“Dr.Carr! Is it you? Is it really you?”
I turned from where I had been browsing1 in the bookstore to see a six-foot-six, muscular2, good-looking, smiling, sandy-haired young man calling me. “It’s me, Dr. Carr! Gibby!”
“Gibby, it can’t be. You’re all grown up!”
Looking closer, I would have known those eyes anywhere: serious, intense3, penetrating blue eyes. Yes, it was my Gibby, all right.
He leaned down to hug his former elementary principal4, and my thoughts went back to that shy, overweight little boy who transferred to our school as he began the fifth grade. He was quiet and withdrawn5 then.
Gibby had a difficult time the first few months, as do many children when they enter a new school. Some of the boys teased6 him about his lack of athletic ability when he attempted to play games on the playground. Gibby wasn’t coordinated and had difficulty keeping up. He always appeared to be stumbling over his shoestrings. Most of the time, he was. I would remind him, “Better tie your shoestrings, son,” and he’d reply, “Yes, ma’am, Dr. Carr.”
Often I would watch the students playing at recess7. I noticed that when they began to choose up sides for a game, serious little Gibby would usually be left standing alone. Several times I went out on the playground and said,“I never get to choose a team. May I?” The boys and girls would laugh at their principal who wanted to play, and say, “Okay, Dr. Carr, it’s your turn!” I’d call out a few names and then, around the fourth or fifth spot, I’d call Gibby’s name and a few others who never seemed to get selected by their peers. My team may not have been the best, but we were, by far, the happiest and definitely the most determined and loyal.
In the early spring of Gibby’s fifth grade year, I held an exercise class on the playground during recess for anyone who wanted to tone up8 their winter-weary muscles. Girls flocked9 to this program, and so did a few boys. Gibby was one of those.
We began by walking briskly10 around the perimeter11 of the large playground. I led the pack and Gibby invariably brought up the rear, and tripping over his shoestrings. As my group circled, we would pass Gibby who was giving it his all, but nevertheless, lagging far behind. I’d call to him, “Good going, Gibby. Keep it up. You’re getting the hang12 of it. Uh... better tie your shoestrings, son.”
“Yes, ma’am, Dr. Carr,” he said, breathing hard and trying to put on a happy face.
After a month, Gibby shed a few pounds and didn’t huff13 and puff14 as much. He still tripped over his shoestrings, but he did keep up with the group much easier.
By the fifth week, we had as many boys in our exercise class as girls. I don’t believe the boys were suddenly all that interested in their health; for it was about this time the girls decided to dress out in shorts.
We added some floor exercises to our program and held this class in the gym. Gibby was right there, in the back row, stretching and bending, lifting and kicking, as intense as ever. Gibby never gave up or made excuses. The little fellow just wasn’t a quitter. He tried harder than anyone, and I admired his spunk15. Many of his classmates did too. In time, he gained confidence and began to smile and talk more. He wasn’t the new kid anymore, and he began to make some solid friends.
Now, after all those years, here we were standing in the bookstore. My little Gibby towered over me.
“What are you doing here, Gibby?” I asked. “I heard you have moved to Georgia.”
“Yes, Dr. Carr. I live in Atlanta now, and I’m division manager of a computer software company. I’m visiting my mom here this weekend,” he replied.
“Well, you look good and sound happy, Gibby.”
“I am happy, Dr. Carr. And I think of you often. You know, it was hard for me to change schools back then and move to a new town, but you were real nice to me.”
“Why, thank you, Gibby.”
“Yeah, you were always laughing, and you made it fun to come to school,” he said. “I’ll never forget your exercise classes. You really made us work.”
Then a big smile lit up his face as he continued, “But, Dr. Carr, you know the thing that I remember most about you?”
“I have no idea, Gibby. What was it?”
“Well,”he said, as he stared at me with those deep blue eyes, “Whenever you got a chance to choose up sides on the playground, you never picked me last.”
“Of course not, Gibby. You were one of my most determined players.”
We hugged again and he said, “I’m married now, Dr. Carr. She’s really nice and always laughing. Come to think of it, she’s a lot like you. And the best thing about her is—from everyone in the world she could have married, she picked me. She picked me first!”
Tears flooded my eyes. I looked down to avoid his gaze and try to regain my control.
It was then that I noticed his shoes.
“Better tie your shoestrings,” I mumbled16, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.
“Yes, ma’am, Dr. Carr,” he replied, flashing that boyish grin.
“卡尔博士，是您吗？真的是您吗？”
听到喊声，我立刻从书店的书架上我正在浏览的书中抬起头来，转过身，迎面正好看到一个相貌英俊的小伙子正微笑着向我打招呼。他身高有六英尺六寸，体格强健，长着一头浅棕色的头发。“是我呀，卡尔博士！吉比！”
“吉比？！真的是你吗？你已经长成一个大小伙子了！”
我连忙走近他，仔细地看着他的面庞。哦，一点儿没错，是他，是我的吉比，无论何时，无论何地，我永远都无法忘记他的那双眼睛，那双严肃而又敏锐、充满着热情的蓝眼睛。
此刻，他弯下腰，张开双臂，热烈地拥抱着我。我的思绪又回到了许多年前，仿佛又看到了那个腼腆的、胖胖的小男孩。那时，他刚转到我们学校读五年级，是一个沉默、孤僻的孩子。
像大多数刚转校的孩子一样，在最初的几个月里，吉比过得并不开心。每次，在操场上，当他试图参加体育比赛的时候，一些男孩子就会嘲笑他缺乏体育运动的能力。的确，吉比身体各方面的动作不太协调，在运动中很难跟上。此外，他还好像老是要被自己的鞋带绊倒——事实上，多数时候，他也确实是被绊倒了。我经常会提醒他：“把你的鞋带系好，孩子。”而他则总是回答：“好的，夫人，好的，卡尔博士。”
平常，在课间休息的时候，我常去看学生们玩游戏。我发现分组玩游戏时，兴致勃勃的小吉比总被冷落在一边。有好几次，我也来到操场上，对孩子们说：“哦，我从来没有组过队。我可以组队吗？”同学们见自己的老师也想来和自己一起玩游戏，都不禁笑了起来，并且高兴地说：“当然可以啦，卡尔博士。现在轮到您了！”于是，我就开始大声地点起我挑选的队员的名字，点了几个之后，大概在第四个或者第五个这个位置，我就会点到吉比和其他一些看起来永远也不会被挑选到的同学的名字。虽然我们这一组不一定是最好的，但我们肯定是玩得最高兴的，而且绝对是最最坚定、最最忠诚的。
在吉比五年级的那年早春，我利用课间休息的时间在操场上给大家开了健身课，谁想要锻炼一下冬天里松懈了的肌肉都可以参加。爱美的女生成群结队地前来报名参加，还有一些男生也来踊跃报名，吉比就是其中的一个。
开始的时候，我们围绕着大操场的外围快步行走。我在队伍的前头带队，吉比则总是跑在最后，还老是被鞋带绊倒。当我们跑完一圈的时候，只剩竭尽全力的吉比还没有跟上来，他被远远地甩在了后面。这时，我向他大声喊道：“跑得不错，吉比。坚持住！你就快掌握它的窍门了！嗯......孩子，把你的鞋带系好！”
“好的，夫人，好的，卡尔博士，”他上气不接下气地答道，并且竭力装出快乐的样子。
一个月以后，吉比的体重减轻了好几磅，再也不像以前那样动不动就累得气喘吁吁了。他仍旧总是被他的鞋带绊倒，但是，他再也不会像以前那样轻易被队伍甩得老远了。
到了第五周的时候，参加我们健身课的男生越来越多，多得和女生都差不多了。我认为并不是这些男孩子突然间关心起自己的健康来了，而是大概在那个时候女孩子们绝对是要穿着惹眼的短裤来上课的。
这时候，我在健身课里增加了一些自由体操的内容，于是，我们就来到体育馆里上课。吉比被排在后排，认真地做着各种动作，伸展、弯腰，举腿、踢腿，仍旧像以前一样充满了热情。吉比从不认输或者找各种借口停止训练。这个小家伙不是一个好半途而废的人。他比任何一个人训练得都刻苦、认真，对于他的这种勇气和精神，我是非常欣赏的。他的许多同学也和我一样有同感。在那段日子里，他获得了自信，原本不苟言笑的脸上又露出了开心的微笑，而且，也像其他同学一样经常和大家在一块儿交谈了。他再也不是那个孤孤单单的新来的小孩子了，他已经开始交一些亲密的朋友了。
一眨眼，许多年过去了。如今，我们竟然在这家书店里相逢了。我的小吉比已经比我高出一大截了。
“你在这儿做什么，吉比？”我问道，“我听说你搬到佐治亚州去了。”
“是的，卡尔博士。我现在住在亚特兰大，我在一家电脑软件公司任部门经理。这个周末我是回来看望我妈妈的，”他答道。
“呃，看起来你过得非常好，非常幸福，吉比。”
“是的，卡尔博士，我过得非常好。我经常想起您。您知道的，对我来说，转到一个新的学校上学是有一定困难的，而且又是从一个城市到另一个城市，但是，幸运的是，我遇到了您，您对我确实是太好了。”
“噢，谢谢你，吉比。”
“您总是面带微笑，而且，您让我们对到学校上学感到非常有趣，"他接着说，“我永远也忘不了您给我们上的健身课。您真的让我们获益匪浅。”
说到这儿，他的脸上绽开了微笑，同时，他继续说：“不过，卡尔博士，您知道我对您记忆最深的是什么吗？”
“我不知道啊，吉比。快说给我听听。”
“好的，”他用那双深蓝色的眼睛凝视着我，说：“记得那时，我们在操场上做游戏的时候，无论什么时候您挑选队员，您从不最后一个选我。”
“哦，当然不会了，吉比。因为你是我最坚定的队员呀！”
我们再次紧紧地拥抱着。片刻之后，他告诉我：“呃，卡尔博士，我还要告诉您一件事，如今，我已经结婚了。我妻子确实非常好，而且，也总是面带微笑。正因为如此，我觉得她非常像您。最主要的是--世界上有很多人，她可以和他们结婚，但是，她却选择了我，而且，她第一个选择的就是我！”
顿时，泪水盈满了我的眼睛。我连忙低下头，避开他的视线，努力地克制着自己。
就在这时，我注意到了他的鞋子。
“把你的鞋带系好，”我一边用手背擦去眼中的泪水，一边喃喃地说。
“好的，夫人，好的，卡尔博士，”他孩子气地咧着嘴笑着，仍旧像以前那样回答。
1. browse [brauz] v. 浏览，翻阅
2. muscular adj. 肌肉发达的，强健的
3. intense adj. 热切的，热情的
4. principal n. 负责人；校长
5. withdrawn adj. 孤独的，离群的
6. tease v. 取笑，戏弄
7. recess n. 休息
8. tone up 增强
9. flock v. 聚集，群集
10. briskly [briskli] adv. 轻快地
11. perimeter n. 周边
12. hang n. 诀窍
13. huff v. 喷气
14. puff v. 喘气
15. spunk n. 勇气；精神
16. mumble v. 含糊地说；咕哝