John and I sat on the bus heading to Los Angeles, watching as other passengers boarded. A young blonde girl, around 19 years old, took a seat in front of us. The driver followed her, asking for the fare.
"Please pay $40," he said.
"I already paid online yesterday," the girl explained.
"Impossible, there's no record of your payment here." The driver waved a paper in front of her and pointed, saying, "See? No payment record at all! Either pay or get off the bus."
"But I don't have money with me now. I did pay the fare." The girl weakly argued.
The driver made a phone call to confirm if there was an issue with the payment record. After hanging up, he said, "No, you haven't paid. Pay up or get off the bus."
"But I really don't have money with me now. Please, I must get to Los Angeles today." The girl pleaded, tears streaming down her face.
John and I had traveled a long way to come to the United States. We sat comfortably in our seats, excited about reaching Los Angeles soon to fulfill our dream of visiting Disneyland. However, our excitement turned to concern as we witnessed the scene unfolding before us. Seeing the girl in front of us, with a man standing beside her demanding money, I didn't know what to do.
Was she telling the truth? There are countless examples of people fabricating stories to gain sympathy and make money. I wondered if the bus driver, if convinced she had no money now, would let her pay later. However, that was not the case. The bus driver continued to demand the $40 fare from the girl, who insisted she had no money.
At that moment, a woman with graying hair, weathered by time, walked from the back of the bus. She wore a worn-out blue and white flannel shirt, faded brown pants, and tattered shoes. Holding $40 in her hand, she approached the driver, pointing at the crying stranger, and said, "This is her fare."
The driver, with a surprised expression, accepted the money. In less than 3 minutes, we departed from Phoenix, heading towards Los Angeles. Watching the woman with graying hair, I felt waves of emotion. Despite her ragged appearance, she seemed to need help herself, yet she didn't ask for anything. She simply walked over and expressed genuine kindness to a stranger.
As the bus pulled into the next station, I approached the woman who paid the fare for the girl and told her, "Your act just now deeply moved me. Please take this; let us also share in covering the fare you paid for her."
"Oh, my goodness! How did you know that was my last $40?" The woman, seeing the money I offered, eyes shimmering with tears, said, "Besides you, several other people gave me money just now. I already have $70 in my pocket! Now I don't know what to do."
This day of travel taught me a valuable lesson: beauty can be found everywhere in this world. I experience such beauty almost every day—not only in breathtaking scenery but also in the various kindnesses people extend to one another. Sometimes it's just a comforting word, a little money, or giving you a ride, offering advice, or simply helping you carry a bag. Doesn't this happen often?
I am grateful for this day, for opening my eyes and seeing the kindness and beauty in the world.
我和约翰坐在开往洛杉矶的公共汽车上，看着其他乘客鱼贯而入。一个19岁左右的金发女孩在我们前面的座位上坐下来，司机跟在她身后，向她索要车费。
“请付40美金。”他说。
“我昨天已经在网上付过了呀。”女孩解释。
“不可能，这里没有你的付款记录。”司机在女孩面前晃了一下手里的纸，又用手指点了点，说，“看到了吗？根本没有付款记录！你要么交钱，要么就下车。”
“可是我现在没有带钱。我确实付过车费了。” 女孩弱弱地争辩。
司机拿起手机打了个电话，想确认一下是否付款记录出了问题。然后他挂断电话，说道：“没有，你还没付款。交钱吧！”“我身上真的没带钱。求求您了，我今天必须得赶到洛杉矶。”女孩说着，眼泪顺着脸颊流了下来。
我和约翰是千里迢迢来到美国的。我们舒舒服服地坐在自己的座位上，正兴奋地想着很快就要到达洛杉矶，可以实现环游迪斯尼乐园的梦想了，就看到了眼前发生的这一幕。看着面前的女孩泪眼婆娑，一个男人站在她身边要钱，我不知道该怎么做了。
她说的是实话吗？这世上靠编故事博取同情赚钱的例子多不胜数。我想，如果她真的没有钱，公交车司机会不会同情她一下，让她过后再补交呢?可是没有。公交车司机仍然在向女孩讨要40美金车费，而那女孩也一直坚持说自己没有钱。
这时，一个头发花白、满脸风霜的女人从车子的后部走过来。她穿着一件破烂的蓝白格子法兰绒衬衫，棕色裤子都褪了颜色，鞋子也残破不堪。只见她走到司机面前，一只手插在口袋里，另一只手里拿着40美元。“这是她的车费。”女人指着那个哭泣的陌生女孩，对司机说。
司机面露惊讶地接过钱，不到3分钟时间，我们就从凤凰城出发，驶向洛杉矶了。看着那个头发花白的女人，我心里涌起一阵阵的感动。从她褴褛的衣衫上看起来，应该尚需别人的帮助，但她什么都没问，只是径直走过来，向一个陌生的女孩表达了纯真的善意。
车子驶进下一个站点的时候，我走近那位帮女孩付车费的女士，告诉她：“你刚才的举动让我非常感动。请拿着这个，我们也分担一下你帮她出的车费。”
“哦，天哪！你怎么知道那是我最后的40美元？” 女人看到我递过去的钞票，眼睛里泪花闪动，“除了你，刚才还有好几个人也给了我钱。我的口袋里已经有70美元了！现在我都不知道该怎么办了。”
这一天的旅行，教会了我一个道理：这个世界上，美好其实处处可见，我也几乎每天都在体验这种美好——不仅有大好的风景，更有人与人之间的各种善意。也许有时只是一句安慰的话、一点点钱，或者载你一程、给你一些建议、简单地帮你提个包……这种情况不是经常发生吗？
我很感激这一天，自己睁开眼睛，看到了这个世界的善良和美丽。
