Tay này ăn mặc nhếch nhác, lệch lạc so với đẳng cấp bảnh bao của quán. Ngó mặt là biết dân khố rách áo ôm rồi. Anh ta tỉnh bơ kiếm ghế ngồi, ngó lên tường, rồi gọi “Cho tách cà phê tường”. Anh bồi, theo thói quen, đon đả phục vụ cà phê cho khách.

Vũ Thế Thành (dịch từ ”Coffee on the wall)

Tác giả : không rõ

Bức tường đã nói lên sự hào phóng và ân cần của người dân thị trấn nhỏ bé này

Một người khách vào quán, ngồi vào bàn bên cạnh và gọi: ”Cho 2 cà phê, một bàn, một tường nghe”. Gọi cà phê kiểu này hơi lạ, nên để ý và thấy anh bồi chỉ mang ra một tách cà phê, nhưng lúc tính tiền lại trả hai tách. Khi khách rời quán, anh bồi dán lên tường mảnh giấy nhỏ, ghi “Một tách cà phê”.

Vũ Thế Thành  (dịch từ ” Coffee on the wall”)

——0——

Nguyên bản

http://www.kindspring.org/story/view.php?sid=44089

Coffee on the wall

I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighboring town of Venice, the city of lights and water. As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat on an empty table beside us.

He called the waiter and placed his order saying, Two cups of coffee, one of them there on the wall. We heard this order with rather interest and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he paid for two. As soon as he left, the waiter pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying A Cup of Coffee.

While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had two cups of coffee but paid for three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, A Cup of Coffee.

It seemed that this gesture was a norm at this place. However, it was something unique and perplexing for us. Since we had nothing to do with the matter, we finished our coffee, paid the bill and left.

After a few days, we again had a chance to go to this coffee shop. While we were enjoying our coffee, a man entered. The way this man was dressed did not match the standard nor the atmosphere of this coffee shop.

Poverty was evident from the looks on his face. As he seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, one cup of coffee from the wall. The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary respect and dignity.

The man had his coffee and left without paying. We were amazed to watch all this when the waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the dust bin.

Now it was no surprise for us the matter was very clear. The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants of this town welled up our eyes with tears.

Coffee is not a need of our society neither a necessity of life for us. The point to note is that when we take pleasure in any blessing, maybe we also need to think about those people who appreciate that specific blessing as much as we do but they cannot afford to have it.

Note the character of this waiter, who is playing a consistent and generous role to get the communication going between the affording and the needy with a smile on his face.

Ponder upon this man in need. He enters the coffee shop without having to lower his self-esteem he has no need to ask for a free cup of coffee without asking or knowing about the one who is giving this cup of coffee to him he only looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, enjoyed his coffee and left.

When we analyze this story, along with the other characters, we need to remember the role played by the wall that reflects the generosity and care of the dwellers of this town.

.