美国国家公共电台 NPR The Busboy Who Cradled A Dying RFK Recalls Those Final Moments

 

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In StoryCorps this morning, we are looking back 50 years. Senator¹ Robert F. Kennedy was running for president and had just won the California primary when he was assassinated² at the Ambassador³ Hotel here in Los Angeles. In a famous photograph taken seconds after he was shot, Kennedy lies on the floor. A teenage busboy kneels beside him, cradling⁴ the senator's head. That busboy was Juan Romero, who came to the United States from Mexico as a child. At StoryCorps, he remembered meeting Kennedy the day before the assassination⁵, when Romero helped deliver his room service.

JUAN ROMERO: They opened the door. And the senator was talking on the phone. He put down the phone and says, come on in, boys. You could tell when he was looking at you that he's not looking through you. He's taking you into account. And I remember walking out of there like I was 10 feet tall. The next day, he had his victory speech. So they came down the service elevator, which is behind the kitchen. I remember extending my hand as far as I could. And then I remember him shaking my hand. And as he let go, somebody shot him. I kneeled on to him and put my hand between the cold concrete and his head just to make him comfortable. I could see his lips moving. So I put my ear next to his lips. And I heard him say, is everybody OK? I said, yes, everybody's OK. I could feel a steady stream of blood coming through my fingers. I had a rosary in my shirt pocket. And I took it out, thinking that he would need it a lot more than me. I wrapped it around his right hand. And then they wheeled him away.

The next day, I decided⁶ to go to school. I didn't want to think about it. But this woman was bringing the newspaper. And you can see my picture in there with the senator on the floor. She turned around and showed me the picture, says, this is you, isn't it? And I remember looking at my hands, and there was dried blood in between my nails. Then I received bags of letters addressed to a busboy. There was a couple of angry letters. One of them even went as far as to say that if he hadn't stopped to shake your hand, the senator would have been alive. So I should be ashamed of myself for being so selfish. It's been a long 50 years. And I still get emotional. Tears come out. But I went to visit his grave in 2010. I felt like I needed to ask Kennedy to forgive me for not being able to stop those bullets from harming him. And I felt like, you know, it would be a sign of respect to buy a suit. I never owned a suit in my life. And so when I wore the suit, and I stood in front of his grave, I felt a little bit like that first day that I met him. I felt important. I felt American. And I felt good.

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GREENE: Juan Romero there, remembering Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. And if you'd like to look at that iconic photo from that night, we have it up at npr.org.

1 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

2 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

3 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

4 cradling   

n.摇篮，保育；吊篮作业

参考例句：

• She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow. 她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He smiled with effort, and cradling the book, he seated himself. 他努力地作出了个笑容，抱起大书坐了下来。 来自互联网

5 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。