I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Sometimes she short-changed me. Other times she overcharged. Or sold me an old newspaper instead of one that was current. Going to the store was more like going into battle. I left my Grandma's house armed with my list—memorized to the letter—and marched into Miss Bee's like General Patton marching into North Africa.

"That can of beans is only twenty-nine cents!" I corrected her one afternoon. I had watched the numbers change on the cash register closely, and Miss Bee had added 35 cents. She didn't seem embarrassed that I had caught her overcharging. She just looked at me over her glasses and fixed the price.

Not that she ever let me declare victory. All summer long she found ways to trip me up. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda and memorized its location on the shelf, than Miss Bee rearranged the shelves and made me hunt for it all over again. By summer's end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes. The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped in to get a packet of gum.

"All right, Miss Potential," she said. "What did you learn this summer?" That you're a meany! I pressed my lips together. To my amazement, Miss Bee laughed. "I know what you think of me," she said. "Well, here's a news flash: I don't care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason. I believe my job is to teach every child I meet ten life lessons to help them. Think what you will, Miss Potential, but when you get older you'll be glad our paths crossed!" Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd...

Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles.

"It's too hard," she said. "Could you finish my math problems for me?"

"If I do it for you how will you ever learn to do it yourself?" I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to tally up my bill along with the cashier. Had I ever been overcharged since?

As my daughter went back to her homework, I wondered: Had Miss Bee really taught me something all those years ago? I took out some scrap paper and started writing.

那年夏天，我每个星期都要到蜜蜂小姐的店铺几趟。有时，蜜蜂小姐少找我钱；有时，她多收我钱。更甚的是，她还把前一天的报纸当作即日的报纸卖给我。我到她店里买东西，感觉就像上战场一样。手里攥着购物单，脑中牢记商品名，我离开奶奶家向蜜蜂小姐的杂货店挺进，这阵势就像当年巴顿将军征战北非一样。

“那听菜豆只要29美分。”一天下午，我纠正蜜蜂小姐道。我紧盯着收款机上的数字变化，蜜蜂小姐入账时记的是35美分。被我察觉多收了钱后，蜜蜂小姐毫无难堪之色，她越过镜框瞥了我一眼，然后把价格改了过来。

她从不让我宣告胜利。整个夏天，她想尽办法来捉弄我。我刚记住小苏打的发音以及它在货架上的位置，她就调整了商品的排列，害得我又一顿好找。暑假快结束了，以前耗时要一小时的购物之行，现在十五分钟就完事了。在我要返回布鲁克林的那天早上，我到蜜蜂小姐杂货店买一包口香糖。

“好了，潜能小姐，”她说，“这个夏天你都学到了什么？”你是个十分刻薄的人！我双唇紧闭。令人惊奇的是，蜜蜂小姐大笑起来。

“我知道你是怎么看我的，”她说，“但你不会想到：我并不在意！人生于世，各得其所。我相信我的任务是教会我遇到的每一位小朋友人生的十个教益。随便你怎么想，潜能小姐。当你长大后，就会发现我俩的相遇其实是一件值得庆幸的事。”庆幸遇见蜜蜂小姐？哈！这想法有够荒唐的……

直到有一天，女儿拿着作业来到我的身边。

“这些数学题太难了。你能替我做吗？”她说。

“如果妈妈替你做了，那你自己如何能学会呢？”我说。这时候，我突然想起那时在蜜蜂小姐杂货店的情景：我吃力地核对着收款机里的数目。自那时起，我有被多收过钱吗？

当我的女儿回过头继续做作业时，我在想：蜜蜂小姐真的在多年前就向我传授了若干人生之道吗？我随手拿起了纸，开始动笔记录。

Sure enough, I had learned ten life lessons:

1. Listen well.
2. Never assume—things aren't always the same as they were yesterday.
3. Life is full of surprises.
4. Speak up and ask questions.
5. Don't expect to be bailed out of a predicament.
6. Everyone isn't as honest as I try to be.
7. Don't be so quick to judge other people.
8. Try my best, even when the task seems beyond me.
9. Double-check everything.
10. The best teachers aren't only in school.
 
确实，我学到了整整十条人生教益：

1. 学会仔细倾听。
2. 不要想当然——事物每天都在变化。
3. 生活充满惊喜。
4. 大声说出你的问题。
5. 不要以为身临困境总会有援手。
6. 并不是每一个人都像你一样诚实。
7. 不要急于评判他人。
8. 凡事要竭尽全力，即使任务似乎超出自己的能力范围。
9. 仔细复核每个环节。
10. 最好的老师并不只在学校。