English Original
Lillian was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community of River Canard, Ontario. At 16, her father decided she had "had enough schooling," forcing her to drop out to help support the family. In 1922, with limited English, education, and skills, her future seemed bleak.
Her stern father, Eugene Bezaire, demanded she find a job. Lacking confidence and self-esteem, Lill didn't know what she could do. Each day, she rode the bus to Windsor or Detroit, hoping for work but unable to muster the courage to answer an ad or knock on a door. She would wander aimlessly and return home at dusk, meekly telling her father she'd had "no luck."
As her father's inquiries grew more insistent, Lill knew she had to try. In downtown Detroit, she saw a "Help Wanted—Secretarial" sign at the Carhartt Overall Company. Cautiously, she climbed the long stairs and knocked on her first door.
Office manager Margaret Costello met her. Lill, speaking in broken English and lying about her age, expressed interest in the job. Sensing her nervousness, Margaret decided to give her a chance. Leading Lill through a somber office filled with rows of workers at typewriters, Margaret seated her at a machine for a test.
Lill looked at the clock: 11:40 a.m. She planned to slip away at noon. Her first attempt yielded four mistakes in five words. By 11:45, she resolved to leave with the lunch crowd. A second try was full of errors. By 11:55, with a completed but error-strewn letter, she was minutes from "freedom."
Just then, Margaret returned. She read the letter, paused, and said, "Lill, you're doing good work!"
Lill was stunned. Those simple words of encouragement made her desire to flee vanish and her confidence grow. She decided to stay.
Lill stayed at Carhartt Overall Company for 51 years, through world wars, a depression, and multiple changes in leadership—all because someone had the insight to offer a shy, uncertain girl the gift of self-esteem when she finally knocked on the door.
中文翻译
莉莉安是位年轻的法裔加拿大女孩，在安大略省河卡纳德的农业社区长大。16岁时，她的父亲认为“莉莉书读得够多了”，强迫她辍学以帮助养家。1922年，英语水平有限、教育和技能不足的她，未来似乎一片黯淡。
她严厉的父亲尤金·贝泽尔要求她找份工作。缺乏信心和自尊的莉莉不知道自己能做什么。每天，她乘公共汽车去温莎或底特律，希望能找到工作，却始终无法鼓起勇气回应招聘广告或敲开一扇门。她漫无目的地游荡，黄昏时分回家，温顺地告诉父亲她“运气不好”。
随着父亲的追问越来越紧，莉莉知道自己必须尝试。在底特律市中心，她看到了卡哈特工装公司的“招聘秘书”招牌。她小心翼翼地爬上长长的楼梯，敲响了她的第一扇门。
办公室经理玛格丽特·科斯特洛接待了她。莉莉用蹩脚的英语表达了对这份工作的兴趣，并谎报了年龄。玛格丽特察觉到她的紧张，决定给她一个机会。她领着莉莉穿过一个昏暗的办公室，里面坐满了一排排打字员，然后让莉莉在一台打字机前坐下进行测试。
莉莉看了看钟：上午11点40分。她计划在中午时分溜走。第一次尝试，五个单词错了四个。到了11点45分，她决定和午餐人群一起离开。第二次尝试仍然错误百出。11点55分，她打完了一封信，但满是错误，距离“自由”只剩几分钟。
就在这时，玛格丽特回来了。她读了信，停顿了一下，说道：“莉莉，你做得很好！”
莉莉惊呆了。这句简单的鼓励让她想逃跑的念头消失了，信心开始增长。她决定留下来。
莉莉在卡哈特工装公司工作了51年，经历了两次世界大战、一次经济大萧条以及多位领导人的更迭——这一切都是因为当这个害羞、不确定的女孩最终敲开门时，有人独具慧眼，给予了她自尊这份礼物。