英文短篇故事（纽约）252 Proud of His Average Son

（单词翻译）

 　　Jerry had a son. He named him John. Jerry didn't want John to be "the best." He didn't even want John to be "better." He wanted John just to be average¹. "That way our boy won't get hurt. You get hurt if you try to climb too high. It's safer to be part of the crowd," Jerry told his wife. John went to a public school. He was an average student. When John got straight C's in school, Jerry said, "That's my boy!" John graduated from high school. He got an average job. He made an average salary². He married³ an average girl. He lived an average life. At his dad's deathbed, John said, "Dad, I never let you down. How could I? You wanted average, and you got average. You never pushed me to excel⁴. You never pushed me to reach for the stars. What might I have been?"