Desperately lonely at only 17 years old may not be normal, but so many things had happened in my life to make me feel like my world was crashing down. Growing up poor had never been easy, but somehow I managed to live my life around it. My mother, a single mother of four, was struggling to make ends meet working at our local McDonalds. I was the oldest and just a year before had all the hopes and dreams of any normal 16 year old girl. I was moderately attractive and at times, perky and outgoing. Always striving to do my best, I managed to squeeze out some pretty good grades. I took college prep classes in the hopes of someday being a nurse.

十七岁就感觉孤独无望也许并不常见，但在我生命里发生的很多事使我感到我的世界正在倒塌。自幼生活在贫苦当中是不容易的，但无论如何我还是走了过来。作为四个孩子的单亲妈妈，母亲在我们当地的麦当劳餐馆工作，艰难地维持着基本生活。我是最大的孩子。就在一年前，像其他所有普通的十六岁女孩一样，我对生活充满希冀和梦想。我长得算是迷人，有时还挺自信和外向的。我总是尽自己最大努力去拼搏，成绩也算不俗。我报读了大学预科班，希望将来成为一名护士。

However, poverty whisked my dream away. My mother could not afford our four tuition fees and she had to start making me stay home from school during days she worked day shift to care for my 3-year-old brother. Eventually I quit school. My dreams of going to college were washed away in the blink of an eye. I was now assuming the role of a mother to my little brother, taking on all the responsibility of any stay at home mom. When my mother worked nights, my responsibility grew to two additional children, who were school aged, and all that it entailed. Most nights I would go to bed exhausted and depressed. I often wondered if my life was ever going to change. I would not cry to my mother about my pitiful life because I did not wish to upset her. I was feeling like I had no way out. It even occurred to me that fortune did not favor me and my life was done.

然而，贫困葬送了我的梦想。我母亲无法负担我们四个孩子的学费，不得不开始让我留在家里，好让我在她上白班时照顾三岁的弟弟。最后，我辍学了。我的大学梦眨眼间破灭。我现在担当弟弟的“母亲”角色，负担起任何留守家中的母亲所要承担的责任。当我母亲上晚班时，我还得照看另外两个已到读书年龄的孩子并担负起相关杂活。大多数夜晚，躺到床上，我已精疲力竭，满心沮丧。我常常思忖自己的人生是否会有所改变。我不会向母亲哭诉自己悲惨的人生，因为我不想让她难过。我感觉自己无路可走。我甚至觉得好运没有垂青于我，我的人生完了。

One of my friends tried to enlighten me by telling me that she worked with a young man who had a younger brother my age, who just moved here from Cincinnati, Ohio and didn’t know anyone. She got his number and wanted me to give him a call. I was not interested at all but loneliness overwhelmed me and I needed to find my way out. I tried to call one afternoon and got his older brother. The brother, Brandon, said that the one who I was calling for, Scott, was in Cincinnati for the week visiting old friends. But he invited me to a party that evening and said Scott would show up. My friend and I went to that party that evening and she introduced me to the brother she was working with, Brandon. No sooner were we introduced, at that very moment, and in walked a boy I had never seen in town before. The moment he walked in, our eyes locked. I honestly could not hear what everyone else was saying. And to my surprise, he was walking right up to me, my friend and Brandon. All of a sudden, Brandon looked at me, and said, “By the way, this is my brother, Scott!”

我的一个朋友努力开导我，她告诉我，她的一位年轻男同事有个和我同龄的弟弟，刚从俄亥俄州的辛辛那提市搬到这里，人生地不熟。她拿到了他的电话号码，要我打电话给他。我根本就没兴趣。但孤独充斥着我的心，我需要找到一个宣泄的出口。有天下午，我试着打电话给他，接电话的却是他哥哥，布兰顿。他告诉我，斯科特(我要找的人)当周去了辛辛那提市拜访一些老朋友。但他邀请我参加当晚的一个派对，他说斯科特会出席派对。那晚，我和朋友去了派对，她把我介绍给她的同事布兰顿——斯科特的哥哥。就在朋友介绍我们相互认识那刻，一个我从未在镇上见过的男孩走了进来。他走进来的那刻，我们四目相投。坦白说，那刻其他人在说什么我根本没听到。更让我诧异的是，他正向我和我的朋友，还有布兰顿走过来。突然，布兰顿看着我说道：“顺便介绍一下,这是我的弟弟斯科特!”

I was lost in my own thoughts, while gazing into his eyes. I fumbled over my words. He repeated, “This is my brother Scott...Scott, this is Tara.” We simultaneously said hello and shook hands. But when we shook, we held on for just a moment longer than most. Among the rustle and bustle of the restaurant, I was in my own little world. Happiness came over me and we had a wonderful evening. When I got home, he called me and we talked for 5 hours. Two days later, he came to visit at my house with a single rose in hand. Shortly after, young love blossomed, and in 6 months, we were engaged.

凝视着他的眼睛，我陷入自己的思绪当中。我在思索着如何措词。布兰顿重复道：这是我的弟弟斯科特……斯科特，这是塔拉。”我们同时向对方问好，并握了握手。但我们握手的时间比多数情况下的都要长。在饭馆的嘈杂喧闹声中，我沉浸在自己的小小世界里，心头充满幸福感。那一夜我们过得很快乐。我回到家，他就打电话给我了，我们聊了五个小时。两天后，他手握一支玫瑰到我家来拜访。不久，我们两个年轻人坠入了爱河。六个月后，我们订婚了。

Mother was uncomfortable with our engagement because she thought we were too young to get engaged. Love injected a thread of hope and joy into my life and for the first time I truly believed that I had my fate in my hands. On November 13th,1993, one week after my 18th birthday, we exchanged vows in front of our close friends and family. Many were unhappy about our wedding. They informed us that we wouldn’t last 3 months. Last year we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary!

我母亲对于我们的订婚感到不安，因为她觉得我们还太年轻。爱情给我的人生注入了一丝希望和快乐。人生的头一回，我深信命运就把握在我的手中。1993年11月13日，也就是我十八岁生日的一周后，我们在我们的亲朋好友面前交换了誓言。很多人并不为我们的婚礼感到高兴。他们告诉我们，我们的婚姻熬不过三个月。而去年，我们庆祝了我们的第十五个结婚纪念日!

Life is not easy for young couples. We have endured many trials and tribulations in our time together. We survived financial hardships, the death of both of his parents, loss of jobs, sickness, and most recently, our house burnt down. We lost everything but our lives. What hasn’t killed us, has only made us stronger.

生活对于年轻夫妇来说并不容易。在一起度过的时光中，我们经受了很多考验和磨难。我们挺过了一个又一个难关——经济困难、他父母去世、失业以及疾病，就在最近，我们的房子被烧掉了。除了生命，我们变得一无所有。但那些没将我们置之于死地的灾难只能使我们更加坚强。

We had each other and fought fate to make things better. I even got to start nursing school in 2000. We made a commitment to each other when we were probably too young. But we knew we loved each other from the start. Who knows where I’d be today had fate not thrown me into that restaurant all those years ago. I recognize the limitations of my fate but most importantly I recognize the vastness of the possibilities we control with our free will. While we cannot do absolutely anything, we can do so many things that we can consistently surprise ourselves, and make our lives as unique and meaningful as we wish.

我们拥有彼此，和命运抗争只为创造更美好的生活。2000年，我甚至开始进卫校学习。当我们向对方许下诺言时，我们也许太过年轻。但我们知道，我们从一开始就爱着对方。如果那些年以前命运没有让我走进那间饭馆，谁知道我今天又会在哪里呢?我意识到自己命运的局限性，但最重要的是，我意识到我以自由意志掌控人生还是有着无限的可能。尽管我们不可能随心所欲，但我们能做许多事来不断给自己创造惊喜，使我们的人生像我们所憧憬的那样独特而有意义。