It was at least two months before Christmas, when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle. Her old Barbie bicycle was just too babyish, and besides, it needed a new tire.

离圣诞节还有两个多月时，九岁的阿尔米　罗斯告诉她父亲和我，她想要一辆新自行车。她那辆旧“芭比”自行车太孩子气了，而且它需要换条新轮胎。

 

As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade-- or so we thought, as she didn't mention it again. Merrily, we started purchasing the latest rage -- Baby-sitter's club dolls -- and beautiful story books, a doll house, a holiday dress and toys. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23 she proudly announced that she "really wanted a bike more than anything else."

随着圣诞节的临近，她想要自行车的愿望似乎淡薄了－－或者只是我们这样想，因为她没有再提过。我们高高兴兴的购买最风行的礼物－－“临时照看小孩者俱乐部”玩具娃娃－－还有漂亮的故事书、一个洋娃娃房子、一件节日连衣裙和玩具。然而，大大出乎我们的意料，12月23日，阿尔米兴致勃勃的宣布她“最想要的礼物就是自行车！”

 

Now we didn't know what to do. It was just too late. What with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts, to take the time to select the "right bike" for our little girl. So here we were -- Chiristmas Eve around 9:00 P.M., having just returned from a wonderful party, contemplating our evening ahead -- hours of wrapping children's presents, parents' presents, a brother's presents and friends' presents. With Almie Rose and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, nestled snug in their beds, we could now think only of the bicycle, the guilt and the idea that we were parents who would disappoint their child.

现在我们不知道如何是好了，因为太迟了：我们需要应付圣诞晚餐的琐碎工作、购买最后决定的礼物，因此就没有时间给我们的小女儿挑选“合适的自行车”了。此时是平安夜的9点，我们刚从一个非常愉快的聚会回来，为随后的夜晚斟酌着－－连续几个小时包礼物，有孩子们的，有父母亲的，还有给朋友们的。阿尔米罗斯和她六岁的弟弟迪伦正舒适的躺在被窝里。我们现在只是想着自行车，为身为父母而让孩子失望感到内疚。

 

That's when my husband, Ron, was inspired. "What if I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?" The theory, of course, being that since this is a high-ticket item and she is "such a big girl", it would be much better for her to pick it out. So he spent the next five hourse painstakingly working with clay to create a miniature bike.

就是这个时候，我丈夫罗恩灵机一动。“我用胶泥做一辆小自行车，附上个纸条说明她可以用胶泥自行车换一辆真的自行车，如何？”从道理上讲，因为自行车价格不菲，而阿尔米又是“这么个大姑娘”了，所以，还是让她自己选比较好。因此，他用剩下的几个小时来精心制作一辆迷你胶泥自行车。

 

Three hours later, on Christmas morning, we were so excited for Almie Rose to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened and read the note aloud.

三小时后，在圣诞节的清晨，当阿尔米打开的心形的包装盒，看到里面装着用红白胶泥做成地漂亮自行车和便条时，我们异常兴奋。她终于打开便条，并大声的念着上面的话。

 

She looked at me and then Ron and said, "So, does this mean that I trade a bike that Daddy made me for a real one?" Beaming, I said, "Yes."

她看了看我，又看了看爸爸，然后说：“这是不是说让我用爸爸做的自行车换一辆真的？”我微笑着答：“是的。”

 

Almie Rose had tears in her when she replied, "I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike."

阿尔米罗斯回答时眼里含着泪水，“我绝不用爸爸做的漂亮自行车换。我宁愿不要真自行车也要保留这辆！”

 

At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!

在那一刻，我们真想竭尽全力为她买来地球上所有的自行车！