On Saturdays, Jamal worked at the city courier hub. He worked in the sorting room. He was sixteen. He scanned parcels and put them on the right belt. It was a simple job, and a little boring.
每个星期六，贾马尔都在城市快递中转站工作。他在分拣室干活。他十六岁。他扫描包裹，把它们放到正确的传送带上。这份工作很简单，也有点无聊。
That morning, a strange parcel came down the belt. It was a whole wheel, black and heavy. It had no box and no tape. It was just a tyre.
那天早上，一个奇怪的包裹顺着传送带滑了下来。那是一整个轮子，又黑又重。没有箱子，也没有胶带。只有一只轮胎。
A paper tag hung from the rubber. Jamal read it twice. FOR THE ONE WHO NEEDS ME, it said. There was no name and no address.
橡胶上挂着一张纸标签。贾马尔读了两遍。上面写着：给需要我的人。没有名字，也没有地址。
"Which belt does this go on?" he asked the room.
“这个该放哪条传送带？”他问整个房间。
Nobody answered. His scanner beeped and showed a cross. It did not know the tyre.
没有人回答。他的扫描枪嘀了一声，显示一个叉。它不认识这只轮胎。
Jamal put it on the floor. The tyre made a soft sound. It sounded like a happy cat. Then it began to roll.
贾马尔把它放在地上。轮胎发出轻轻的声音，听上去像一只快乐的猫。然后它开始滚动。
It rolled past the shelves and across the yellow lines. Jamal ran after it. It stopped at the forklift, where a driver loaded boxes.
它滚过货架，穿过黄色的线。贾马尔跟着跑。它在叉车旁停下，一位司机正在那里装箱子。
"Is that yours?" Jamal called.
“这是你的吗？”贾马尔喊道。
The driver looked down. The tyre hummed at his boots. "Maybe," he said. "My forklift has a bad wheel."
司机低头看了看。轮胎对着他的靴子嗡嗡作响。“也许吧，”他说，“我的叉车有个轮子坏了。”
He lifted the tyre with both arms. He tried it on the forklift. It did not fit. It was much too small for the big forklift wheel. The tyre gave a sad squeak. It rolled out of his hands.
他用双臂抱起轮胎，试着装到叉车上。装不上。对于那么大的叉车轮子来说，它实在太小了。轮胎发出一声哀伤的吱响，从他手里滚了出去。
"Sorry," said the driver. "I am not the one."
“抱歉，”司机说，“我不是你要找的人。”
The tyre rolled on. It passed the scanners and the dusty windows. It stopped at the bike corner. A woman fixed a chain there.
轮胎继续往前滚。它经过扫描机和蒙着灰的窗户，在自行车角停下。一位女士正在那里修链条。
"A tyre!" she said. "How lovely. Do you have a bike to go with it?"
“一只轮胎！”她说，“真可爱。你有配它的自行车吗？”
"Just the tyre," said Jamal.
“只有这只轮胎，”贾马尔说。
She tried it on a small bike. The wheel looked silly. The bike leaned to one side like a sleepy horse. The tyre made a noise like a long sigh.
她把它装到一辆小自行车上。轮子看上去很滑稽。自行车像一匹困倦的马一样歪向一边。轮胎发出一声长长的叹息。
"It is too big for this bike," the woman said. "I am sorry. I cannot help."
“它对这辆车来说太大了，”女士说，“对不起。我帮不上忙。”
"It is very fussy," said Jamal.
“它真挑剔，”贾马尔说。
"It is a tyre," she said. "But yes."
“它是只轮胎，”她说，“不过没错。”
The tyre rolled away again. Now it moved faster. It went out of the sorting room and into the loading yard. Jamal followed it into the bright sun. Vans stood in a long line by the fence.
轮胎又滚走了。这次它滚得更快。它滚出分拣室，进入装货场。贾马尔跟着它走进明亮的阳光里。一排货车沿着围栏停成长长一列。
At the end of the line, one white van sat low. Its back wheel was flat. A courier knelt beside it. She said a sad word in a quiet voice. Her name tag said NADIRA.
队伍的尽头，一辆白色货车低低地趴着。它的后轮瘪了。一位快递员跪在旁边，用很轻的声音说了个难听的字眼。她的名牌上写着娜迪拉。
The tyre stopped at her shoes. It hummed. Then it hummed louder.
轮胎在她的鞋边停住。它嗡嗡作响。然后嗡得更响了。
Nadira looked at it. She looked at Jamal. "Is this a joke?" she asked.
娜迪拉看看它，又看看贾马尔。“这是开玩笑吗？”她问。
"I do not think so," said Jamal. "It came down the belt. It tried two other people."
“我觉得不是，”贾马尔说，“它是从传送带上下来的。它试过另外两个人。”
"And they said no?"
“他们说不行？”
"They said they were not the one."
“他们说自己不是它要找的人。”
Nadira put her hand on the rubber. It was warm, like a coat in the sun.
娜迪拉把手放在橡胶上。它是温热的，像在阳光下晒过的外套。
"I have a problem," she said. "My spare tyre is gone. I lent it to a friend last month. He never gave it back."
“我有个麻烦，”她说，“我的备用轮胎不见了。上个月我借给一个朋友，他一直没还。”
"That is bad," said Jamal.
“那太糟了，”贾马尔说。
"It is very bad. I must take forty costumes to the school theatre. The play starts at noon. The children cannot go on stage in their school clothes."
“糟透了。我得把四十套演出服送到学校剧场去。戏十二点开演。孩子们不能穿着校服上台。”
Jamal looked at his watch. It was ten past ten. The theatre was across the city.
贾马尔看了看手表。十点十分。剧场在城市的另一头。
"Then let us try," he said.
“那我们试试吧，”他说。
Together, they lifted the tyre. It was heavy, and the wind blew dust in their eyes. Nadira took off the flat wheel. She held the new tyre against the van.
两人一起抬起轮胎。它很重，风还把灰尘吹进他们的眼睛。娜迪拉卸下瘪掉的轮子，把新轮胎举到货车上比了比。
It did not need a tool. It jumped onto the metal with a loud, happy click. The wheel was round and black and perfect. The whole van seemed to stand up straighter.
它根本不需要工具。它跳到金属轮毂上，发出响亮而欢快的咔嗒一声。轮子又圆又黑，完美无缺。整辆货车似乎都站得更直了。
"It fits," said Nadira. She sounded amazed. "It fits like it was made for this van."
“合适，”娜迪拉说，语气里满是惊讶，“就像是专门为这辆车做的一样。”
"Maybe it was," said Jamal.
“也许真是，”贾马尔说。
The paper tag was still on the rubber. He lifted it. The old words were gone. A new line stood in their place, in blue ink. It said: THANK YOU FOR FINDING ME.
纸标签还挂在橡胶上。他把它拎起来。原来的字不见了，原处出现了一行新的字，是蓝墨水写的。上面写着：谢谢你找到我。
Nadira read it and smiled. She loaded the costumes in ten minutes. Jamal helped her with every box. Then she climbed into the front seat and started the engine. It started on the first try.
娜迪拉读了，笑了起来。她十分钟就把演出服装完了。每一只箱子贾马尔都帮了忙。然后她爬进驾驶座，发动引擎。一下就打着了火。
"I will tell the children a tyre saved the play," she said.
“我要告诉孩子们，是一只轮胎拯救了那场演出，”她说。
"They will not believe you."
“他们不会相信你的。”
"They will believe the van." Nadira tapped the wheel. "Look at that. It is not flat anymore."
“他们会相信货车。”娜迪拉拍了拍方向盘。“瞧瞧。它不再是瘪的了。”
She started to drive away. Then she stopped and opened her window.
她开始驶离。然后她停下来，摇下车窗。
"Jamal," she called. "Thank you. Now I can go."
“贾马尔，”她喊道，“谢谢你。现在我可以出发了。”
"Good luck," said Jamal. "Say hello to the children."
“祝你好运，”贾马尔说，“替我向孩子们问好。”
The van rolled out of the yard on four good wheels. Back in the sorting room, his scanner beeped once. It showed a green tick.
货车踏着四只完好的轮子驶出了货场。回到分拣室，他的扫描枪嘀了一声。屏幕上显示出一个绿色的对勾。
