"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. 

    When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. 

    Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. 

    He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak." 

    He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. 

    "But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart. 

    The boy's father had a session with the family physician... "Could nothing be done?" 

    "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured," the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. 

    Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret." 

    The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. 

    Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her." 

    "I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet." 

    The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears. 

    "Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?" 

    “我可以看看我的寶寶嗎？”初為人母的她開心地問道。

    當裹著的嬰兒放到她臂彎里，她掀開裹著嬰兒的布，在看到他的小臉時，她不禁倒吸了一口氣。醫(yī)生快速地轉(zhuǎn)過身，透過醫(yī)院的高層窗戶向外看去。嬰兒生下來就沒有耳朵。

    時間證明嬰兒的聽力毫無問題，只是有損他的相貌。一天，當他匆匆從學(xué)校跑回家，撲向母親的懷抱時，她嘆了口氣，意識到他的生活注定會受到一連串的打擊。

    他脫口訴說遭到的不幸：“一個男孩，一個大個子男孩……他喊我怪胎。”

    他長大了，雖然不幸但還是長得挺帥。頗受同學(xué)的歡迎，要不是有缺陷，他很可能當了班長。他對文學(xué)和音樂很有天賦和潛質(zhì)。

    “但你可能會和其他年輕人一樣。”母親責備地說，但從心底里覺得很欣慰。

    男孩的父親與家庭醫(yī)生商量……“難道真無法補救嗎？”

    “我認為可以移植一雙外耳，如果能夠找到的話。”醫(yī)生做了決定，于是他們開始尋求一個愿意為這個年輕人做出犧牲的人。

    兩年過去了。一天，父親對兒子說，“孩子，你要住院了。我和你媽找到愿意為你捐獻耳朵的人了。但要求保密。”

    手術(shù)獲得了巨大成功，一個新人誕生了。他的潛力發(fā)展成一個天才，在中學(xué)和大學(xué)都取得了一連串的成功。

    后來他結(jié)婚了，進入外交行業(yè)工作。一天，他問父親：“是誰給我的耳朵？誰給了我那么多？我做多少都無法報答他/她。”

    “我也這樣認為，”父親說，“但是協(xié)議上說你不能知道……還不到時候。”

    他們的秘密遵守了很多年，但這天終于來了，這也是兒子度過的最黑暗的日子。他和父親站在母親的棺材前，慢慢地，輕柔地，父親向前伸出一只手，掀開母親濃密的、紅褐色的頭發(fā)：母親竟然沒有耳朵！

    “你母親說過她很高興，她從不理發(fā)，”父親輕柔地低聲說，“但沒人覺得母親沒以前美麗，是吧？”