米国で最も人気のあるゲームは、アメリカン・フットボールのスーパー・ボウルだという。
数日前に私の大学時代のクラスメートで定期的に彼のアメリカの友人発の英語のＪＯＫＥを私たち旧クラスメートにＥメールでおすそわけしてくれる友人からこのときはＪＯＫＥではなく、逸話のような心暖まる話を送ってくれた。
普通の話としてもいい話なのだが、最後にこの逸話の主は、２月１日にあるスーパーボウルの出場チームのアリゾナ・カーディナルスのクオーターバックの選手だと書いてあった。
私は早速インターネットでいろいろと検索して見た。その結果この逸話に出てくる名前の選手がアリゾナ・カーディナルスにいること、そしてさらに、この逸話を掲載しているアリゾナ州居住の牧師のブログにたどりついた。
私の先入観念が間違っているのであろうが、運動の有名選手というと、いや有名選手になる前であっても、何となく派手な遊び人というような印象を持っているのだが、私の観念は改めるべきであろう。素晴らしい運動選手こそ素晴らしい心を持っていることであろう。
私は今度のスーパーボウルではぜひアリゾナ・カーディナルスを応援したいと思った。
以下が、私の友人のＳ君が送ってくれた、さらに言えば彼の米国人の友人Ｗ・Ｓ氏がＳ君に送ってくれた逸話である。
とりあえず英語のままで掲載させていただくが、時間があるときに私なりの和訳を追加しようと思っている。
以下 友人からのメールのコピーである。
「今日は、素晴らしい男性についての心温まるお話しです。（Ａ．Ｓ）
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4.
Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the
call.
As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left.
He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out
only to see her start walking up the road.
Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home.
He looked harmless enough, and she accepted.
When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work.
She simply said it wasn't possible.
He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter.
Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.
That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled.
To which Kurtis simply said,
"Well, let's take the kids with us."
She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.
Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair.
He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.
Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?"
Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a
woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done.
Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mind set.
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and
brought him back.
The kids loved Kurtis.
At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.
A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children.
Since then they have added two more kids.
So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?
Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and his Cardinals are in the Super Bowl.
Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.
It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NLF's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
(received from Mr. W.S)」
参考Link: Joypastordon.blogspot
画像：New York Times より（KurtisとBrenda)
数日前に私の大学時代のクラスメートで定期的に彼のアメリカの友人発の英語のＪＯＫＥを私たち旧クラスメートにＥメールでおすそわけしてくれる友人からこのときはＪＯＫＥではなく、逸話のような心暖まる話を送ってくれた。
普通の話としてもいい話なのだが、最後にこの逸話の主は、２月１日にあるスーパーボウルの出場チームのアリゾナ・カーディナルスのクオーターバックの選手だと書いてあった。
私は早速インターネットでいろいろと検索して見た。その結果この逸話に出てくる名前の選手がアリゾナ・カーディナルスにいること、そしてさらに、この逸話を掲載しているアリゾナ州居住の牧師のブログにたどりついた。
私の先入観念が間違っているのであろうが、運動の有名選手というと、いや有名選手になる前であっても、何となく派手な遊び人というような印象を持っているのだが、私の観念は改めるべきであろう。素晴らしい運動選手こそ素晴らしい心を持っていることであろう。
私は今度のスーパーボウルではぜひアリゾナ・カーディナルスを応援したいと思った。
以下が、私の友人のＳ君が送ってくれた、さらに言えば彼の米国人の友人Ｗ・Ｓ氏がＳ君に送ってくれた逸話である。
とりあえず英語のままで掲載させていただくが、時間があるときに私なりの和訳を追加しようと思っている。
以下 友人からのメールのコピーである。
「今日は、素晴らしい男性についての心温まるお話しです。（Ａ．Ｓ）
In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4.
Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the
call.
As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was only 22) and he fell in love.
Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left.
He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out
only to see her start walking up the road.
Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home.
He looked harmless enough, and she accepted.
When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work.
She simply said it wasn't possible.
He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter.
Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.
That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled.
To which Kurtis simply said,
"Well, let's take the kids with us."
She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed.
Finally Brenda, brought him inside to meet her children. She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair.
He was born a paraplegic with Down Syndrome.
Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?"
Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a
woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done.
Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mind set.
That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies. When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and
brought him back.
The kids loved Kurtis.
At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.
A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children.
Since then they have added two more kids.
So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?
Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the National Football League Arizona Cardinals and his Cardinals are in the Super Bowl.
Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person.
It should be noted that he also quarterbacked the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He has also been the NLF's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
(received from Mr. W.S)」
参考Link: Joypastordon.blogspot
画像：New York Times より（KurtisとBrenda)
「さくら」さんがどなたか見当がつきました。
残念ながら？、いつものなじみの飲み屋の「さくら」ちゃんからではありませんでした。
理学博士、○○大学学長などという肩書きを持っておられた方からのコメントでした。学兄などと呼んで頂くととちょっととまどっています。
でも理系の人が「O'Henryを想起した」などというと格好がいいですね。
なるほど、貴兄は女子大の教授も長くやっておられた。格好のつけ方がお上手です。
思い出しました。貴兄は理系ですが、いろいろと幅が広い。私がトルストイの「戦争と平和」を初めて読んだのは貴兄からお借りした岩波文庫でした。高校１年のときでしたね。
また私のブログをいろいろと読んで頂いて、コメントを頂けば幸いです。