姗姗来迟的兴趣

Robert Klose

I once knew a high school teacher who made， in my mind， a curious comment. Referring to a wayward1） student， he remarked， with a tone of grim2） resignation3）， "People don't change."

I was immediately confused. Yes， older folks tend to become set in familiar ways， but a 15-year-old？ I knew the kid well. He lived in my neighborhood. In the parlance4） of a past age， he was what one would call a "juvenile delinquent5）". But if schooling held no promise of rendering6） positive changes in kids， what was the point of teaching？

I knew whereof I spoke. My own son， Alyosha， is currently serving aboard a US Coast Guard cutter7）. This is a wonder： he'd never shown any interest for boats， water or uniforms， for one thing. But the real kicker8） is his specialty： machinery technology. He tends to9） the ship's engines.

To understand why I find this so remarkable requires a little background. Alyosha， growing up， was athletic， energetic， impish10） and occasionally hard to handle. But he never showed the least interest in tools， tinkering or working with his hands in any way. The result was that he couldn't tell a screwdriver from a paintbrush. I recall one day， as I fussed11） under the car， calling out to him to bring me an adjustable wrench12）. He fetched a pair of pliers13）. "No，" I explained while trying to hold a greasy car part in place. "Pliers." He went back into the garage and returned with a pry bar14）. "No， no，" I corrected him. "The adjustable wrench！ For loosening a nut15）." To which， in his own defense， he exclaimed， "Well， I don't know！"

Not knowing was one thing， but not wanting to learn was another. I did try my best. While working under the hood16） on another occasion I called to him， "Alyosha， want to learn how to change the oil？" His response： "Er， no， Dad. I don't want to get in your way." Painting the picnic table on a brilliant summer day： "Alyosha， want to pick up a brush？" "It's OK， Dad. I think it's a one-man job." On another occasion： "Hey， I'm doing some plumbing17）. Want to learn how to solder18）？" Alyosha： "Nah. I'd just burn myself."

And so he bounced happily along. Except for his dislike of tools and handiwork， he was a neat kid to raise. He was a gifted soccer player， and his claim to fame was not the number of goals he made but his skill as a playmaker19）， placing the ball just right so a teammate could plant the goal. OK， so he didn't know what a ball-peen hammer20） was. He had a generous heart.

The years passed. Alyosha zigged and zagged21）—a little bit of this college， a little bit of that one. A low-level job here， another one there. And then， one day， well into22） his 20s， he told me he had decided to join the Coast Guard. I supported him 100 percent. After boot camp23） and a stint24） of shore duty， he told me he had decided on a technical school： machinery technology. Of all things25）！

I nodded approvingly， but already knew that it was a challenging field， full of moving parts， tools and dreaded math. And somewhere in the works， I was sure， someone would ask him to fetch an adjustable wrench.

During his period in Coast Guard technical school I thought about him daily， wondering what the outcome would be. I had prepared myself for the phone call telling me that it was just too much and he was being sent to sea as a deckhand26）.

It didn't happen. He made it. The phone did ring， but it was Alyosha asking me to fly to Virginia to attend his graduation and pin his new rank on his collar. Prouder I couldn't have been.

As I stood before my son， fiddling with27） the rank insignia28）， Alyosha， standing at attention and staring dead ahead， broke protocol29） to glance at me. "You want me to help you， Dad？" he asked. "Always，" I answered， as I snapped30） the insignia clips into place， "but not this time."

Yeah， people do change. And， in my experience， it's usually something to behold31）.

我曾经认识一个高中老师，他发表过一番令我觉得十分费解的言论。在谈到一位难以管教的学生时，他用一种严肃而又无可奈何的语气说：“人是不会改变的。”

我当时顿时糊涂了。的确，年长一些的人往往会变得积习难改，但一个15岁的孩子也会如此吗？我很了解这个孩子。他就住在我家附近。用老话来说，这孩子就是所谓的“失足青年”。但是，如果连学校教育也无法保证能给孩子带来积极的改变，那么教育的意义何在呢？

我很清楚我说的这点。我自己的儿子阿廖沙目前在美国海岸警卫队的一艘快艇上服役。这可是个奇迹。首先，他从未表现过他对船只、大海或者军装有什么兴趣。但最令人惊讶的还是他的专业——机械技术。他负责维修那艘快艇的引擎。

要明白我为何觉得此事如此不同凡响，还需要了解一点背景。从小到大，阿廖沙一直都是个身强体壮、精力充沛、调皮好动的孩子，有时候也会难以管教。但他从未对机械工具、维修或者任何形式的手工活表现出丝毫的兴趣。结果他连螺丝刀和油漆刷都分不清。记得有一天，我正钻在汽车底下忙活的时候，喊他给我拿一把活动扳手，结果他拿来了一把钳子。“不是这个，”我一边向他解释，一边试图把一个油腻腻的汽车零件安装到位，“这是钳子。”他走回车库，回来时拿了一把撬杆。“错了，错了，”我纠正他说，“我要的是活动扳手！松螺母用的。”对此，他大声为自己辩解道：“哎呀，我不认识！”

不认识是一回事，而不想学就是另一回事了。为此我真的竭尽所能了。又有一次，我钻在发动机罩下面忙活时冲他大声说：“阿廖沙，想不想学怎么换机油啊？”他的回答是：“呃，不了，爸。我不想在这里碍手碍脚的。”在一个明媚的夏日，我在给野餐桌刷油漆：“阿廖沙，想不想拿刷子来刷一下？”“不用了，爸，我觉得这事一个人干就够了。”还有一次，我说：“嘿，我在铺水管，想学怎么焊接吗？”阿廖沙说：“不，我只会烧到自己。”

于是，他就这样一路快快乐乐地成长着。其实，撇开他对工具和手工活儿的反感不说，他是个很好养的孩子。他是个颇有天赋的足球运动员，已小有名气，而这并不是因为他进了多少个球，而是因为他的技巧——作为负责组织进攻的球员，他总能将球踢到合适的位置，从而使队友能顺利进球。好吧，他确实还是不知道什么是圆头锤，可他拥有豁达的胸怀。

很多年过去了。阿廖沙在磕磕绊绊中长大成人——换了几所大学，也辗转更换了几份低端的工作。然后有一天，在他二十多岁时，他告诉我，他已决定加入海岸警卫队。我百分百地支持他。在经过新兵训练，完成规定期限的海岸工作后，他告诉我他决定去一所技校，学习机械技术。那么多可学的，他偏偏挑中了这个！

我赞许地点了点头，但心里早就明白这是个极具挑战性的领域，充斥着各种活动部件、工具以及令人恐惧的数学。我确信，在工厂的某个地方，一定会有人叫他去取一把活动扳手。

他在海岸警卫队技术学校学习的那段日子里，我每天都会想到他，想知道他最终的结果会是怎样。我已经做好了心理准备接到这样的电话，告诉我这对他来说就是太难了，他已被派往海上当一名普通水手。

我所担心的并没有发生。他成功了。电话铃确实响了，但那是阿廖沙打来邀请我飞往弗吉尼亚去参加他的毕业典礼，并亲手将他的新军衔徽章别在他的衣领上。我感到前所未有的自豪。

当我站在儿子面前摆弄着他的军衔徽章时，原本两眼直视前方立正的阿廖沙突然违规看了我一眼。“爸，需要帮忙吗？”他问道。“永远都需要，”我一边回答，一边啪的一声将徽章卡好，“但这次不需要。”

是的，人是会改变的。而且，就我的经验来看，这种改变常常值得一看。