No One Will Ever Know-Frank Ifield

[00:00.000] 作曲 : Fred Rose/Mel Force [00:05.89]No One Will Ever Know [00:08.06]by Janet Seever [00:10.53] [00:14.22]Karen, Judy and I were the last ones back in the school room after lunch. [00:19.28]We put our metal lunch boxes on the shelf above the coat hooks, [00:23.36]which were mostly empty. [00:25.28]All of the other sixth graders were already outside, [00:28.53]playing marbles or hop scotch or jumping rope, [00:31.72]since it was a pleasant spring day. [00:34.48]“Look what I found this morning in the storage cupboard [00:36.61]when I was getting out some art supplies for Mrs. Eiffler.” [00:41.05]With a conspiratorial grin on her face, [00:43.75]Karen held up a wooden box filled with short pieces of chalk in every color of the rainbow. [00:49.65]“Wow! What fun it would be to write on the chalkboard while everyone is outside.” [00:55.36]Judy’s eyes twinkled with anticipation. [00:57.95] [00:59.12]“But Mrs. Eiffler doesn’t want us writing on the chalkboard,” [01:02.43]I responded, already feeling guilty, [01:05.30]although we had not yet done a thing. [01:07.54] [01:08.35]“Don’t be such a ‘fraidy cat’, Janet. No one will ever know,” [01:12.13]said Karen, reaching into the box and drawing out a piece of chalk. [01:16.30] [01:17.50]“Right. Everyone is outside, [01:19.99]so we’re safe. [01:21.46]No one will tell on us.” [01:23.86]Judy was already drawing a house with sure strokes. [01:27.07] [01:28.26]I reluctantly joined my friends in the artwork, [01:30.80]wanting to be part of what was going on, [01:32.92]but afraid of being caught. [01:34.91]I knew well that we were breaking not one, [01:36.81]but two class rules. [01:39.51]The second rule was that no one was allowed to stay inside at noon [01:42.82]without a written excuse from home if the weather was nice. [01:45.95] [01:47.03]Trying various colors, [01:48.20]we drew houses, trees and three-dimensional boxes. [01:52.35]It was fun! [01:54.15]All the time we were watching the clock, [01:56.61]knowing that our fun would be over if anyone walked into the room. [01:59.65] [02:01.31]Then Judy had an idea. [02:03.74]“We’re all right-handed. [02:06.13]Let’s see who can write their name best using their left hand.” [02:09.54] [02:10.96]Judy and Karen picked up their chalk and started writing. [02:14.51]I chose a white piece from the box and wrote my name. [02:18.10]The handwriting was a bit shaky, [02:20.14]but no one would doubt that it said “Janet.” [02:22.54] [02:23.50]“I think Judy is the winner,” [02:24.92]said Karen. [02:25.98]“Hers is the best.” [02:27.76] [02:28.69]“We’d better get this board cleaned off before Mrs. Eiffler comes back,” [02:31.89]said Judy, eying the clock. [02:34.25]She picked up an eraser and began erasing our handiwork from the board. [02:38.41]Everything came off... but my name! [02:42.62] [02:43.13]In disbelief, [02:44.07]I looked at the chalk I held in my sweaty hand. [02:46.80] [02:47.07]On closer examination, [02:48.55]it wasn’t chalk at all. I had picked up a small piece of white color crayon [02:52.97]which was mixed in with the pieces of chalk. [02:55.05] [02:55.93]My stomach churned and my knees felt weak. [02:58.81]What would Mrs. Eiffler do to me? [03:00.51] [03:02.23]My mother had a saying: [03:04.18]“Fools’ names and fools’ faces always appear in public places.” [03:09.22]I never understood fully what it meant before. [03:12.10]Now I did! [03:14.17]I was a fool, [03:15.48]and there was my name in crayon to prove it. [03:18.46]And the teacher would be returning soon. [03:20.65] [03:22.10]“Quick, let’s get some wet paper towels,” [03:24.20]said Judy, [03:25.42]springing into action. [03:26.75] [03:27.88]After vigorous rubbing, [03:28.83]my name still remained. [03:31.57] [03:32.28]“I think I saw a can of cleanser by the sink in the coat room,” [03:34.94]I said as I raced to find it. [03:37.98]Precious minutes were ticking away. [03:39.91] [03:41.28]We rubbed and my name came off all right, [03:44.00]but in the process of removing it, [03:45.60]we left an abrasion on the chalkboard. [03:48.05]Listening for footsteps coming down the hall, [03:50.62]we dried the scrubbed area as much as we could with more paper towels [03:54.38]and fanned it with a book to remove every tell-tale trace of wetness. [03:58.14] [03:59.45]We were just slipping into our desks as the bell rang [04:01.99]and the other students began entering the room. [04:04.85]The teacher walked in soon afterward. [04:06.96] [04:08.01]Mrs. Eiffler never asked about abrasion and maybe never noticed it. [04:13.21]But I did. [04:15.24]Every time I walked past the marred surface of the chalkboard, [04:18.55]I remembered. Oh, how I remembered. [04:21.87] [04:22.81]The lesson I learned that day is one I never forgot, [04:25.88]even though over forty years have passed since the event. [04:29.79]“No one will ever know” [04:31.45]is never true. Even if no one else found out, [04:35.59]I myself knew. [04:37.71]Sometimes living with a guilty conscience is punishment enough. [04:40.41]