It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
杰克已经有一段时间没见到这位老人了。大学、工作和生活本身都成为了障碍。事实上，为了追求梦想，杰克在全国到处飞。繁忙的生活让杰克几乎没有时间思考过去，也没有时间和妻儿在一起。他在为自己的未来而努力，没有什么能阻止他。

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
在电话里，他的母亲告诉他：“贝尔瑟先生昨晚去世了，葬礼在周三举行。”当他静静地坐在那里回忆童年时光时，记忆就像历史影像在脑海中闪现。

“Jack, did you hear me?”
“杰克，你听见了吗？”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.
杰克说：“哦，对不起，妈妈。是的，我听见了。我很久没想起他了。对不起，但我真的以为他几年前就去世了。”。

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.
“嗯，他没有忘记你。每次我见到他，他都会问你过得怎么样。他常常回忆起你在他家院子里度过的许多日子，”妈妈告诉他。

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.
“我喜欢他住的那栋老房子，”杰克说。

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.
“杰克，你知道吗，你父亲去世后，贝尔瑟先生介入进来，确保你的生活中有男人的影响，”她说。

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.
“是他教我木工的。如果没有他，我就不会从事这个行业。他花了很多时间教我他认为重要的东西。妈妈，我会参加葬礼的。”杰克说。

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
尽管杰克很忙，但他信守诺言。赶上了下一班飞往家乡的航班。贝尔瑟先生的葬礼规模不大，平平淡淡。他没有自己的孩子，他的亲戚大多数都去世了。

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.
在他不得不回去的前一天晚上，杰克和他的妈妈再次路过隔壁的老房子，这正是他所记得的。每一步都有记忆。每一张照片，每一件家具……杰克突然停了下来。

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.
“怎么了，杰克？”他妈妈问。

“The box is gone,” he said.
“盒子不见了，”他说。

“What box?” Mom asked.
“什么盒子？”妈妈问。

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.
“他把一个小金盒锁在书桌上。我肯定问过他一千遍里面装的是什么。他总是告诉我是他‘最珍视的东西’，”杰克说。

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
它不见了。除了盒子，房子的一切都和杰克记忆中的一模一样。他认为是贝尔瑟家族的人拿走的。

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.
“现在我永远也不知道是什么对他如此有价值，”杰克悲伤地说。

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.
第二天回到办公室，他在办公桌上发现了一个包裹。回信地址引起了他的注意。

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.
上面写着“哈罗德·贝尔瑟先生”。

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,
杰克撕开了包裹。里面有一个金盒子和一个信封。杰克读到里面的纸条时，双手颤抖，

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.
“我死后，请把这个盒子和里面的东西转交给杰克·伯内特。这是我一生中最珍视的东西。”信上贴着一把小钥匙。他的心怦怦直跳，泪水盈眶。杰克小心地打开箱子。他在里面发现了一块漂亮的金怀表。他用手指慢慢地抚摸着精美的封面，打开了它。

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”
他发现里面刻着这样一句话：“杰克。谢谢你的时间！哈罗德·贝尔瑟。”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”
“哦，天哪！这是他最珍视的东西……”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.
杰克拿着手表看了几分钟，然后打电话给他的助理，取消了接下来两天的会议。“为什么？”助理问道。

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.
“我需要一些时间和儿子在一起，”他说。