I'll never forget a ride 20 years ago. Back then, I 1 a taxi. One time, I was called at midnight to2 a passenger. When I arrived, the building was dark except for one night in a window.
I walked to the door and knocked. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. By her side was a3. I took it and we walked slowly to the street. She kept thanking me.
"It's nothing, I tried to treat my passengers how I want my mother4."
When we got into the taxi, she gave me the5, and then asked me to drive through the downtown. But I told her it was not the shortest way.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice (临终医院). The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly6 the meter (计价器). For the next two hours, she showed me the building where she had once worked, the7 where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone8 as a girl. In the early morning, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now." We drove in9 to the hospice. As I10, two nurses were waiting for us. They helped her into a wheelchair.
"How much do I11 you?" she asked, reaching for her purse.
I said nothing, leaned down and gave her a12. She said, "You gave me a little moment of joy. Thank you."
I13 her hand and then walked back. I believe I had never done anything more important in my life. We usually think that our lives are14 by great moments. But I now realize that great moments catch us by surprise, because they often seem quite15.
