for shoes her size. There were none. Tears slipped down her face and onto her clothes. I felt so angry and disappointed; all this little girl wanted was a pair of shoes, and I couldn’t even give her that.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t cry, little one,” I said, “I will find shoes in Taiwan for you, and I will ask my friends to bring them in July. Trust me, I will do it”.