A few years ago, my younger sister and I were the first ones down the tunnel to board our flight for Norfolk, Virginia. Just as we were about to board the plane, a mechanic emerged from inside the aircraft and blocked the door with his arms. He turned to the flight attendant and hurriedly stated, “We got problems!”
几年前，我和妹妹搭乘飞机去弗吉尼亚州的诺福克市，当时我们是最早通过隧道准备登机的乘客。正当我们要登上飞机的时候，一位机械师从机舱里走出来，用手臂挡住了舱门。他转过身急促地对乘务员说道：“我们遇到问题了!”
I thought to myself, “Why did I have to be the one to hear that? Why couldn’t I have been at the back of the line? I didn’t need to know that!” Very soon we were back in the terminal, waiting, and then ultimately back on the plane. I waited for the pilot to give an explanation. Pilots take courses to ease passengers’ mind right? They know what to say to calm nerves.
我暗想：“为什么是我听到这个消息呢?为什么我不是排在登机队伍的最后呢?我不需要知道这件事!”很快地我们返回到候机室等消息，然后最终又回到了飞机上。我等着机长给出一个合理的解释。机长们都学过如何缓和乘客们的情绪，不是吗?他们知道应该说些什么来宽慰神经紧张的乘客们。
Unfortunately, I don’t think this pilot took that course. Soon his voice boomed throughout the plane, “Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. We had no power on the plane. We have a generator on the ground right now, and we are going to jump-start the engines. Once we get them going, we will get up in the air and head to Norfolk, and see what happens.”
不幸的是，我想我们的这位机长并没有学过这方面的课程。很快，他的声音就在整个机舱里回响：“女士们、先生们，很抱歉飞机晚点了。我们的飞机动力不足，现在在地面上有台发电机，我们准备借助它来发动飞机上的引擎。一旦发动了那些引擎，我们就能够飞到空中并飞向诺福克市，然后随机应变。”
Click.
That was it. That was all he said. See what happens? We are going to get up in the air, and see what happens? Couldn’t we have another plan, one that’s been worked out just a little better?
喀哒——
就这样。他就是这么说的。随机应变?我们会首先升空，然后随机应变?难道我们不能有一个更好的计划吗?
At this point, all I could do was to laugh nervously. One woman started yelling, “Oh no! We are going to crash!” There were sighs of desperation and anxiety spreading throughout the cabin like a tidal wave, and we hadn’t even taken off yet. Thirty minutes passed and we were still sitting there. Then the voice of the pilot came over the intercom again, “Ladies and gentlemen, I know you are frustrated—so are we—we know you are hot, we only have one engine going right now, and it is working double time.”
这个时候，我所能做的只是紧张兮兮地笑了起来。一位女士开始大叫：“噢，不!我们要坠机了!”绝望和焦虑的叹息声像潮汐般席卷了整个机舱，而我们甚至还没有起飞。三十分钟过去了，我们仍然停在原地。接着广播里又一次响起了机长的声音：“女士们，先生们，我知道你们很沮丧，我们也一样;我们知道你们现在感到很热，因为我们现在只有一个引擎能够正常运转，而且它正在加速运转。”
Click.
There were moan as if we had all boarded a vessel of doom. It seemed that, we were all seated in an aluminum casket, buckled next to strangers. After all, the pilot said he was frustrated. He told us our one engine was working double time, and his elaborate plan was to get up in the air, and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air, and what happened? Nothing—other than thrust and lift. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched the tarmac than a round of applause burst out, as everyone throughout the airplane simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.