那些岁月，与你有关：英汉对照(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：常青藤语言教学中心

出版社：安徽教育出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

那些岁月，与你有关：英汉对照试读：

爱是一生的约定

Love Is a date of life

一生之恋

一生之恋

Forever In Their Eyes

Forever In Their Eyes

佚名 / Anonymous

Early one morning, I witnessed romance at one of the least-expected places in the world—a long-term care facility. At the time, my father shared a room with three other gentlemen. While it wasn’t an ideal situation, it was the best the administrator could do at the time.

A few days before this particular visit, an elderly couple was admitted to the facility. Since there wasn’t a double room available, they were forced to separate the couple. The gentleman, Mr. West (name has been changed) was placed in the bed beside Daddy. His wife, Mrs. West, shared a room with several other ladies down the hall.

When I went to see Daddy that morning, I met Mr. West. Three employees were working with him. He hadn’t eaten a bite of food since he was admitted several days earlier. I could tell by the expression on the nurses’ faces that they were worried about him. While one nurse was trying to get him to open his mouth with spoonfuls of gelatin, another nurse was trying to coax him to drink a health shake from a straw. The third nurse was standing nearby with a cup of water. Mr. West refused to open his mouth for any of them.

“Let’s try this,” one of the nurses said. She pulled out a lollipop, tore off the paper and offered it to Mr. West. His lips were clamped together tightly. He refused to listen to reason. Finally, he uttered something about his sweetheart, who was resting down the hall.

“Go get Mrs. West,” the nurse instructed her helper, while handing her the lollipop. “Maybe Mr. West will eat for her.”

In a few minutes a kind-looking lady was wheeled into the room. She held the lollipop in her hand. Her smile was contagious and Mr. West smiled brightly. I felt as though I was intruding on a private moment, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the couple. The love between them was obvious, as Mrs. West patted Mr. West's hand and then caressed his forehead.

With a soft voice, Mrs. West convinced Mr. West to eat. To everyone’s surprise Mr. West opened his mouth and began to enjoy the lollipop and his wife’s company. While the nurses fed him, he stared at his sweetheart with a smile on his face. Mrs. West began humming a tune to him. The expression on his once solemn face became even brighter.

Tears filled my eyes. The nurse then pulled the curtain around the couple to give them some quality time alone to visit. I discovered that romance doesn’t only exist when we’re young and in love. Romance lasts a lifetime and grows stronger with age. Before long I heard snores of contentment coming from the bed beside me.

Today, Mr. and Mrs. West reside together in a place where there are no limitations, nursing homes or wheelchairs. There are no tears in their eyes or rooms dividing them. I am convinced that the West marriage went well beyond “till death us do part” and will last throughout eternity. Not only did I witness a memorable romance that day, I saw a glimpse of forever in a loving couple’s tired and worn-out eyes.

一天清晨，我在世界上人们最不想去的地方——长期看护所里，目睹了一段浪漫故事。那时，我父亲和另外三位先生同住一间房。虽然条件不是很好，但已是当时管理员所能提供的最好环境了。

在那次特殊拜访的前几天，一对老年夫妇被送进这家看护所。因为没有多余的双人间，他们只好被分开。那位老先生，维斯特先生（化名），被安排住到我父亲的临床。而他的妻子，维斯特太太，则被安排到大厅另一侧的房间，和几位女士合住。

去看父亲的那个上午，我见到了维斯特先生。当时有三个护理员在照料他。自从住进看护所，他就没吃过一口东西。从护理员的神情中，我能看出他们很担心他。当一个护理员正用小勺哄他吃一种胶状食物时，另一个护理员则试着让他吸食一种营养汁，而第三个护理员则端着一杯水站在旁边。可是，维斯特先生却坚决不肯张嘴。“来尝尝这个。”其中一个护理员取出一支棒棒糖,撕掉糖纸递给维斯特先生。然而他仍紧闭着双唇，不听任何人劝说。最后，他自言自语地说了一些有关他妻子的话，而她就住在大厅的另一侧。“去把维斯特太太找来，”护理员对助手说着，随手把棒棒糖也给了他。“或许维斯特先生肯为她而吃点东西。”

几分钟后，一位和蔼可亲的老太太坐着轮椅，被推了进来，她手里拿着的正是那支棒棒糖。她的微笑极富感染力，维斯特先生也露出了灿烂的笑容。我突然觉得自己的存在仿佛侵犯了他们的私人空间，但是我却无法将视线从那对老夫妇身上移开。当维斯特太太轻拍维斯特先生的手并轻抚他的额头时，你可以真切体会到他们之间的那份爱。

维斯特太太温柔地劝说维斯特先生先吃点东西。令人惊讶的事情发生了，维斯特先生张开嘴津津有味地吃那支棒棒糖，同时也享受着妻子陪伴的欢愉。护理员喂他食物时，他始终带着笑意凝视着妻子。维斯特太太开始为他轻声哼唱。他原本严肃的脸顿时露出了轻松的表情。

我被感动得热泪盈眶。护理员拉上围帘，将他们围在其中，让他们尽情享用这段私人空间。我发觉，浪漫不仅仅是恋爱中的年轻人的专利，它会陪伴我们一生，并随着年龄的增长而变得愈加香醇。不一会儿，惬意的鼾声从旁边的床上传来。

现在，维斯特夫妇住在一个没有轮椅，没有看护室，没有任何限制自由之所。他们不会再因为房间而分离，而他们的眼中也不再有泪水。我坚信他们的婚姻已经超越了“生死相许”的誓言成为了永恒。那天，我不仅亲眼见证了一段难忘的浪漫故事，也从这对相亲相爱的老夫妇那倦怠而焦灼的眼神中，瞥到了永恒的瞬间。

心灵小语

最幸福的爱情，就是当两个人已经老去，还可以手拉着手，肩并着肩，坐在长椅上，慢慢聊那些不起眼的往事。

词汇笔记

witness ['witnis] vt. 亲眼看见；目击

I witnessed the accident.

我亲眼目睹了这场事故。

refuse [ri'fju:z] vt. & vi. 拒绝；回绝

We asked him to come, but he refused.

我们叫他来，可是他拒绝了。

nurse [nə:s] n. 护士；保育员；保姆

The nurse wore a pleated cap on her head.

护士头上戴着打褶的小帽。

reside [ri'zaid] vi. 居住；定居

They reside abroad.

他们居住在国外。

小试身手

我发觉浪漫不仅仅是恋爱中的年轻人的专利，它会陪伴我们一生，并随着年龄的增长而变得越愈加香醇。

我坚信他们的婚姻超越了“生死相许”的誓言成为了永恒。那天，我不仅亲眼见证了这段难忘的浪漫故事，也从这对相亲相爱的老夫妇那倦怠而焦灼的眼神中瞥到了永恒的瞬间。

短语家族

The third nurse was standing nearby with a cup of water

a cup of ：一杯

I felt as though I was intruding on a private moment, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the couple.

as though：好像；仿佛

汉诺威广场，不见不散

My Darling Wife

佚名 / Anonymous

Can it really be sixty-two years ago that I first saw you?

It is truly a lifetime, I know. But as I gaze into your eyes now, it seems like only yesterday that I first saw you, in that small cafe in Hanover Square.

From the moment I saw you smile, as you opened the door for that young mother and her newborn baby, I knew that I wanted to share the rest of my life with you.

I still think of how foolish I must have looked, as l gazed at you, that first time．I remember watching you intently, as you took off your hat and loosely shook your short dark hair with your fingers．I felt myself becoming immersed in your every detail, as you placed your hat on the table and cupped your hands around the hot cup of tea, gently blowing the steam away with your pouted lips.

From that moment, everything seemed to make perfect sense to me. The people in the cafe and the busy street outside all disappeared into a hazy blur.All I could see was you.

All through my life I have relived that very first day. Many, many times I have sat and thought about that the first day, and how for a few fleeting moments I am there, feeling again what is like to know true love for the very first time. It pleases me that I can still have those feelings now after all those years, and I know I will always have them to comfort me.

Not even as I shook and trembled uncontrollably in the trenches, did I forget your face. I would sit huddled into the wet mud, terrified, as the hails of bullets and mortars crashed down around me. I would clutch my rifle tightly to my heart, and think again of that very first day we met. I would cry out in fear, as the noise of war beat down around me. But, as I thought of you and saw you smiling back at me, everything around me would be become silent, and I would be with you again for a few precious moments, far from the death and destruction.It would not be until I opened my eyes once again, that I would see and hear the carnage of the war around me.

I cannot tell you how strong my love for you was back then, when I returned to you on leave in the September, feeling battered, bruised and fragile. We held each other so tight I thought we would burst. I asked you to marry me the very same day and I whooped with joy when you looked deep into my eyes and said “yes” to being my bride.

I’m looking at our wedding photo now, the one on our dressing table, next to your jewellery box. I think of how young and innocent we were back then. I remember being on the church steps grinning like a Cheshire cat, when you said how dashing and handsome I looked in my uniform. The photo is old and faded now, but when I look at it, I only see the bright vibrant colors of our youth.

I remember being so over-enjoyed,when a year later, you gently held my hand to your waist and whispered in my ear that we were going to be a family.

I know both our children love you dearly; they are outside the door now, waiting.

Do you remember, how I panicked like a mad man when Jonathon was born? I can still picture you laughing and smiling at me now, as I clumsily held him for the very first time in my arms. I watched as your laughter faded into tears, as I stared at him and cried my own tears of joy.

Sarah and Tom arrived this morning with little Tessie. Can you remember how we both hugged each other tightly when we saw our tiny granddaughter for the first time?

I know you are tired, my dear, and I must let you go. But I love you so much and it hurts to do so.

I must go now, my darling. Our children are waiting outside. They want to say goodbye to you.

I am sad that you had to leave me, but please don’t worry. I am content, knowing I will be with you soon. I know it won’t be long before we meet again in that small cafe in Hanover Square.

第一次见到你，真的已经是62年前的事了吗？我明白，这是一生的缘分。但此时，当我凝望着你的双眸时，一切又都像是就发生在昨天，在汉诺威广场的那间小咖啡店里。

当时，你正在为一位年轻的母亲和她的新生宝贝开门，就在那一瞬间，我看到了你的微笑；从那一刻开始，我就知道，我要与你共度我的余生。

时至今日，我仍然觉得，初次遇到你时，我凝望你的眼神看起来一定很愚钝。我记得，当时我呆呆地望着你摘下帽子，用手指轻柔地抚弄着你的黑发。

你把帽子放在桌上，双手捧一杯热气腾腾的茶，嘟着嘴轻轻地吹开热气，那一刻，我感觉自己已经完全沉醉在你的一举一动中了。

从那时起，每一件事对我来说都好像是有意义的。咖啡店里的人们，以及行走于匆忙的街道上的人们顿时都消失在了迷雾之中。我的眼中只有你。

在我的一生之中，那次的初遇曾多次在我的脑中重现。一次又一次，我坐在那里，回味着当时的情形，感受岁月如梭，再次体味着你我初遇时的那份真爱。令我感到欣慰的是，多年以后的今天我仍然能够重拾那份感觉，而我也知道这是我生命中永远的慰藉。

即使我在战壕中不由自主地战栗和发抖时，我也没有忘记你的容颜。我蜷缩在潮湿的泥浆中，恐惧和枪林弹雨包围着我。我握着步枪，将其紧紧地贴在胸口，再次回想着我们的初遇。当战争的号角吹响时，我在恐惧中大叫。但是当我想到你，看到你在我的背后微笑，周围的一切顿时便陷入沉寂，我与你在这宝贵的时刻里相遇，暂时远离死亡和毁灭。直到我再次睁开双眼，我才又看到和听到周围的战火和屠杀。

九月，我回到了你身边，那时的我，因受伤痛的折磨而变得脆弱不堪，我无法告诉你我对你的爱是多么的强烈。我们彼此紧紧拥抱，仿佛想溶入对方的身体，就在这一天，我向你求婚。当你注视我的双眼，说“我愿意”时，兴高采烈的我兴奋得大叫。

此时，我正看着我们的结婚照，我一直把它放在梳妆台上——你的首饰盒旁边。那时的我们是多么年轻和天真啊！我记得你说我穿制服很神勇英俊，而那时我正站在教堂的台阶上，咧着嘴笑得像只柴郡猫。这张照片已经有些泛黄和褪色，但是当我看着它，眼里却只有我们年轻时灿烂的容颜。

一年后，你轻轻地将我的手放在你的腹部，悄悄地告诉我，我们有孩子了，而那一刻，我记得我几乎被这突如其来的幸福击倒！

我知道我们的两个孩子都深深地爱着你，此时，他们就在门外等候着。

你记得吗？乔纳森出世时，我是多么慌张！我还记得，当我第一次把他抱在怀中，你含笑望着我时的表情。微笑中，你的眼泪夺眶而出，我望着他，也流下了开心的眼泪。

萨拉和汤姆今天早上带着小泰西来了。你还记得我们初次看到我们的小孙女时，曾紧紧地拥抱在一起吗？

亲爱的，我知道你很累，我必须要放你走。但我是如此爱你，让你离开，我好难过。

亲爱的，我必须得走了，孩子们正在外面等我，他们也希望能同你道别。

你要离开我了，我很悲痛，但是请不要担心，只要一想到我很快就能去陪你，我就感到欣慰。我知道，不久之后，我们就会在汉诺威广场上的那间小咖啡店里再次相聚。

心灵小语

当爱到了一个境界，就会冲破生死的束缚。真爱，是永恒的，不会因为时间、地域又或其它而改变。当一个人，真爱一个人，不管他们是否阴阳相隔，他们的心也在一起。

词汇笔记

gaze [geiz] v. 凝视；注视

The climbers stood on the top of the mountain, gazing at the

splendid view.

登山队员们站在山顶，凝视壮丽的景色。

trench [trentʃ] n. 深沟；地沟

The farmer dug several trenches to irrigate the rice fields.

这个农民挖了好几条沟以灌溉稻田。

innocent ['inəsnt] adj. 清白的；无罪的；无辜的

They have imprisoned an innocent man.

他们监禁了一个无辜的男子。

darling ['dɑrliŋ] n. 心爱的人；亲爱的；宝贝；亲切友好的人；备受宠爱的人；宠儿

She’s a little darling!

她是小宝贝！

小试身手

你把帽子放在桌上，双手捧起一杯热气腾腾的茶，嘟着嘴轻轻地吹开升腾而起的热气，那一刻，我感觉自己已经完全沉醉在你的举动中了。

一次又一次，我坐在那里回味着当时的情形，感受岁月如梭，再次体味着你我初遇时的那份真爱。

短语家族

I felt myself becoming immersed in your every detail.

Immerse in：沉浸；陶醉

Not even as I shook and trembled uncontrollably in the trenches, did I forget your face.

Not even：连……也不

玫瑰之约

Roses For Rose

佚名 / Anonymous

Red roses were her favorites, her name was also Rose. And every year her husband sent them, tied with pretty bows. The year he died, the roses were delivered to her door. The card said, “Be my Valentine,” like all the years before.

Each year he sent her roses, and the note would always say, “I love you even more this year, than last year on this day.” “My love for you will always grow, with every passing year.” She knew this was the last time that the roses would appear.

She thought, he ordered roses in advance before this day. Her loving husband did not know, that he would pass away. He always liked to do things early, way before the time. Then, if he got too busy, everything would work out fine.

She trimmed the stems, and placed them in a very special vase. Then, sat the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face. She would sit for hours, in her husband’s favorite chair. While staring at his picture, and the roses sitting there.

A year went by, and it was hard to live without her mate. With loneliness and solitude, that had become her fate. Then, the very hour, as on Valentines before, the doorbell rang, and there were roses, sitting by her door.

She brought the roses in, and then just looked at them in shock. Then, went to get the telephone, to call the florist shop. The owner answered, and she asked him, if he would explain, Why would someone do this to her, causing her such pain?

“I know your husband passed away, more than a year ago,” The owner said, “I knew you’d call, and you would want to know. The flowers you received today, were paid for in advance.Your husband always planned ahead, he left nothing to chance.

“There is a standing order, that I have on file down here, And he has paid, well in advance, you'll get them every year. There also is another thing, that I think you should know, he wrote a special little card...he did this years ago.

“Then, should ever, I find out that he's no longer here, that’s the card...that should be sent, to you the following year.”

She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears now flowing hard. Her fingers shaking, as she slowly reached to get the card.

Inside the card, she saw that he had written her a note. Then, as she stared in total silence, this is what he wrote… “Hello, my love, I know it’s been a year since I’ve been gone, I hope it hasn’t been too hard for you to overcome.

“I know it must be lonely, and the pain is very real. For if it was the other way, I know how I would feel. The love we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you more than words can say, you were the perfect wife.

“You were my friend and lover, you fulfilled my every need. I know it’s only been a year, but please try not to grieve. I want you to be happy, even when you shed your tears. That is why the roses will be sent to you for years.

“When you get these roses, think of all the happiness, that we had together, and how both of us were blessed. I have always loved you and I know I always will. But, my love, you must go on, you have some living still.

“Please…try to find happiness, while living out your days. I know it is not easy, but I hope you find some ways. The roses will come every year, and they will only stop, when your door’s not answered, when the florist stops to knock.

“He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out. But after his last visit, he will know without a doubt, to take the roses to the place, where I’ve instructed him, and place the roses where we are, together once again.”

红玫瑰是她的最爱，她的名字叫罗丝，也是“玫瑰”的意思。每年情人节，丈夫都要送她用漂亮的丝带扎好的玫瑰花。丈夫去世的那年，她依然收到了玫瑰花，卡片像往年一样写着：“献给我的爱人！”

每年，丈夫送她花时，都要写下这样一些话：“我爱你，今朝更胜往昔。”“时光流转，我对你的爱历久弥新。”她知道，这是她最后一次收到丈夫的玫瑰花了。

她想，玫瑰花一定是他提前预订的。她亲爱的丈夫并不知道，自己将会死去。他总喜欢提前把一些事情安排妥当，这样，即使再忙，他也可以从容应对，处理好一切。

她修剪好枝叶，将花插到一个别致的花瓶里。然后，把花瓶放到面带微笑的丈夫的遗像旁。她会坐在丈夫最喜欢的椅子里，一坐就是几个小时，伴着玫瑰花，凝神地望着他的照片。

一年过去了，没有丈夫的日子十分难捱。在孤独与寂寞中，她又迎来另一个情人节。情人节前夕，一如即往，家里门铃响了，有人送来一束玫瑰花，放在了门口。

她把玫瑰花拿进屋，吃惊地看着它们。然后走到电话旁，拨通了花店的电话，是店主接的，她要他解释为什么还有人送花给她，徒增她的悲伤。“我知道您的丈夫一年前就过世了，”店主说，“我也知道您会打电话来问究竟的。您今天收到的花，也是他提前付过款的。您丈夫总是提前准备好一切，以求万无一失。“他预付了花款，委托我们每年给您送花。还有一件事，我想您应该了解。几年前他就写好了一张特别的小卡片。“那张卡片……是他让我们在他死后的第二年送给您。现在他不在了，所以就把卡片送给您了。”

她谢过店主，挂断了电话，泪如泉涌。她的手颤抖着，缓缓地伸向那张卡片。

卡片里是丈夫的字迹，她静静地注视着它，这是他亲手写给她的……“亲爱的，你好！我知道我已经离开你一年了，我希望这一年里你没有受太多的苦。“我知道这一年你一定很孤单，很痛苦。我也知道，如果换作是我，我也会那样的。我们的爱使生命中的一切都变得美好。我对你的爱用语言无法表达，你是我完美的爱妻。“你是我的朋友，我的爱人，你让我时刻都感到心满意足。我知道这才仅仅过去一年，但我还是要你努力去忘记苦痛。我想让你快乐，即使流泪也是因幸福而泣。正因为如此，我要每年送你玫瑰花。“当你收到这些玫瑰时，想想我们一起度过的美好时光，我们曾经是多么幸福呀！我一直深爱着你，并将一直深爱下去。但是，亲爱的，答应我，一定要好好活着。“请努力寻找幸福，珍惜生命中的每一天。我知道那并不容易，但我仍希望你能努力去做。玫瑰花每年都会如期而至，除非你不再应门，花店才会停止送花。“每年送花时，花店会派人来送五次，以免你外出。五次来访后，送花人便可确定他已经可以把花送到我告诉他们的另一个地方，那就是我们的重逢之地。”

心灵小语

生命的延续，心灵的震撼。

词汇笔记

favorite ['feivərit] adj. 喜爱的；宠爱的；中意的

What’s your favorite magazine?

你最喜欢看哪本杂志？

trim [trim] v. 修剪；整修

The gardener trimmed the hedge.

那位园林工人修剪了树篱。

solitude ['sɔlitju:d] n. 独处；独居

People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in

solitude.

人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。

grieve [ɡri:v] v. 感到悲痛；伤心；悲伤

Be sure and not grieve.

一定不要伤心。

小试身手

我爱你，今朝更胜往昔，时光流转，我对你的爱历久弥新。

一年过去了，没有丈夫的日子十分难捱，在孤独与寂寞中，她又迎来了另一个情人节。

短语家族

He ordered roses in advance before this day.

In advance：预先；事先

He will come five times that day, in case you have gone out。

In case：免得；以防

看不见的线

Love Is Just A Thread

佚名 / Anonymous

Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper. When he’s very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper.

One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her.

“Mom, I have a question to ask you,” I said after a while.

“What?” she replied, still doing her work.

“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.

My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes. She didn’t answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.

I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in a great embarrassment and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:

“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there. Love is inside.”

I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked very pale. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness.

After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had never been so gentle. It seemed they were the most harmonious couple. Along the country road, there were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The sun gently glistened through the leaves. All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world.

The doctor had said my father would recover in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. All of us were worried about him.

“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.

“Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.

Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.

有时我怀疑,父母之间是否存在着真爱。每一天，他们都疲于奔命，为我和弟弟赚学费。我从没见他们有过任何我在书中或电视中看到的浪漫举止。在他们看来，将“我爱你”这句话说出口都太奢侈，更别说在情人节互赠鲜花了。父亲脾气很糟，特别是经过了一天工作的劳累之后，他那糟糕的脾气更容易发作。

有一天，妈妈正在缝被子，我安静地坐在旁边看着她。“妈妈，我有个问题想问你。”过了一会儿我说。“什么问题啊？”她答道，而手里的活儿却没停下。“你和爸爸之间有爱情吗？”我压低声音问道。

母亲停下手里的活儿，抬起头诧异地看着我，并未马上回答，然后又低下头，继续缝被子。

我很担心，因为我觉得这个问题会伤她的心。我很尴尬，不知所措。可接下来，我却听到母亲说出了这样一番话。“苏珊，”她若有所思地说，“你看这线。有时我们看得见它，但更多时侯它却藏于被子中，我们看不见。这些线确实能使被子结实耐用。如果将生活比做一床被子，那么爱就是丝线。你不可能时刻都看得到它，但是它却真实地存在着。爱隐藏于生活之中。”

我仔细听着，但是直到第二年春天才真正明白她这番话的含义。当时，父亲病重，母亲在医院里照顾他。一个月后，父亲出院回到家时，两个人看起来都面色苍白，就像他们都生了一场大病。

他们回家后，每到黎明和黄昏，母亲总会搀扶着父亲在乡间小路上散步。父亲从没有那样温柔过。他们看起来就仿佛是世间最和谐的一对。路旁有许多漂亮的鲜花、绿草和树木，阳光透过叶子的缝隙温柔地照射在上面，所有这一切勾勒出一幅世间最美的画面。

医生说，两个月后父亲就能病愈。不过，两个月后他还是不能独立行走，为此，我们都很担心。“你感觉如何，爸爸？”有一天我问他。“苏珊，不要担心我。”父亲慢慢地说，“不瞒你说，我很喜欢和你妈妈一起散步的感觉。我喜欢这样的生活。”从他的眼神中，我读出了他对母亲那份深深的爱恋。

曾经，我以为爱情是与鲜花、礼物和香吻密不可分的。可是，经历了这些后，我明白了：爱情就如同我们生活中被子里的丝线，隐藏于生活之中，令生活变得更加稳固和温暖。

心灵小语

不要对爱有太多的苛求，因为她一直就存在于你身边。

词汇笔记

tuition [tju'iʃən] n. 学费

Her yearly tuition is $2, 000.

她一年的学费是两千美元。

luxurious [lʌɡ'zjuəriəs] adj. 奢侈的；豪华的

The carpet in the house is luxurious.

屋里的地毯很华丽。

embarrassment [em'bærəsmənt] n. 尴尬；难堪；局促不安

He could not hide his embarrassment.

他无法掩盖自己的窘态。

harmonious [hɑ: 'məʊni:əs] adj. 和谐的；和睦的；协调的；调和的

They can build a more harmonious society once inequality

and exploitation are removed.

消除了不均与剥削，他们就能建立一个更为和谐的社会。

小试身手

如果将生活比作一床被子，那么爱就是丝线，你不可能时刻都看得到它，但是它却真实地存在着。爱隐藏于生活之中。

爱就如同我们生活中被子里的丝线，隐藏于生活之中，令生活变得更加稳固和温暖。

短语家族

In their opinion,“I love you”is too luxurious for them to say.

In one's opinion：根据某人的看法

Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of the question.

Out of the question：不值得讨论的；不可能的

忍耐的报答

Rice Pudding

佚名 / Anonymous

Sheila stomped into the staff room, her uniform plastered with someone’s dinner. “I don’t know how you do it!” she fumed to Helen, the nurse supervising the evening shift. “Mrs. Svoboda just threw her tray at me again, and she’s so agitated I don’t know how l’ ll be able to clean her up before bed. Why don’t you have so much trouble with her?”

Helen smiled sympathetically. “I’ve had my share of rough nights with her, too. But I’ve been here, longer and, of course, I knew her husband.” “yeah, Troy. I’ve heard about him. It’s about the only word I can understand when she gets going.”

“Sheila,” Helen began hesitantly. “I know it’s hard to work with people like Mrs. Svoboda. When Mrs. Svoboda was admitted she wasn’t as bad as she is now, but she was still pretty spicy. She used to give me grief over the smallest things. her tea wasn't hot enough, her bed wasn’t made up right. On her bad days she'd accuse us all of stealing her things. I had no patience with her, until one day her husband happened to be there during bath time. I was gearing up for the usual fight with her when he asked if he could help. ‘Sure,’ I said gratefully. Good thing the safety restraints were on because she began kicking and screaming.’

“I began washing her quickly, anxious to get it over with, when Troy laid his hand on my arm. ‘Give her a moment to get used to the water,’ he asked. Then he began talking softly in Russian. After a few moments she became calm and seemed to listen to him. Very gently, he took the cloth and soap from me and washed each of’ her hands. Then slowly and carefully, he washed her arms and shoulders, working his way over the wrinkled, sallow skin. Each touch was a caress, each movement a promise.After a while, she closed her eyes and relaxed into the warm water. ‘My beautiful Nadja,’ the old man murmured. 'You are so beautiful’. To my surprise, Mrs.Svoboda opened her eyes and murmured back, ‘My beautiful Troy.’ Even more astonishing, she had tears in her eyes!”

Helen took a deep breath and continued her story. “Mrs. Svoboda stayed calm that whole afternoon. Her husband helped me dress her and feed her lunch. She complained about the food and at one point knocked over her soup. Mr. Svoboda patiently cleaned it up and waited until her tantrum was over. Then he slowly fed her the rest of her meal and talked to her until she was ready to go to bed. I was concerned about that old man. He looked completely exhausted. I asked him why he insisted on doing so much by himself when we were paid to do it. He turned to me and said simply, ‘Because I love her.’ You don’t understand, he continued. We’ve been married for almost forty-nine years. When we started out, life on the farm was harder than you can imagine. The drought killed our crops, and there wasn’t enough pasture for the cattle. Our children were small, and I didn’t know how we were going to survive the winter. I was very hard to live with that year. Nadja put up with my moods, and left me alone, but one night I blew up at the supper table. She’d made our favorite treat, rice pudding, and all I could think about was how much sugar and milk she’d used.”

“Suddenly. I just couldn’t take it. I picked up my bowl and threw it against the wall, and stormed out to the barn. I don't know how long I stayed there, but around sundown, Nadja came out to find me. ‘Troy’, she said, ‘you are not alone in your troubles. I promised to stand by you through everything life brought our way. But if you won’t let me, then you have to go.’ She had tears in her eyes, but her voice was firm. ‘when you are ready to be with us again, we are here.’ Then she kissed my cheek and walked back to the house.”

“I stayed in the barn that night, and the next day I headed into town to look for a job. There was nothing, of course, but I keep looking. After about a week, I was ready to give up. I felt a complete failure, at farming, as a man. I started for home, not knowing if I'd be welcome, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go. When she saw me coming down the lane, Nadja came out running, her apron strings riving. She threw her arms around me and I began to weep. I clung to her like a newborn baby.”

“If she could stay committed to me during my worst times, during the hardest time of our life, the least I can do is to comfort her now. And remind her of the good times we had. We always smiled at each other when we ate rice pudding, and it’s one of the few things she still remembers.”

Helen was quiet. Suddenly Sheila pushed back her chair, “My break is over,” she said, dabbing at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “And I know an old lady who needs another dinner.” She smiled at Helen. “If I ask them nicely, I’ll bet the kitchen can rustle up a dish of rice pudding for her, too.”

希拉的制服上被洒了厚厚的一层晚饭，她怒气冲冲地走进了护士室。她向当晚的领班护士海伦发火道：“天哪!我实在不明白您是怎么做到的！斯沃博达太太刚刚又把盘子扔到我身上了。她情绪这么激动，我真不知道在睡前该怎么为她洗澡。为什么你在服侍她时，就不会碰到这些麻烦呢？”

海伦满怀同情地微笑着说：“刚开始，我也曾有过很多糟糕的夜晚。不过因为我来这里的时间比较长，自然，我也就认识她丈夫。”“哦，我听说过，是特洛伊吧。她每次暴躁不安时，我就只能听明白这个词。”

海伦迟疑了一下，说：“希拉，我明白，要让斯沃博达太太这样的人来配合你的工作，这的确很难。她刚来到这里时，情况还没有现在这么糟糕，但也让人觉很非常棘手。她总是在一些鸡毛蒜皮的小事上找我的茬——比如，她的茶不够热，她的床整理得不够整洁等等。心情糟糕时，她还会指责我们所有人，说我们偷她的东西。我对她的忍耐已经达到了极限，直到有一天为她洗澡时，她丈夫碰巧在场。我像平常一样蓄势待发，准备与她进行‘战斗’，此时，他问我是否需要帮忙。我十分感激地说：‘当然。’因为她已经开始又踢又叫，好在我已经做好了安全约束措施。”“然后我开始用最快的速度给她洗澡，心里盼望着能早一点结束。这时特洛伊把手放在我胳膊上，让我先停下来。他请求道：‘请给她一点时间来适应水温。’接着他开始用俄语温柔地对她说话。不一会儿，她就安静了下来，看起来像是在听他讲话。他接过我手中的毛巾和肥皂，非常温柔地擦洗着她的双手。之后，又缓慢而细心地擦洗着她的手臂和肩膀，认真地擦拭着她满是皱纹并已变得灰黄的皮肤。他的每次触摸仿佛都是爱抚，每个动作仿佛都是许诺。不久，她闭上了眼睛，在温暖的水里显得很轻松。老人喃喃低语道，‘我美丽的娜佳，你多么漂亮啊。’令我惊讶的是，斯沃博达太太居然睁开双眼，低声答道，‘我英俊的特洛伊。’更令人诧异的是，她的眼里竟含着泪水！”

海伦长长地呼了口气，接着说：“那天下午，斯沃博达太太一直都很安静。她丈夫帮我给她穿衣服，并喂她吃午餐。她埋怨午餐不合胃口，还打翻了汤。斯沃博达先生耐心地清理完洒了的汤，并一直等到她发完脾气，恢复平静。之后他又慢慢地喂她把剩下的食物吃完，并陪她聊天，一直到她准备睡觉。我很担心这位老人，因为他看上去已经非常疲惫。这些事本都是我们应该做的，于是我问他为什么要坚持自己做。他转身面对着我，简单地说道：‘因为我爱她!’他又接着讲道，‘你不明白，我们结婚差不多49年了。你无法想象，我们当初在农场的生活是多么的艰苦。旱灾让我们的庄稼颗粒无收，也没有充足的牧场养牛。那时我们的孩子还小，而我甚至不知道我们是否能够熬过去那个寒冷的冬天。那一年，我也变得脾气暴躁，难以相处。然而，娜佳却一直忍受着我恶劣暴躁的脾气，也不烦扰我。但最终有一天我还是爆发了，当时一家人正在吃晚饭。娜佳做了我们最爱吃的米饭布丁。可我脑海唯一能想到的就是她得用了多少的牛奶和糖啊！‘我一口也不想吃，猛地抓起我的碗，用力砸到墙上，然后冲出门，跑到谷仓里。我不清楚独自在那儿待了多长时间。但日落时，娜佳找到了我。她说：“特洛伊，你有麻烦，可你却并不孤单。我答应你，我会永远站在你身边，不管生活给我们带来多少艰难困苦，我都会和你一起面对。但倘若你不同意，那你就只有离开了。”尽管她满眼含泪，但语气却十分坚定。“无论何时，我们都会在这里等你，只要你愿意回到我们身边。”她轻吻我的脸颊，然后转身走回了屋子。‘那晚我一直待在谷仓里。次日，我直接去了城里，准备在那里找一份工作。当然，我一无所获，但我还是继续在找。大约一周后，我决定放弃了。作为一个男人，一个庄稼汉，我觉得自己彻底地失败了!于是我动身回家，我不知道他们是否会欢迎我的归来，但除了家，我的确无处可去。当我走在回家的乡间小路上时，娜佳看到了我并飞快地从屋里冲了出来，朝我跑来，她的围裙带欢快地跳跃着。她张开双臂，紧紧地拥抱着我。我不禁哭了出来，像刚出生的婴儿—样紧紧地依偎着她。‘在我人生最黑暗的时候，在我们生活最艰苦的时候，娜佳都能一直守候在我身边，那么，我现在能做的只有尽力来安慰她，让她回忆起我们曾经美好快乐的日子。每当一起吃米饭布丁时，我们总会微笑着看着彼此。而这也是现在她能想起的少数几件事情之一。’”

说完，海伦默默地望着希拉。突然，希拉推开椅子，站起身来，将脸颊上滚落的泪水轻轻拭去，柔声地说道：“我休息好了。我也终于明白了，这位老太太为什么总想要其它的晚餐。”然后，她看着海伦，露出了笑容并说：“只要我诚心诚意地请求他们，我敢打赌厨房一定能很快地为她做一盘米饭布丁。”

词汇笔记

agitated ['ædʒɪteɪtɪd] adj. 激动的；表现不安的

His answers were all mixed up, so agitated was he.

他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。

sympathetically ['sɪmpə'θetɪklɪ] adv. 悲怜地；富有同情心地

They were all sympathetically disposed towards her

bitter experience.

他们都对她的悲惨遭遇寄予同情。

hesitantly ['hezɪtəntli] adv. 迟疑地；踌躇地

He finally accepted hesitantly.

他最终犹犹豫豫地接受了。

concerned [kənˈsɜ:nd] adj. 担心的；烦恼的；忧虑的

We all concerned for her safety.

我们都很担心她的安全。

小试身手

他的每次触摸仿佛都是爱抚，每个动作仿佛都是许诺。

不管生活给我们带来多少艰难困苦，我都会和你一起面对。但倘若你不同意，那你就只有离开了。无论何时，我们都在这里等你，只要你愿意回到我们身边。

短语家族

I asked him why he insisted on doing so much by himself when we were paid to do it

Insist on：坚持；强调

Nadja put up with my moods, and left me alone, but one night I blew up at th supper table.

Put up with：忍受；容忍

最后的告白

Words From The Heart

佚名 / Anonymous

Most people need to hear those three little words “I love you” Once in a while, they hear them just in time.

I met Connie the day she was admitted to the hospice ward, where I worked as a volunteer. Her husband, Bill, stood nervously nearby as she was transferred from the gurney to the hospital bed. Although Connie was in the final stages of her fight against cancer, she was alert and cheerful. We got her settled in. I finished marking her name on all the hospital supplies she would be using, then asked if she needed anything.

“Oh, yes,” she said, “would you please show me how to use the TV? I enjoy the soaps so much and I don’t want to get behind on what’s happening.” Connie was a romantic. She loved soap operas, romance novels and movies with a good love story. As we became acquainted, she confided how frustrating it was to be married 32 years to a man who often called her “a silly woman”.

“Oh, I know Bill loves me,” she said, “but he has never been one to say he loves me, or send cards to me.” She sighed and looked out the window at the trees in the courtyard. “I’d give anything if he’d say ‘I love you’, but it’s just not in his nature.”

Bill visited Connie every day. In the beginning, he sat next to the bed while she watched the soaps. Later, when she began sleeping more, he paced up and down the hallway outside her room. Soon, when she no longer watched television and had fewer waking moments, I began spending more of my volunteer time with Bill.

He talked about having worked as a carpenter and how he liked to go fishing. He and Connie had no children, but they'd been enjoying retirement by traveling, until Connie got sick. Bill could not express his feelings about the fact that his wife was dying.

One day, over coffee in the cafeteria, I got him on the subject of women and how we need romance in our lives; how we love to get sentimental cards and love letters.

“Do you tell Connie you love her?” I asked (knowing his answer), and he looked at me as if I was crazy.

“I don’t have to,” he said. “She knows I do!”

“I’m sure she knows,” I said, reaching over and touching his hands rough, carpenter's hands that were gripping the cup as if it were the only thing he had to hang onto. “But she needs to hear it, Bill. She needs to hear what she has meant to you all these years. Please think about it.”

We walked back to Connie's room. Bill disappeared inside, and I left to visit another patient. Later, I saw Bill sitting by the bed. He was holding Connie’s hand as she slept. The date was February 12.

Two days later I walked down the hospice ward at noon. There stood Bill, leaning up against the wall in the hallway, staring at the floor. I already knew from the head nurse that Connie had died at 11 a.m…

When Bill saw me, he allowed himself to come into my arms for a long time. His face was wet with tears and he was trembling. Finally, he leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath.

“I have to say something,” he said. “I have to say how good I feel about telling her.” He stopped to blow his nose. “I thought a lot about what you said, and this morning I told her how much I loved her… and loved being married to her. You should seen her smile!”

I went into the room to say my own good-bye to Connie. There, on the bedside table, was a large Valentine card from Bill. You know, the sentimental kind that says, “To my wonderful wife…I love you.”

多数人都喜欢听“我爱你”这三个小巧可爱的字眼。有时他们会在需要时听到。

我看到康尼的那天，她刚被送到收容所的病房，而我则是那儿的志愿者。她的丈夫比尔不安地站在旁边，看着她从轮床被抬到病床上。康尼虽然已到了癌症晚期，但仍神清气爽。安顿好她后，我把收容所发放给她的所有用品都标上她的名字，然后又问她是否还需要别的东西。“哦，”她说，“那么请您告诉我怎样用电视好吗？我很喜欢看肥皂剧，不想错过任何故事情节。”康尼是个追求浪漫的人。她爱看肥皂剧、浪漫小说和言情电影。我们日渐熟识，她向我抱怨说，她有多么失望，与一个常称她“傻女人”的男人共同生活了32年。“哦，我知道比尔深爱着我，”她说，“可是他从不说他爱我，也从未给我寄过贺卡。”她叹了口气，把目光投向窗外庭院里的树林。“如果他能对我说‘我爱你’，让我付出一切我都在所不惜，可是那根本不是他的作风。”

每天比尔都来看望康尼。开始，康尼看肥皂剧时，他就坐在床边陪她。后来，她睡觉的时候多了，比尔便在病房外的走廊踱来踱去。不久后，康尼不再看电视了，清醒的时候也不多了，于是我有了更多的时间与比尔相处。

他说他是个木匠，非常爱钓鱼。他和康尼没有孩子，他们到处游玩以享受退休后的时光，直至康尼病倒。面对妻子病危的事实，他内心的感受是无以言表的。

一天，在自助餐馆喝咖啡时，我和比尔谈起了女人的话题，并谈到了生活中浪漫对我们的重要性以及我们对洋溢着柔情蜜意的卡片和情书的渴望。“你告诉康尼你爱她了吗？”我明知故问道。他注视着我，仿佛我神经错乱。“没那必要，”他说道，“她知道我非常爱她！”“我也确信她是知道的，”说着，我把手伸过去,碰到了他的手，那是一双木工的粗糙的手。这双手紧握着杯子，似乎那是他唯一可以抓住的东西。“但是她需要听那句话，比尔。她需要听你说，这些年她对你意味着什么。你该考虑一下。”

我们回到康尼的病房。比尔进去了，我去看另一个病人了。而后，我看见比尔坐到床边，握着睡熟中的康尼的一只手。那天是2月12日。

两天后的中午，我沿着收容所病房过道走着。我看到比尔靠墙站在那儿，目光呆滞地看着地面。我已经从护士那儿得知，康尼上午11时走了。

比尔看到我，扑到我怀里哭了许久。他满脸泪痕，全身颤抖。后来，他向后倚在墙上，深深地吸了口气。“我有些话要说，”他说道，“而且非说不可，我想说，能够告诉她真的感觉好极了。”他顿了顿，吸了吸鼻子。“你说的话，让我想了很多；今天早上我对她说了，我非常爱她，我为能娶到她而感到幸福。你真该看看她那时灿烂的笑容!”

我去了康尼的病房，与她道别。我看到床头柜上放着一张大大的情人节贺卡，那是比尔送给她的。那张满载着浓情蜜意的贺卡上写着:“献给我的爱妻……我爱你!”

心灵小语

不要让爱留下遗憾。

词汇笔记

acquainted [əˈkweɪntɪd] adj. 熟悉；(与某人相识)

We got acquainted at the conference.

我们在那次会议上相识了。

confide [kənˈfaid] vt. & vi. （向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison.

他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。

frustrating [frʌˈstreɪtɪŋ] adj. 产生挫折的；使人沮丧的；令人泄气的；令人懊恼的

I found the delays intensely frustrating.

我觉得这些延误极其令人沮丧。

sentimental [ˌsentəˈmentl] adj. （失之过度或不恰当地）伤感的；充满柔情的；多愁善感的

Don’t be too sentimental about the cat.

不要为那只猫过于多愁善感。

小试身手

面对妻子病危的事实，他内心的感受是无以言表的。

她需要听你说，这些年她对你意味着什么。

短语家族

we got her settled in.

settle in：安顿下来；适应于新家

Carpenter’s hands that were gripping the cup as if it were the only thing he had to hang onto.

As if：好象……似的；仿佛……一样

梦想之舟

BrokenPromises

洛林·M.格雷 / Lorraine M.Ｇregoire

“Sheesh! Give me a few points for self control!” I snapped at my cranky husband. I wanted to stop at a sporting goods store “Going Out of Business” sale we passed in the mall. “There’s nothing we need ,” his usual grumpy male comment. “It’s all overpriced junk. If they had anything good they wouldn’t be going out of business.”

“But, it’s sporting goods,” I wheedled. “could be some good deals for the grandkids. And, you like boats and fishing stuff. I’ve put up with that photo of your ‘dream-canoe’ stuck on the bathroom mirror for years now. Maybe you’d enjoy just looking around?”

“Are you crazy?” his eyes got funny and he said something like. “The boat I want is the Supremo Numero-Uno blah-blah. Soon as I finish saving up 6 000 bucks for that baby I’m going to order right from the manufacturer. Custom. In silver. This loser store wouldn’t carry something like THAT. And I'm sure not going near those sucker crowds.”

“You’re so darn negative and boring!” I retorted. “I happen to like crowds. They make me feel like I’m part of something. I promise I won’t buy anything but I’m going to look around for fun anyways. You go for coffee and I’ll meet you back here in half an hour.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, old girl.” He chuckled in that self-satisfied “I’ll believe it when I see it” way that always gets me riled. “I know you’re going to come out of there with useless junk. You always do.”

His words made me mad. How dare he accuse me of being frivolous! I prided myself on being a wise shopper. I had a darn good nose for bargains and stretched our old age pensions like nobody’s business. Now I had a mad on, that’s for sure. “Boy, I’ll show him.” I promised myself I would not buy a darn thing, no matter what. Ha! I wouldn't give Mr. Know-It-All smarty-pants reason to gloat.

I squared my chin and marched into the crowded store. Aisles and aisles of hockey equipment, basketballs, golf clubs, exercise equipment, fishing gear, boy toys galore were strung with huge blaring signs. CLOSING OUT SALE—Up to 80% OFF. NO REFUNDS.

Up and down the aisles I strolled, ducked and dodged, humming to myself and enjoying the frenetic energy and excitement of a sale.

All of a sudden, there, at the back of the store, in gleaming silver, full of lifejackets, paddles and fishing stuff, sat the exact canoe of my husband’s picture. I gasped and blinked three times. Yup. It was still there. The Supremo Numero-Uno blah, blah. My heart beat wildly. I elbowed my way through the crowds, scrambled over junk in the aisles and darned near fell into the canoe looking for the price tag.

There it was a little tattered, with the manufacturer’s suggested retail price at $6750 plus tax crossed out and a handwritten TO CLEAR $750 AS IS. NO RETURNS. Must be a mistake. $6000 off ? Salesman. I had to talk to a salesman.

I spotted a young fellow with a “Hi. I’m Mathew” tag trying to hide out from the mob of bargain hunters. I clutched his sleeve. “Mathew. Tell me about this El Supremo canoe. What’s wrong with it? Why is it only $750?”

“Oh. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s brand new. We’re closing the store. That is all. It’s on clearance like everything else. I think that includes lifejackets, paddles and a bunch of fishing gear, too. I’ll go check.”

A few minutes later he came back and said, “I’m sorry ma’am. Someone made a mistake on the sale tag. It’s supposed to be $4750 for the whole package. I just talked to my Dad who is running the close-out. He said it was worth more than $8000 regular price so it’s still a real good deal.”

I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Oh well”, I said sadly. “Of course, it was too good to be true. This is exactly like my husband’s dreamboat. I guess I started to dream myself when I saw that price tag. He’s going to be 62 years old Friday. Had to retire early for his health. It’s been hard on just the pension but the stubborn old fool has been saving $10 every week for years to buy one just like this. Just an old man’s silly dream, you know. Always said he wanted to spend his retirement out fishing in a canoe,” my voice trailed off and I turned and walked away.

I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me. “Do you have $750 plus $25 for delivery and a bit more for tax, ma’am?” I gasped. “Yes. Yes. That’s about all I have,” I said as I thought fleetingly about the cataract surgery I was saving up for.

“Well then, you just have your husband sitting on the front porch on Friday morning around 10 o’clock so he can be there when my Dad and I come to unload his new boat. We’ll even put a bow on it for his birthday.”

I started to cry. My old hand shook and I had to squint as I wrote out my cheque. Mathew swallowed hard.

“Ma’am. There’s something you should know. This store was my Grandpa's. He ran it for more than 30 years. He always promised to retire one day. Said he wanted to spend time relaxing and out fishing in a canoe. He ordered this one, custom, for himselflast year but, well, just never took the time off to use it.”

He swallowed even harder. “My Grandpa died, sudden-like, just last week. He was only 68 years old. I think he'd be mighty happy that your husband will get this here canoe. My Dad thinks so too. You just have to make sure he uses it a lot, okay? Promise?”

I handed Mathew a Kleenex and we stood there together, quietly lost in our own thoughts for a moment, blowing our noses.

“I promise!” I said as I dashed off to look for my dear sweet husband.“烦死了，为什么要约束自己！”我冲着脾气暴躁的丈夫嚷道。经过大卖场时，碰巧一家体育用品商店停业大甩卖，我想进去看看，里面有没有我们需要的东西。他用一贯暴躁的男人腔调抱怨道，“都是些昂贵的垃圾，要是有好东西，就不会停业了。” “但是，我想孩子们会喜欢这里的体育用品，”我极力劝说他，“况且，那些小船、钓鱼用品之类的东西，你也喜欢。要不，这么多年，卫生间的镜子上怎么一直都贴着你那幅梦想之舟的图片呢？我可是看够了。也许你正想进去看看呢!” “你疯了吗？”他用戏弄的眼神看着我，说道：“我想要的可是巴拉-巴拉一等小舟，一旦我攒够了6000美元，我就会直接去厂家那儿订购一艘银光闪闪的小船。这种即将停业的小店不会有那种货色，我可不想拼命挤进去上当受骗。” “你简直不可理喻且无趣!”我反驳道。“我偏偏喜欢凑热闹，我觉得这让我不至于无所事事。我保证不买东西，只是逛着玩玩，你去喝会儿咖啡，半小时后我来找你。”“做不到就不要发誓，老伴。”他得意地笑着，好像心里在说“等着瞧吧”，他总是这样激我，“我知道你准会买些没用的东西回来。你一向如此。”

他的话令我极度气恼。他竟敢说我草率行事！我自认为自己从来都是理性购物。我向来很会讨价还价，从不乱花我们的养老金，可现在，我真是生气到家了，“好吧，老兄，我倒要让你看看。”我暗下决心，不管有什么好东西，我绝不买回家。哈！我可不会把笑柄留给这个自以为是、自作聪明的家伙。

我下定决心，于是走进拥挤的商店。商店的过道里摆满了曲棍球、排球、高尔夫球和健身器材、渔具以及儿童玩具等，旁边写着醒目的标语：停业大甩卖，2折优惠，已售商品，概不退还。

我一边在过道里逛来逛去，一边又提防着那挤来挤去的购物者。我嘴里哼着小调，情绪高昂，全身心地享受着逛街的乐趣。

突然，在商店的后门，一个银光闪闪的东西吸引了我的注意，那正是我丈夫照片上的那只独木舟，里面放着救生衣、船桨、渔具。我屏住呼吸，眨了几下眼睛。啊，的的确确就在那儿，巴拉—巴拉一等小舟。我的心顿时激动起来。我奋力挤开拥挤的人群，跌跌撞撞地跨过过道里杂七杂八的东西，中间还差点跌进那只独木舟里，我急不可待地去找价格牌。

那张破烂的价格牌上标着，厂家建议零售价：6750美元，另加税价，上面打了一个大大的叉叉，旁边加上手写的字体，清仓价：750美元，售出不退。少了6000美元？一定是搞错了。我得去问一下售货员。

我瞅了一下那个胸前戴着“你好，我是马修”字样的年轻人。他正奋力从淘便宜货的人群中挤出身来。我抓住他的袖子，问道：“马修，那艘独木舟怎么回事，为什么只卖750美元？” “噢，没什么问题，船是全新的。我们店要关门了，这船和其它东西一样，清仓贱卖。我想这价格还包括救生衣、船桨以及一些钓鱼用具。我去确认一下。”

几分钟后，他回来了，对我说道：“夫人，真的很抱歉，价格标错了，所有一切应该是4750美元。我刚问过我父亲，是他负责甩卖，他说这船原价是8000多美元，所以，买下来还是很划算的。”

我的眼泪马上涌了出来，“噢，是这样，”我难过地说，“当然，这几乎不太可能，一直以来我丈夫都梦想拥有这样的小船。当我看到价格标签时，我认为自己简直在做梦。这个星期五，他就要满62岁了。因为身体不好，他早早就退休了。靠退休金维持的生活是很艰难的，但是数年来，这个顽固的老傻瓜还是每周省下10美元，就为拥有这样的船。谁都知道，这只是一个老人在痴人说梦。他总说退休后要驾着独木舟去钓鱼……”我的声音哽咽了，于是转身离去。

快到大卖场门口时，马修赶了过来，“对不起，夫人，你有750美元吗，加上25美元送货费及一点儿税金？”我激动得快要喘不过气来了，说道：“有的，有的，我口袋里刚好有那么多钱。”我边说，脑子里边飞快地想着那笔我攒下来要做白内障手术的钱。“那好吧，让你先生星期五上午10点在家里等着，我会和我父亲把那艘新船送来。我们还会为他庆祝生日，给船装上一个船头。”

我要哭了，两只老手颤抖着，填支票时，我不得不眯着眼睛。马修也有些哽咽。“夫人，我想告诉你一件事。这家店是我爷爷开的，他经营了30多年，总是说有一天会退休，然后好好放松一下，划着独木舟去钓鱼，去年，他为自己订购了这艘船。可是，唉，他最终没能等到这一天。”

他强忍着泪水，继续说道：“爷爷突然在上周去世了，他只活到了68岁，我想，如果他知道你丈夫买下这艘船，一定会很高兴，我父亲也是这样想的。你能保证你丈夫经常使用这艘船吗？”

我递给马修一张纸巾，我们一起默默地站在那里，任思绪飞扬，激动不已。“我保证!”说完，我飞快地奔了出去，去找我亲爱的丈夫。

词汇笔记

grump [ɡrʌmp] n. 一阵坏脾气；发火；抱怨；闹情绪；愠怒

He is a grump.

他是个爱发牢骚的人。

spot [spɔt] v. 注意到；发现

How did you spot those fifties were counterfeited?

你怎样察觉出那些50元面值的纸币是伪造的？

squint [skwɪnt] v. 眯着眼睛；斜着眼睛(看某物)；瞟；从小孔或缝隙里看

Her eyes squinted against the brightness.

亮光刺得她眯起眼睛。

swallow [ˈswɔləu] v. 不流露；掩饰；抑制

I don’t know how I managed to swallow my anger.

我不知道怎样才能抑制住我的愤怒。

小试身手

突然，在商店的后门，一个银光闪闪的东西吸引了我的注意，那正是我丈夫照片上的那只独木舟，里面放着救生衣、船桨、渔具。

因为身体不好，他早早就退休了，靠退休金维持生活是很艰难的，但是数年来，这个顽固的老傻瓜还是每周省下10美元，就为拥有这样的船。

短语家族

Soon as I finish saving up 6000 bucks for that baby I’m going to order right from the manufacturer.

Save up：储存起来

I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me.

Catch up with：追上；赶上

爱的救生绳

Homemaking

佚名 / Anonymous

One rainy November morning I had about all I could take. I knew if I didn’t leave the house soon I would unleash a storm of anger on my husband, A.K..

“I’m taking you to work.” A.K. said. l struggled into my jacket, and then grabbed my satchel and lesson plans. “I’ve been driving that route for many years. I can drive it now.”

“I said I’m taking you to work.” He reached for his boots.

I looked at the stacks of newspaper, the dirty dishes still on the table. “Don’t you have enough to do? I can take care of myself.” l stalked out, not even kissing him good-bye.

“Don’t take the shortcut, Donna!” He shouted after me.

A heart attack that past spring forced my husband to leave his job. l was in the middle of my twenty-second year teaching high school seniors, while A.K. stayed home and took over the household chores.

The new arrangement was a disaster. Exhausted after a day of dealing with faculty meetings and students, all I wanted was a hot home cooked meal and a good night’s sleep.

A microwave package greeted me at the table.

One night, I was horrified to discover A.K. had turned our white sheets a suspiciously denimlike shade of blue.

“l found out how to save on water, soap and electricity.” A.K. announced triumphantly.“Just wash everything together.”

During the months that followed, his cooking somehow managed to get worse. At least I cooked us balanced meals, I wanted to say. But then I would remember the time A.K. had eaten every beet and complimented the dinner, though I discovered later how he detested the sight of beets. So I wouldn’t say anything to him.

As for as I was concerned, things couldn’t get much worse. So that rainy morning when I found a now-blue half-slip stuffed in a dresser drawer, I could only grit my teeth, l had it!

Lord, can’t you help him with just the basics of taking care of us? I stormed out of the house.

Ten minutes later, ignoring A.K.’s warning about taking the shortcut in bad weather, I turned off the main route.

But as I rounded the corner a swirling mess gushed across my path. It can’t be that deep, I thought. But after a few feet, the car stalled. Almost 20 minutes passed, the care swayed. The chocolaty water surged. Please, God, I prayed, take care of me.

Three long blasts of horn interrupted my praying. Looking over my shoulder, A.K. !

“Donna!I’m throwing a rope,” he yelled. “Hang on to it and walk straight toward me.”

I opened the door, grabbed the rope. I slipped in the rushing water, “I can’t!” I screamed, straining at the rope.

“Yes, you can.” His voice was calm.

If it had been anybody but A.K. , I don’t think I could have done it. But I trusted my husband. I didn’t exactly as he instructed, and finally fell into his arms. “Thank you,” I said, sobbing against his chest. “I’m sorry I got so angry with you. It's just that ...”

“Sssss ...” A.K. murmured. “It’s okay now. I’ve got you. ”

God had reminded me that A.K. understood a thing or how about taking care of us after all.

11月，一个雨天的早上，我已经对周围的一切感到极度厌烦，如果不马上离开家的话，我肯定会对丈夫艾·克发火的。“我送你去上班吧。” 艾·克说。我猛地穿上夹克，抓起包和教案说：“我已经在这条路上开了很多年了，现在也可以。”“我说了我送你去上班。”他说着，伸手去够他的靴子。

我看着桌上成堆的报纸和脏盘子，说道：“你闲着没事吗？我能照顾我自己。”说完就仰起头走了，连一个吻和再见都没有。“唐娜，不要抄近道啊！”他在我身后喊道。

春天时，心脏病迫使丈夫离开了工作岗位。在一所中学教高中的我从教已有22年了，而此刻艾·克则待在家里做家务。

新的生活简直是一场灾难。每天没完没了的开会和上课使我精疲力尽，我想要的只是能回家吃顿热乎乎的家常饭、睡个安稳觉。

然而，桌上摆的总是用微波炉热好的速食品。

一天晚上，我惊讶地发现艾·克把洁白的床单染成了粗布般的深蓝色。“我发现怎样省水、肥皂和电了。” 艾·克兴奋地宣布，“就是把所有的东西放在一起洗。”

在接下来的几个月里，不知道为什么，他做的饭越来越难吃了。我很想说，至少我做的饭还能营养均衡呢！但我突然想起有一次做甜菜，他称赞我做得好，后来才发现，他最讨厌吃甜菜了，于是就没有说他什么。

此后，事情变得越来越糟，简直糟糕透顶。这个雨天的早上，我发现一件染成蓝色的裙子被塞进抽屉里时，我实在受不了啦！

上帝啊，在照顾人的基本常识方面，你就不能帮帮他吗？我气冲冲地出了门。

我没有理睬艾·克的劝告，十分钟后，在这个坏天气里，我驶离了主干道。

不料，拐弯时，污水一下子涌进了我要穿过的小道。我想水应该不会很深。但没走多远，车子就抛锚了。大概20分钟过去了，车子开始摇晃，污水也开始湍急起来。上帝，请保佑我啊！

突然，三声长长的鸣笛声打断了我的祈祷。我扭头一看，是艾·克！“唐娜！我扔给你一条绳子，”他喊着，“抓住它，向我这边走。”

我打开车门，抓住绳子。在激流的水中，我滑倒了。“我过不去！”我喊道，并使劲拽着绳子。“能，你能的。”他的声音很平静。

如果那时换成另外任何一个人，而不是艾·克，我想我根本无法做到。但我信任我的丈夫。我完全按他的指挥做，最终扑到他的怀里。“谢谢，”我说，然后靠在他的胸膛哭了，“我很抱歉，刚才跟你发脾气，那是……”“嘘……”艾·克低声说，“现在好了，你没事就好。”

上帝提醒了我，艾·克完全懂得怎样照顾人。

心灵小语

爱是生活中点点滴滴的累积。

词汇笔记

unleash [ˌʌnˈli:ʃ] v. 把(感情、力量等)释放出来；发泄

The full force of his rage was unleashed against me.

他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。

struggle [ˈstrʌɡl] v. 搏斗；奋斗；努力；争取

The bandit struggled desperately.

那匪徒拼命挣扎。

exhaust [iɡˈzɔ:st] v. 使非常疲倦；使精疲力尽；使疲惫不堪

The climb will exhaust the boys.

爬山会使那些男孩们疲惫不堪的。

remind [riˈmaind] v. 提醒

Please remind me in case I should forget.

如果我忘了，请你提醒我一下。

小试身手

此后，事情变得越来越糟，简直糟糕透顶。

上帝提醒了我，艾克完全懂得怎样照顾人。

短语家族

I can take care of myself.

Take care of：照顾

I turned off the main route.

Turn off：拐弯；转入另一条路

高尔夫罗曼史

Golf Course Romance

南茜·Ｂ.布斯 / Nancg B·Gibbs

My husband, Roy, had always wanted to play golf.

I had heard the horrid Golf Widow stories and never encouraged the game. After quite a few years of marriage and raising three children, we were informed by our twin sons, Brad and Chad, now young adults, that they were taking up the sport of golf. Needless to say, they wanted their Dad to play with them. They begged and pleaded, but he had lost interest several years earlier.

Our sons surprised Roy with a set of golf clubs one Father’s Day. During our vacation that year, the three of them played a round of golf. Since he had so much fun, he wanted to share the experience with me.

“Let’s go to the golf course,” he begged one Saturday afternoon.

“Why on earth would I want to play golf?” I asked.

“You can drive the cart,” he replied. “Please.” I saw a pitiful look on his face — just like a little boy with no money in a candy store.

My first thought was, “Sure I can, but I could also drive my car to the mall. It would be cooler and a lot more fun.” I looked back at his sad face and finally agreed to go.

“Now how long will this take?” I asked, with a twinge of resentments in my voice.

“We will only play nine holes,” he said. He whistled as he got his equipment together. We headed for the green grass of the golf course.

I moaned as I got out of the car and sat down in the driver’s seat of a little white golf cart. This was not my idea of a good time. Before I started up the engine, Roy started trying to teach me the rules of the road.

“What rules?” I shouted, as I took off driving full speed.

“Slow down,” he begged. I laughed and kept driving. “You can only drive in designated spots,” he sternly informed me.

“And who is going to stop me?” I joked. I was already feeling rebellious.

When we reached the tee box at hole number one, he was shaking his head. It was clear that he was relieved to get off the speeding golf cart. He set up for his first swing while I watched, wondering why people think golf is so much fun. It looked mighty boring to me.

He hit the ball, but had no idea where it went. For the next fifteen minutes we searched for it.

Oh, this is fun, I chided him.

We’ll just get another ball, he placated me, as he opened the pouch on his golf bag and pulled one out.

Back we went to the tee box. “This could take all afternoon,” I grumbled to myself. When Roy hit the ball a second time, we found it down the fairways a little way. After quite a few strokes, the ball went into the hole. I can’t remember the last time I saw my husband that happy. “What was the big deal?” I wondered.

The driving game was on. We were off and speeding to the next hole. I was driving the cart and he was walking. He said he needed the exercise but I knew he was afraid of my driving. He spent a great deal of time hitting the ball and then looking for it, while I watched the squirrels and rabbits play.

Something entirely unexpected happened by the time we reached the fifth hole. We were laughing, harder than we had in many years. The financial stress associated with putting three kids through college was gone. The strain of “too much work and too little play” was replaced by happy hearts and smiling faces. To my utter amazement, a golf course romance was born.

By the time we got to whole number six, I had fallen in love again. I felt like a young bride accompanying her prince charming. Suddenly, he looked so cute trying to keep up with that little white ball.

When we got to hole number seven, I sensed that he was watching me more than the ball. “Keep your eye on the ball,” I reprimanded him.

“But I can’t,” he replied. “I like looking at you.”

At that point, he decided that he would ride with me again. This time, he didn’t get upset when I drove too fast. By the time we reached hole number eight, we were holding hands. I don’t know if he was holding on for dear life or if he enjoyed holding my hand, but nevertheless, I liked it. It had been a long while since we last held hands.

The last hole, number nine, was the best hole of all. Before he stepped off the cart, he leaned over and kissed me. “I’m glad you came,” he said. “I had so much fun.”

“Can we come back next week?” I asked. A smile covered his face and mine.

“Yes, and next time we’ll play eighteen holes,” he asserted. He smacked the ball and it soared off into the woods. We both giggled as we drove off to find yet another lost ball.

This time, it didn’t matter to me. My husband was happy. I was enjoying his company. Golf was just a good excuse to be together.

We were not only finding lost balls. We were finding each other again, too.

我的丈夫罗伊一直想打高尔夫球。

可怕的“高尔夫寡妇”的故事使我从不鼓励这项运动。结婚多年后，我们膝下已有三个孩子。正值青春年华的布拉德和查德是我们的双胞胎儿子，从他们口中得知，他们迷恋上了打高尔夫。当然，他们希望爸爸也能参与。于是他们央求他一起去打高尔夫，但他的兴趣早在多年前就已经被扼杀了。

父亲节那天，儿子们给了罗伊一个惊喜，送了他一套高尔夫球杆。那年，他们三个人在假期打了一场高尔夫，罗伊玩得非常开心，便想让我也体验一下那种快乐。

一个周六的下午，他恳求我：“咱们去打高尔夫吧。”“我干嘛要去呢？”我问。“你可以开车，”他回答，“拜托了。”他那可怜兮兮的样子，就像一个没钱买糖果的小男孩。“当然可以，但我还可以开车去商场。那会更好玩，更有趣。”可我回头看到他伤心的样子时，改变了主意，同意和他一起去。“需要多长时间？”我问他，话语中带着几分怨恨。“我们只打九个洞。”他说，他一边收拾球具一边吹着口哨。之后我们便开车前往高尔夫球场的绿草地。

我抱怨着下了车，然后坐到白色小型高尔夫球车的驾驶座上。我感觉一点都不愉快，开车之前，罗伊就努力在教我行驶规则。“什么规则？”我喊道，并将车开到全速。“慢一点。”他恳求我。我大笑着，继续开。“你只能把车往指定的地方开。”他严厉地对我说。“谁能阻止我？”我开玩笑说，有一种叛逆的快感。

当到达第一个发球区时，他摇了摇头。他分明是为从超速行驶的球车上下来而感到放松。看着他挥起球杆打出第一个球，我心中暗自纳闷，人们为什么都喜欢打高尔夫呢，我觉得这实在是太无聊了。

他击中了球，却不知球飞向哪儿。我们花了十五分钟的时间去找这个球，可是没找到。“噢，这真有意思。”我责怪他。“我们可以再拿一个球。”他安慰我，然后打开装高尔夫球的小包，拿出一个球。

我们回到发球区，我自言自语地抱怨：“一下午又要泡汤了。”罗伊打出了第二个球，但球在滑道上没走多远。又击了几杆后，球终于进洞了。罗伊开心极了，我好久没看到他这么开心了。我想：“有什么大不了的？”

然后我们便上车驶向第二个洞，我仍继续着超速驾驶的游戏。而丈夫决定步行，他说他需要运动，但我知道他是嫌我开车太快。当他用很长的时间击球、找球的时候，我却在看松鼠和兔子玩耍。

当第五个球进洞时，一些意想不到的事情发生了。我们俩一起开怀大笑，很多年都没有这样开心地笑过了。供三个孩子上大学所产生的经济压力消失了，“工作过多，休闲过少”所造成的紧张情绪也随之而去，取而代之的是愉悦的心情和满面的笑容。更令我惊奇的是，我们又找回了浪漫的感觉。

我们到第六个发球区时，我仿佛又再度陷入了爱河。我觉得自己就像是一位正陪伴着白马王子的新娘，而此时正努力追赶白色小球的丈夫也突然变得是那么迷人。

当我们到达第七个发球区时，我感到他看我的时间还胜于球，“眼睛看着球。”我嗔怪他。“不，我喜欢看着你。”他回答。

那一刻他决定和我一起坐球车，这回他也不介意我把车开得飞快了。到达第八个发球区时，我们的手已经握在了一起。他握着我的手是因为一时害怕还是他喜欢这么做，我不得而知。不管怎样，我都喜欢他握着我的手。我们已经好久没有手握手了。

第九洞，是最后一个洞，也是最棒的一洞。下车之前，他竟然倾身过来吻我。“你能来我真高兴，”他说，“我非常开心。”“下星期我们还来，好吗？”我问，然后我们都笑了。“好啊，下次我们要打十八洞。”他肯定地说。他用力将球击了出去，球飞进了树林里。然后我们哈哈大笑着去找打丢的球。

这次，我没有任何怨言，丈夫很开心，我很喜欢他的陪伴。高尔夫成了我们共处的一个不错的借口。

我们不仅找到了丢失的球，也找到了彼此的那份爱。

词汇笔记

chide [tʃaid] v. 责骂；责备

She was chiding her son for not being more dutiful to her.

她在责骂她儿子对她不够孝敬。

reprimand [ˈreprəˌmænd] v. 申斥；训斥；斥责；惩戒；谴责

She was reprimanded for failing to do her duty.

她因失职而遭到了训斥。

upset [ʌpˈset] v. 使苦恼；使心烦；使不适

The news upset him emotionally.

这消息使他心烦意乱。

assert [əˈsə:t] v. 声称；断言

He asserted his ideas loudly and clearly.

他大声明确地说出自己的想法。

小试身手

看着他挥起球杆打出第一个球，我心中暗自纳闷，人们为什么都喜欢打高尔夫呢。

然后我们都笑了。

短语家族

I asked, with a twinge of resentments in my voice.

A twinge of：一阵；一丝

By the time we got to whole number six, I had fallen in love again.

Fall in love：恋爱

至 爱

Moments of Love

大卫·S.匹萨斯基 / By David S. Pisetsky

By David S. Pisetsky

When I first saw her, she was walking across the med-school quad. I stood motionless as if stunned, following her with my eyes. She is the one, I said to myself.

It was the first day of school. When I asked a classmate about her, he told me to forget it. She has a boyfriend, he said.

A few months later I heard she'd ended her relationship. But I waited at least half a year to ask for a date. When I telephoned her dormitory and asked nervously for her, I transposed the syllables of her first and last names into ludicrous garble. “Dinner on Saturday?” I proposed, embarrassed and expecting rejection. “I would enjoy that,” she answered, sounding pleased.

On Saturday I greeted her at the dorm and was again entranced by her loveliness. I had made reservations at a restaurant 30 miles away. I lost my way and drove aimlessly on rural roads for an hour as my exasperation mounted. She remained good-humored-happy, she said, to tour villages whose histories she had read about.

We never located the restaurant, and then almost ran out of gas. We finally ate at 10 p.m., hamburgers and fries at a dinner. In her floral dress, with her straight blond hair and classic features, she stood out among the local kids.

Back at school, I was ready to apologize for the evening. But I felt her warm hand take mine, and then she quickly kissed my cheek. “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said softly. Before I comprehended what had happened, she disappeared into the dormitory.

How many times have there been moments like that, moments of such encompassing grace and love that I doubted their actuality? Moments like the day of our marriage, when on a crisp Sunday morning on the Pacific coast she entered the church on her father's arm and I gazed down the aisle at my soon-to-be wife. Or the moments when our two children were born and her face became radiant as she emerged from the unreachable realm of labor into exultation.

But October 15, 1993, was Different. That day, we arose at 5 a. m., having a hard slept. How can you rest when a blade will soon sever flesh so dear? She kissed both of our children as they slept, but they never stirred or said “Good luck” or “I love you, Mommy.” In the hospital, after we signed the papers, I watched her change into a faded cotton gown and two pairs of socks, as if the worst injury that day would be the chill of the operating room.

She cried in my arms and said she didn’t want the surgery. I held her hand as an I. V. was inserted into her arm. In a few seconds her tears stopped and she closed those eyes that had always seemed so clever and clear, but now looked so fearful.

Feeling frantic and disconnected I kissed her, and then she was wheeled away through the unforgiving doors of the operating suite. I spent the day in the waiting room polishing a manuscript whose only significance was its power to distract.

When she returned to her room late that afternoon, on her chest was an expanse of billowing white bandage placed by a surgeon’s hands with a precision and delicacy she would have admired. I was reminded of the coverlet she had appliqued for our children’s cradle when they were infants. The bandage looked gentle and protective—reassuring and not as harsh as I had expected.

Sitting beside her in a dimly lit room that smelled sharply of disinfectant, I realized that because my life was so intertwined with hers, I, too, was a patient. I felt depleted and wrecked as I stared blankly out the window at pink-gray clouds slowly traversing the afternoon sky.

It was almost 7p. m. before she stirred. I heard her moan, and moved to the edge of the bed. I lightly touched her lips with an ice chip from the pitcher on her bedside table, and brushed the gray-flecked hair across her sweaty brow.

“I love you,” I said.

At these words, her eyes opened hesitantly. At first her gaze seemed confused and unfocused, but for an instant her eyes sharpened with recognition, and a gentle smile lifted the edges of her mouth.

“I love you too,” she whispered, and then her eyelids shut. I was close to exhaustion and dislocated in time as I recalled the moment I first saw her. It was as if I was young again and the sun was resplendent in the morning sky. She is the one, I said once more in my mind’s voice. She is the one.

第一次见到她时，她正在校园的操场上漫步。我站在那里，目光追随着她的倩影，呆住了。她就是我的至爱，我对自己说。

那正是开学的第一天，我向同学问起她，他们说她已经有男朋友了，让我忘了她。

几个月后，听说她跟男朋友分手了。但是，至少过了半年后，我才向她提出约会的请求。我打电话到寝室找她，紧张得吐字不清，甚至把她的前后名字都说反了。“周六晚上请你吃晚饭，好吗？”提议完，我尴尬极了，害怕她会拒绝。“乐意之至。”她的声音听起来似乎很开心。

星期六，我去宿舍接她，她的美丽再次深深地打动了我。我在30里外的餐馆预订了晚餐。开车去那儿时，我却迷路了，在乡间小路上漫无目的地转了一个多小时后，我越来越焦躁，她却一直兴致高昂。她说，她读过这些乡村的历史，很高兴能来游玩。

我们最终没能找到那家餐馆，汽油快用完了。10点时，我们才吃了点汉堡和薯条，算是晚餐。她身着美丽的花裙，金黄的直发和娇好的面容，使她在当地孩子中间显得更加光彩照人。

回到学校后，我正要为晚上的一切道歉，但感觉到她用自己那温暖的手握住了我的手，然后迅速地在我脸上吻了一下，温柔地说道：“谢谢你让我度过一个快乐的夜晚，”我还没回过神来，她已消失在寝室里了。

我们之前曾有过多少这样的时刻啊——充满了包容、优雅与爱意，我几乎不敢相信。记得婚礼那天，在太平洋海滨，那个清新的星期天早晨，她挽着父亲的手步入教堂，我站在圣坛旁，向徐徐走来的她望去，她即将成为我妻；又或是我们的两个孩子出生，她经历了旁人无法体会的分娩痛楚后，脸上因欣喜而光彩四溢。

但是1993年10月15日，情形却完全不同。那天，在一个难眠之夜之后，我们早上5点钟就起床了。当手术刀即将划开你心上人的血肉肌肤时，你又怎能安然入眠呢？她吻了吻我们两个熟睡的孩子，但他们却没有醒来对她说“祝您好运”或者“我爱您，妈妈”。到了医院，签完一些文件后，我看她换上一件褪了色的棉袍和一双袜子，似乎手术室最大的伤害是寒冷。

她扑在我怀里哭着说不做手术。我握着她的手，注射器扎进她的手臂，泪水很快停住了，那原本清澈、机灵的双眼，现在却闭上了，看来起似乎充满了恐惧。

我痛苦而慌乱地与她吻别，然后，看着她穿过那道无情的门，被推进了手术室。我整天待在候诊室，用校对稿子来分散我的焦虑。

直到傍晚时，她才回到病房，胸前缠绕着一大片绷带，我想她一定会喜欢那个外科医生缠绕绷带时的细心与精巧的手艺。这使我想起我们的孩子还是婴儿的时候，她为他们的摇篮缝制床单。这些绷带看起来亲切又安全可靠——不像我想的那么粗糙。

灯光昏暗的房间里，充斥着强烈的消毒水的味道。坐在她旁边，我意识到我们的生命是如此的息息相关，以至于我此时也成了病人。我茫然地盯着窗外，只看到灰粉色的云彩掠过傍晚的天空，我感到心力交瘁。

差不多快七点时，她微微动了一下，听到她的呻吟，我移到床边。从桌子上的水罐里拿出一点冰片，轻轻碰触她的嘴唇，拂开她额前被汗水沁湿的灰白头发。“我爱你。”我说。

听到这些话，她慢慢地睁开眼睛，起初，她的目光似乎有些迷茫，没有焦点，但很快，她的眼睛便变得透彻起来，她认出了我，嘴角浮现出一抹温柔的笑。“我也爱你。”她呢喃道，眼睛又闭上了。此时的我几乎精疲力尽。回想起第一次见到她的情景，我仿佛又回到了年轻时代，回到了那个阳光灿烂的早上。她就是我的至爱。我再一次在心中对自己说道，她就是我的至爱。

心灵小语

寻寻觅觅，猛然回首，那人却在灯火阑珊处。

词汇笔记

entrance [ˈentrəns] n. 入口；大门口

The car waited at the front entrance.

汽车在前门口等候。

reservation [?rez??vei??nˌrezəˈveiʃən] n. 保留的座位[住处]等；预订

Have you made the reservations for our holiday yet?

你为我们度假做好预订安排了吗？

comprehend [ˌkɔmpriˈhend] v. 理解；领会

I did not comprehend his meaning.

我不理解他的意思。

emerge [iˈmə:dʒ] v. 出现；显出；暴露

The submarine at last emerged.

那艘潜艇终于浮出了水面。

小试身手

我们之前曾有过多少这样的时刻啊——充满了包容、优雅与爱意，我几乎不敢相信。

我仿佛又回到的年轻时代，回到了那个阳光灿烂的早上。

短语家族

I was reminded of the coverlet she had appliqued for our children’s cradle when they were infants.

Remind of：使(某人)想起……

She’s the one, I said once more in my mind’s voice.

Once more：再；又

爱成就自信

Butterfly Kisses

佚名 / Anonymous

My newlywed husband said the same thing every morning. “You’re beautiful today.”

One glance in the mirror revealed that it was far from the truth.

A skinny girl with mashed hair on one side of her head and no makeup smiled back at me. I could feel my sticky morning breath.

“Liar,” I shot back with a grin.

It was my usual response. My mother’s first husband was not a kind man and his verbal and physical abuse forced her and her two children to find a safe place. He showed up on her doorstep one day with roses. She let him in and he beat her with those roses and took advantage of her. Nine months later she gave birth to a 9 lb. 13 oz. baby girl—me.

The harsh words we heard growing up took root. I had trouble seeing myself as someone of value. I had been married two years when I surprised myself. My husband wrapped his arms around me and told me I was beautiful.

“Thank you,” I said.

The same thin girl with the mousy brown hair still stared back at me in the mirror, but somehow the words had finally blossomed in my heart.

A lot of years have passed. My husband has grey in his hair. I’m no longer skinny. Last week I woke up and my husband's face was inches from mine.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

I covered my mouth, trying to hide my morning breath. He reached down and kissed my face.

“What I do every morning,” he said.

He leaves in the early hours of the morning while I sleep. I miss our morning conversations, but I had not realized that he continued to tell me that he loved me even while I slept. When he left, I rolled over and hugged my pillow. I envisaged the picture of me lightly snoring with my mouth open and giggled.

What a man! My husband understands my past. He’s been beside me as I’ve grown from an unsure young girl to a confident woman, mother, speaker and author.

But I’m not sure that he understands the part he played in that transition. The words I heard growing up pierced my soul, yet his words pierced even deeper.

This Anniversary Day I plan to wake early. I wants to tell Richard how much I love him. He may look in the mirror and see an extra pound or two, or wish for the day when his hair was dark and curly, but all I’ll see is the man who saw something in me when I couldn’t see it myself, and who leaves butterfly kisses, even after twenty-three years of marriage.“你今天真漂亮。”每天早晨，新婚的丈夫都会对我说这句话。

只要照一下镜子，我就会知道此话与事实相去甚远。

镜中的我很瘦的，笑吟吟地望着镜子。头发杂乱，没有化妆，而且我还感到自己早晨的口气并不清新。“骗人。”我大声地喊道，笑了。

我通常都是这样的反应。母亲的第一个丈夫很粗暴，他言语和肢体上的凌虐使母亲和她的两个孩子不得不离开，去寻找一个安全的地方。一天，这个男人拿着玫瑰花来到母亲家门前。进门后，他却用玫瑰花狠狠地殴打她，并占了她的便宜。9个月后，母亲生下一个重9英镑13盎司的女婴，那就是我。

从小到大，我所听到的那些刻薄言语逐渐在我心中扎了根，因此我很难把自己看成一个有用的人。结婚两年后，丈夫拥抱着我，说我很漂亮，对此，我感到很意外。

我说：“谢谢你。”

镜中凝视我的还是那个瘦瘦的、有着黑褐色头发的女孩，但不管怎样，那句温暖的话语最终在我心中开了花。

多年过去了，丈夫的头发已变得花白，我也不再那么瘦弱。上星期的一个早晨，醒来时我发现丈夫正与我脸对脸，我们靠得那么近，不过几英寸。

我问道：“你在干什么？”

我捂住嘴，不想让他闻到早晨我那并不清新的口气。他低下头吻了我的脸。“做我每天都做的事。”他回答说。

每天早晨我还在睡觉的时候，丈夫就要离开家，所以我们早晨根本没有时间交谈，可是我从不知道他每天早晨都会对我说他爱我，哪怕当时我还在熟睡之中。他走后，我打了个滚儿，抱着枕头，想象着自己张着嘴轻轻打鼾的样子，忍不住笑了。

这是一个怎样的男人啊！他了解我的过去，并一直陪在我身边，看着我从一个自卑的女孩成长为一个自信的女人、一位母亲，同时也是一位成功的演说家和作家。

然而，我并不知道他是否清楚自己在我这一系列的蜕变中所扮演的角色。从小到大，那些刻薄的话曾深深刺痛我的灵魂，而他的话对我的触动更大。

我打算今年的结婚纪念日早点起床，我想告诉理查德我有多爱他。他可能会在照镜子时，发现自己又重了一磅或两磅，或是希望某天他的头发重新变黑变卷；而我所看到的他，永远是那个能看透我、发现连我自己都无法看到的优点的人，那个甚至在结婚23年后每天依然给我轻轻的吻的人。

词汇笔记

newlywed ['nju:liwed] adj. 新婚的

He is newlywed.

他刚结婚。

harsh [hɑ:ʃ] adj. 粗糙的；刺耳的；严厉的；严酷的；刺目的

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

你们作丈夫的，要爱你们的妻子、不可虐待她们。

envisage [inˈvizidʒ] v. 想像；设想；展望

Nobody can envisage the consequences of total nuclear war.

没有人能够想像全面核战争的后果。

pierce [piəs] v. 刺入；刺穿；穿透

The knife did not pierce very deeply.

刀扎得不很深。

小试身手

那些刻薄的话曾深深刺痛我的灵魂，而他的话对我的触动更大。

只要照一下镜子，我就会知道此话与事实相去甚远。

短语家族

The harsh words we heard growing up took root.

Take root：扎根，生根

and took advantage of her.

take advantage of：利用

点滴使爱延续

The Best Kind of Love

安妮特·帕克斯曼·鲍思 / Annetle Paxman Bowen

I have a friend who is falling in love. She honestly claims the sky is bluer. Mozart moves her to tears. She has lost 15 pounds and looks like a cover girl.“I’m young again!” she shouts exuberantly.

As my friend raves on about her new love, I’ve taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows the signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home. When my friend asked me “What will make this love last?” I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication. Yet there’s more. We still have fun. Spontaneous good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled up newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first. Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together. And there are surprises. One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me to another note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a “pot of gold” (my cooking kettle) and the “treasure” of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow. There is understanding. I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And he understands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids—and even him-to meet my sisters for a few days of nonstop talking and laughing.There is sharing. Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens—we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction, he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I'd read it.

There is forgiveness. When I'm embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, “It’s okay. It’s only money.”

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year-old woman who’d had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman’s husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover? I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality. On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought; this is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor’s house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going. Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he’ll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I’ll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate. I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it’s just a familiar hue. We don’t feel particularly young: we’ve experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.

I hope we’ve got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott’s wedding band engraved with Robert Browning’s line “Grow old along with me!” We’re following those instructions.

我的一个朋友正处于热恋中，她幸福地坦言，恋爱时,天空似乎都变得更蓝了。莫扎特的音乐都能让她感动得流泪。恋爱使她轻了15磅，看起来像个封面女郎。“我又年轻了！”她兴奋地喊道。

在朋友对她的新欢赞不绝口时，我又重新审视我的旧爱。丈夫斯科特和我结婚快20年了，其间，他的体重增加了15磅，曾是马拉松选手的他，如今却只能从楼上跑到楼下的医院大厅。他的发际线不断后移，从他的体形可以看出，他经常超负荷地工作，并且甜食吃得太多。但约会时，餐桌对面的他仍能向我发出种种眼神，而我则心领神会，结账回家。 当朋友问我“是什么使你们的爱持续至今”时，我毫不犹豫地列举了一些显性因素：承诺、共同的兴趣爱好、无私、身体吸引力，再有就是沟通。当然，还有其他诸多因素。我们俩的相处至今仍是其乐融融，一些欢乐时光常常不期而至。昨天，斯科特把捆报纸的橡皮筋拉了下来，然后调皮地弹向我，一场“战争”由此拉开了帷幕；上周六在杂货店，我们把购物单一分为二，比赛看谁能先抢购完，到达收银台；即便是一起洗碗，我们也要嬉闹一番。只要在一起，我们就很开心。我们常会给对方带来惊喜。一次，我回到家，发现门上贴着一张小纸条，纸条指引我找到了另一张纸条，接着又是一张，最后，在纸条的指引下，我走到小储藏室，推开门，发现斯科特站在里面，手里捧着 “金罐子”（我的蒸煮锅），还拿着一个装着“财富”的大礼包。有时我也会把给他的纸条贴在镜子上，并偷偷地在他的枕头下藏一个小礼物。我们都理解对方。我理解他为什么一定要和老朋友出去打篮球。而他也理解我为什么每年都要离开他和孩子，去与姐妹们聚会，连续几天，无休止地聊天说笑。我们同甘共苦。我们不仅彼此分担家事的忧愁和身为父母的责任，而且也分享各自的见解。上个月，斯科特参加了一个会议，给我带回一本很厚的历史小说。虽然他比较喜欢惊怵和科幻小说，但他还是在飞机上把它读完了。他说自己这样做是为了在我读完后，能和我交流见解。听了这番话，我感动不已。

我们彼此谅解。当我在派对喧闹而胡闹时，斯科特原谅了我，而当他用我们的一点积蓄炒股赔了钱，并向我坦白时,我抱紧他，安慰道：“没关系，钱乃身外之物。”

我们心有灵犀。上周，他回家，一进门我便从他的神情看出，他今天过得很不开心。他逗孩子们玩了一会儿后，我问他怎么了。他告诉我,一个60岁的老太太得了中风。当回想到病人的丈夫站在床边爱抚她的手时，他哭了。他实在不忍心告诉病人的丈夫，与他共度了四十年的妻子可能永远都不能康复了！我的眼泪也不由自主地流了下来，为那可恶的病魔，为这世间还有维持40年的婚姻，也为丈夫这么多年来在医院目睹了无数垂死的病人后还能有如此的同情心，还能感动！

我们都有坚定的信念。上周四，一个朋友到我家来，向我诉说了她的忧虑，她担心丈夫会逐渐丧失与癌症抗争的勇气和信心。周三，我和一个朋友吃午饭，她正努力使离婚后的生活步入正轨。周四，一个邻居打电话告诉我，可怕的老年痴呆症正困扰着她公公。周五，小时候的一个玩伴打来长途电话，告诉我他父亲去世的噩耗。我放下电话，心想，一周内竟连续发生这么多令人揪心的悲剧。泪水模糊了我的双眼,我走出家门，想做点什么，却发现窗外橙色的剑兰花竟开了。儿子和伙伴们玩耍的欢声笑语传到我耳边，邻居正在举办婚宴，新娘子穿着缎面且镶有蕾丝花边的婚纱，正把花束抛向欢呼雀跃的朋友。那一夜，我把这一切都讲给了丈夫听。我们相互慰藉，人生轮回，悲欢离合总会伴随我们。我们将这样相濡以沫地生活下去。最后一个原因，我们互相了解。我知道斯科特每晚都会把换洗的衣服扔向洗衣篓，却总也扔不进去，我知道多数约会他都会迟到，因而会吃掉剩下的最后一块巧克力。他知道我睡觉时喜欢用枕头把头蒙起来，我时常忘带钥匙，进不了家门，而我也会吃掉最后一块巧克力。我猜想，或许是舒适的感觉让我们的爱延续至今。不，天空并没有变得更蓝，跟昨天的一样，它仍是我们熟悉的颜色；我们也不再有年轻的感觉；我们经历的太多了，而正是这些经历促使我们成长，让我们更理性；我们曾为此而付出过代价，也因此收获了更多的回忆。

我希望我们已经得到了使爱情延续的秘诀。结婚时，斯科特在我的戒指上刻上了罗伯特·布朗宁的诗词“陪我到老！”我们始终恪守这一誓言。

心灵小语

爱让我们永远拥有一颗年轻的心。

词汇笔记

rave [reiv] v. 胡言乱语；愤怒地说；咆哮；怒喊

Andrew raved all night in his fever.

安德鲁发烧时整夜地说胡话。

confess [kənˈfes] v. 承认；供认（错误或罪行）

The criminal soon confessed.

罪犯很快就供认了。

sensitivity [?sens??tiviti:ˌsensəˈtiviti:] n. 敏感；敏感度

Such is the sensitivity of the information that only two people

are allowed to know it.

这信息极为敏感，只允许两个人知道。

errand [ˈerənd] n. 差事

I have a few errands to do in the town.

我在城里有些差事要办。

小试身手

我们相互慰藉，人生轮回，悲欢离合总会伴随我们。我们将这样相濡以沫地生活下去。

我们经历的太多了，而正是这些经历促使我们成长，让我们更理性。我们曾为此而付出过代价，也因此收获了更多的回忆。

短语家族

I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor’s house.

catch sight of：一下子看到

We’ve experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.Contribute to：捐献；促成

执子之手，与子偕老

A Gentle Caress

达芙娜·勒南 / Daphna Renan

Michael and I hardly noticed when the waitress came and placed the plates on our table. We were seated in a small deli tucked away from the bustle of Third Street, in New York City.

Our exchange was lively, if not profound. We laughed about the movie that we had seen the night before and disagreed about the meaning behind the text we had just finished for our literature seminar. He told me about the moment when he had taken the drastic step into maturity by becoming Michael and refusing to respond to “Mickey”. Had he been twelve or fourteen? He couldn’t remember, but he did recall that his mother had cried and said he was growing up too quickly. As we bit into our blueberry blintzes, I told him about the blueberries that my sister and I used to pick when we went to visit our cousins in the country. I recalled that I always finished mine before we got back to the house, and my aunt would warn me that I was going to get a very bad stomachache. Of course, I never did.

As our sweet conversation continued, my eyes glanced across the restaurant, stopping at the small corner booth where an elderly couple sat. Her floral-print dress seemed as faded as the cushion on which she had rested her worn handbag, The top of his head was as shiny as the soft- boiled egg on which he very slowly nibbled.

She also ate her oatmeal at a slow, almost tedious pace.

But what drew my thoughts to them was their undisturbed silence. It seemed to me that a melancholy emptiness permeated their little corner.

As the exchange between Michael and me fluctuated from laughs to whispers, confessions to assessments, this couple’s poignant stillness called to me. How sad, I thought, not to have any thing left to say. Wasn't there any page that they hadn’t yet turned in each other's stories? What if that happened to us?

Michael and I paid our small tab and got up to leave the restaurant. As we walked by the corner where the old couple sat, I accidentally dropped my wallet. Bending over to pick it up, I noticed that under the table, each of their free hands was gently cradled in the other's. They had been holding hands all this time!

I stood up and felt humbled by the simple yet profound act of connection I had just been privileged to witness. This man’s gentle caress of his wife’s tired fingers filled not only what I had previously perceived as an emotionally empty corner, but also my heart. Theirs was not the uncomfortable silence whose threat one always feels just behind the punch line or at the end of an anecdote on the first date. No, theirs was a comfortable, relaxed ease, a gentle love that knew it did not always need words to express itself.

They had probably shared this hour of the morning with each other for a long time, and maybe today wasn’t that different from yesterday, but they were at peace with that, and with each other.

Maybe, I thought as Michael and I walked out, it wouldn’t be so bad if someday that was us. Maybe, it would be kind of nice.

我和迈克尔坐在离纽约市繁华的第三大道的一家小熟食店里，当服务员把盘子端到了我们桌上，我们几乎没注意到。

也许我们的交流算不上深刻，但却很生动。我们笑谈前晚看过的电影，对文学讨论课上文章中所表达的内在含义提出异议。他对我说，当他从少年步入成年之后，便拒绝别人再叫他“米奇”，成为真正的迈克尔时，是12岁还是14岁，他记不清了，但他的确记得母亲曾嚷着嫌他长得太快。我们开始吃蓝莓薄饼卷时，我把我和妹妹去乡下看表姐妹时摘蓝莓的故事讲给他听。记得我总是在回家前把我摘的那些都吃光，而姑姑总告诫我说，那样会肚子疼。当然，我肚子从来都没疼过。

我们的畅谈仍在继续，我环顾了一下餐馆，一对老年夫妇吸引了我的目光，他们坐在一个靠墙角的小餐桌旁。她的那条花裙子和她身后的椅垫一样褪了色，而她的旧手提包就放在椅垫上。老头有着光泽的头顶，就和他正细嚼慢咽的糖心蛋一样闪闪发亮。

她不紧不慢地喝着麦片粥，让人感到单调乏味。

他们不受外界干扰的静默吸引了我的注意。在我眼里，他们那个小小的角落被一种令人忧郁的空虚浸透了。

我和迈克尔继续交谈着，时而欢笑，时而低语，时而表白，时而品评，而我却被这对老夫妇透彻的静寂深深触动了。太可悲了，我想，难道真的无话可说了，难道彼此的故事里再也没有未敞开的新篇章了吗？倘若我们遇到这样的情景又会怎样呢？

我和迈克尔埋单后起身离开餐馆。我们经过老夫妇就坐的角落时，我的钱包刚好掉到地上。我弯下身去捡钱包，却发现他们的另一只手温柔地在餐桌下握在一起。他们的手始终这样握着！

我站起身，亲眼目睹的朴素而真挚的相依之情，不禁让我感到自惭形秽。老人温柔地爱抚妻子那疲惫的手指时所流露出的柔情，不仅填补了我曾以为是情感空白的角落，也充溢着我的内心。他们的静默并非那种初次约会时一句妙语或一段趣闻之后那种沉默。他们的沉默反而令人感到很惬意，是一种无需语言表达的温柔之爱。

或许，很长时间以来他们一直这样共同分享早上的时光，今天与昨天相比，并没有什么差别，可他们却用一种平和的心态对待一切，彼此以诚相待。

我与迈克尔走出餐馆时，我不禁想，或许有一天，我们也会这样，那未必是件坏事，兴许会是件好事。

词汇笔记

profound [prəˈfaund] adj. 深度的；深切的；深远的；巨大的

Give you my profound thanks for saving my life.

我对您的救命之恩深表谢意。

drastic ['dræstik] adj. 激烈的；猛烈的

His view raised drastic argument.

他的观点引起激烈的争论

melancholy [ˈmelənkəli] n. 忧郁；悲哀；伤悲

All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.

他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。

permeate [ˈpə:mieit] v. 弥漫, 遍布, 散布,渗透,扩散

The banquet was permeated with an atmosphere of

friendship.

宴会洋溢着友好的气氛。

小试身手

我和迈克尔继续交谈着，时而欢笑，时而低语，时而表白，时而品评，而我却被这对老夫妇透彻的静寂深深触动了。

老人温柔地爱抚妻子疲惫的手指时所流露出的柔情，不仅填补了我曾以为是情感空白的角落，也充溢着我的内心。

短语家族

This man’s gentle caress of his wife’s tired fingers filled not only what I had previously perceived as an emotionally empty corner, but also my heart.

not only...but also：不但……而且……

but they were at peace with that

at peace：处于和平状态

38年的美丽早餐

Just Two for Breakfast

玛里琳·迈尔斯·斯拉德 / Marilyn Myers Slade

When my husband and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversarg at our favorite restaurant, Lenny, the piano player, asked, “How did you do it?”

I knew there was no simple answer, but as the weekend approached, I wondered if one reason might be our ritual of breakfast in bed every Saturday and Sunday.

It all started with the breakfast tray my mother gave us as a wedding gift. It had a glass top and slatted wooden side pockets for the morning paper—the kind you used to see in the movies. Mother loved her movies, and although she rarely had breakfast in bed, she held high hopes for her daughter. My adoring bridegroom took the message to heart.

Feeling guilty, I suggested we take turns. Despite grumblings —“hate crumbs in my bed”—Sunday morning found my spouse eagerly awaiting his tray. Soon these weekend breakfasts became such a part of our lives that I never even thought about them. I only knew we treasured this separate, blissful time read, relax, forget the things we should remember.

Sifting through the years, I recalled how our weekends changed, but that we still preserved the ritual. We started our family (as new parents, we slept after breakfast more than we read), but we always found our way back to where we started, just two for breakfast, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

When we had more time, my tray became more festive. First it was fruit slices placed in geometric pattern; then came flowers from our garden—sometimes just one blossom sprouting from a grapefruit half. This arranger of mine had developed a flair for decorating, using everything from amaryllis to the buds of a maple tree. My husband said my cooking inspired him. Mother would have approved. Perhaps it was the Saturday when the big strawberry wore a daisy hat that I began to think, how can I top this? One dark winter night I woke with a vision of a snowman on a tray. That Sunday I scooped a handful of snow and in no time had my man made. With a flourish I put a miniature pinecone on his head.

As I delivered the tray, complete with a nicely frozen snowman, I waited for a reaction. There was none—but as I headed down the stairs I heard a whoop of laughter and then, “You’ve won! Yes, sir, you’ve won the prize!”

我和丈夫在我们最喜欢的一家餐馆里庆祝结婚38周年时，钢琴手莱尼走过来问道：“你们是如何让自己的婚姻历久弥新的呢？”

我知道，这个问题，只言片语是说不清楚的。然而，快到周末时，我开始思考这个问题，我想，或许其中一个原因就是，每逢周末，我们都在床上吃早餐。

我们结婚时，母亲送了我们一个早餐托盘作为结婚礼物。于是，我们周末在床上吃早餐的习惯由此开始了。盘面是玻璃做的，盘子两侧各有一个细长的木制侧袋，用来放晨报——就是过去常在电影中见到的那种。母亲很喜欢她那个时代的电影，虽然她很少在床上用早餐，却很希望女儿这样。深爱着我的新郎把母亲的这番话记在了心里。

婚后，一直都是丈夫准备早餐。我有些不好意思了，于是，我提议轮流准备早餐。虽然丈夫嘴上抱怨——“我讨厌床上有饭渣”——但我还是发现，每当星期天早上，他总是在床上急切地等着他的早餐。不久，这种周末早餐就成了我们生活的一部分，我也习以为常起来。我只知道，我们都很珍视这段有别于其它幸福时刻的时光——看看报、放松放松，暂时忘却其他杂事。

回想这些年来，我发现，我们的周末生活已经大变样，但这个老习惯却保留了下来。后来，我们有了小孩（初为父母时，早餐后，我们睡觉的时间远远多于看报的时间），但我们总能恢复之前的生活习惯——两个人的早餐，星期六一次，星期天一次。

当我们有更多的时间时，早餐托盘上的内容就变得富于喜庆色彩。最初只是以几何形状排列的水果片，后来就是从自家花园采摘的鲜花了——有时只采一朵，然后把它放在半个葡萄柚中。没想到这竟发展了我在装饰、点缀方面的天赋。不论什么东西，孤挺花也好，枫树的叶芽也罢，都成了我的装饰材料。丈夫说我做的早餐给他带来了许多灵感，我想，母亲也会赞同他的说法的。在那个星期六，当我看到丈夫将雏菊像帽子一样放在一个大草莓上时，我就想：我怎么才能超过他的这一创意呢？一个漆黑的冬夜，我从梦中醒来，眼前仿佛看到一个雪人站在托盘上。就在那个星期天，我铲来了一捧雪，并立刻做好了一个雪人。兴奋中，我一挥手把一枚小松果按在雪人头上了。

我把早餐端给丈夫，盘面上放着那个冻结实的小雪人。我等待着他的反应，但他一点反应也没有——而就在我下楼时，我听到他放声大笑起来，接着说道：“你赢了!这个奖非你莫属了!”

心灵小语

爱贵在持之以恒。

词汇笔记

despite [disˈpait] prep. 不管；尽管；任凭

Despite the fact that she is short, she is an excellent

basketball player.

尽管她个子矮，却是个出色的篮球运动员。

blissful ['blisful] adj. 充满喜悦的

Last summer, I had a blissful stay in Suzhou.

去年夏天，我在苏州有过快乐的停留。

Inspire [inˈspaiə] v. 赋予某人灵感；启迪

You inspired me by playing the piano so beautifully.

你弹奏的优美的钢琴曲激发了我的灵感。

whoop [hu:p] n. 大叫；呐喊

When the land was seen, the sailor let out a whoop of joy.

当看见陆地时，水手发出一声欢呼。

小试身手

我们都很珍视这段有别于其它幸福时刻的时光。

一个漆黑的冬夜，我从梦中醒来，眼前彷佛看到一个雪人站在托盘上。

短语家族

It had a glass top and slatted wooden side pockets for the morning paper—the kind you used to see in the movies.

Used to：曾经

Sifting through the years, I recalled how our weekends changed, but that we still preserved the rirual.

Sift through：被筛下；通过

你愿意和我约会吗？

Will You Go Out with Me?

佚名 / Anonymous

Every day I anxiously wait for you to get to class. I can’t wait for us to smile at each other and say good morning. Some days, when you arrive only seconds before the lecture begins, I’m incredibly impatient. Instead of reading the Daily Cal, I anticipate your footsteps from behind and listen for your voice. Today is one of your late days. But, I don’t mind, because after a month of desperately desiring to ask you out, today I’m going to. Encourage me, because letting you know I like you seems as risky to me as skydiving into the sea.

My roommate and her boyfriend were friends for four months before their chemistries clicked. They went to movies and meals and often got together with mutual friends. They alternated paying the dinner check. “He was like a girlfriend,” my roommate once laughed-blushing. Men and women relax and get to know each other more easily through such friendships. Another friend of mine believes that casual dating is improving people’s social lives. When she wants to let a guy know she is interested, she' ll say, “Hey, let’s go get a yogurt.”

John whipped out his wallet on our first date before I could suggest we go Dutch. During our after-dinner stroll he told me he was interested in dating me on a steady basis. After I explained I was more interested in a friendship, he told me he would have understood has I paid for my dinner. “I’ve practically stopped treating women on dates,” he said defensively. “It’s safer and more comfortable when we each pay for ourselves.” John has assumed that because I graciously accepted his treat, I was in love. He was mad at himself for treating me, and I regretted allowing him to.

Larry, on the other hand, blushed when I offered to pay for my meal on our first date. I unzipped my purse and flung out my wallet, and he looked at me as if I had addressed him in a foreign language. Hesitant, I asked politely, “How much do I owe you?” Larry muttered, “Uh, uh, you really don’t owe me anything, but if you insist...”

Insist, I thought, I only offered. To Larry, my gesture was a suggestion of rejection.

Sliding into his desk, he taps my shoulder and says, “Hi, Laura, what’s up?”

“Good morning,” I answer with nervous chills, “Hey, how would you like to have lunch after class on Friday?”

“You mean after the midterm?” he says encouragingly. “I’d love to go to lunch with you.” “We have a date.” I smile.

每天，我都急切地等待你来上课，迫不及待地想和你相视一笑，互问早安。有些日子，我变得极其烦躁，只因为你在上课前几秒钟才走进教室。我期盼背后传来你的脚步声，期盼听到你的声音，表面上却假装看《加州日报》。你今天又迟到了，然而，我并不介意。因为，这一个月来，我一直渴望与你约会，今天，我将要实现这个愿望。鼓励我吧，因为让你知道我喜欢你，需要像从高空跳伞落入大海一样的勇气。

我的室友和她的男友在坠入情网之前，做了四个月的普通朋友。他们一起看电影，一起吃饭，并且经常与都认识的朋友聚会。吃饭时，他们轮流买单。有一次，我的室友说：“他就像一个女性朋友。”说这话时，她笑得脸都涨红了。在这种友谊关系之下，男人和女人都会感觉很轻松，并且能够更容易地了解彼此。我的另一个朋友认为，人们的社交生活正在因随意的约会而得到改进。当想让一个小伙子知道她对他有好感时，她就会说：“嘿，我们一起去喝酸奶吧。”

与约翰第一次约会的时候，我还没来得及提议AA制，他就突然掏出钱包付了账。晚饭后散步时，他告诉我想与我建立稳定的约会关系。我向他解释道，我更想与他做普通朋友，他说，要是买单时我坚持付自己的那份，他就会明白我的意思。他辩解道：“我现在与女人约会时，已经不会给她们买单了，各付各的会更加稳妥和舒服。”约翰认为我爱上他了，因为我欣然接受了他的请客。他因为给我买单而埋怨自己，我也很后悔接受了他的请客。

然而，与拉里第一次约会时，当我提出自己买单时，他的脸涨红了。当我拉开手提包掏出钱包时，他看着我，就好像我用外语跟他说了什么似的。我犹豫了一下，礼貌地问他：“我应该付多少钱给你？” 拉里不好意思地说：“嗯，嗯，其实你不用付钱给我，但是，如果你坚持……”

坚持？我想了想。我只是提出AA制而已。可对拉里而言，这是在暗示我拒绝他。

他溜到了自己的座位，在我的肩膀上轻拍了一下，说：“早，劳拉，在干什么呢？”

我猛地回过神来，紧张地答道：“嘿，早上好，周五下课后愿意和我一起吃午饭吗？”

他兴奋地说：“你是说期中考试之后吗？我很愿意与你共进午餐。”

我微笑着说：“那我们就这样说定了。”

心灵小语

爱和被爱都是上天赐给人类最美好的礼物，有的人一生也没有找到这笔财富，有的人找到了，却又失去了。那还犹豫什么？让我们勇敢地面对爱情吧，同时鼓励那个爱你的人，接受你的邀请和心意，给两个寻求爱情的人一个相爱的机会吧。

词汇笔记

词汇笔记

incredibly [in'kredəbli] adv. 难以置信地；非常地

Working on an assembly line can be incredibly boring and tiring.

装配线的工作通常会极端无聊而累人。

stroll [strəul] n. 闲逛；漫步

What about a stroll for us too?

要不我们也去溜达溜达？

unzip [͵ʌn'zip] v. 拉开拉链

The little boy unzipped his jacket.

这个小男孩拉开夹克衫的拉链。

mutter ['mʌtə] v. 喃喃自语；作低沉声

We live only to mutter.

我们只是在低语。

小试身手

鼓励我吧，因为让你知道我喜欢你，需要像从高空跳伞落入大海一样的勇气。

我的室友和她的男友在坠入情网之前，做了四个月的普通朋友。

与约翰第一次约会的时候，我还没来得及提议AA制，他就突然掏出钱包付了账。

短语家族

Instead of reading the Daily Cal.

instead of：代替；不是……而是……

John whipped out his wallet on our first date before I could suggest we go Dutch.

go Dutch：平摊费用；各付各的账

滑向永远的爱情

Roller Romance

佚名 / Anonymous

In the spring of 1980, I had been following one particular guy around school for a month. I just did not have the nerve to go up and talk to him. An embarrassing situation, from that winter, truly prevented me from approaching him.

He had been a starter for the junior varsity basketball team and I was a cheerleader, I had many opportunities to see this gorgeous guy in action. That is, if I wore my glasses. You see, I am as blind as a bat and was too vain to wear them.

As Terry sank a half court shot at the last second, this extremely near-sighted cheerleader, misidentified the hero and began cheering for the wrong guy. As the crowd started chuckling, my face turned crimson as Terry walked by me to get to the locker room. Months later, he only knew me as the dingy cheerleader who could not even get his name right when he hit a great shot!

However, my best friend attended church with Terry. Shirley decided to play matchmaker. She not only invited me to a church-sponsored skating party, but also literally pushed me in his parent’s car to ride to the skating rink. Although the skating rink was 15 miles away, very few words were spoken. As I sank down in that backseat, I just wanted to keep sinking. This had truly been a huge mistake.

After we arrived at the skating rink, things did not get any better. Each couple skate I hoped and prayed that Terry would ask me. He didn’t! After about 3 couple skates, I decided enough was enough! So I took turns skating with his 2 best friends. As the last call for a couple skate came over the rink’s loud speakers, Terry finally skated somewhat awkwardly and stood beside the rails with me.

“I guess you wonder why I have not asked you to couple skate?” were his first words to me. Trying ever so hard not to look in those big beautiful brown eyes that made me melt, I answered nonchalantly and dishonestly, “No, not really.”

This guy not only ignored my tart reply, but would also win my heart with the following reply. Casting those beautiful eyes down at his skates, he humbly remarked, “I didn’t ask because I do not skate very well. If you are not afraid that I will make you fall, would you please skate with me?” This time I did look into those eyes and did melt.

As we skated hand in hand to Always and Forever, I knew my life would never be the same. I never knew a guy that actually would admit any of his faults, let alone worry about a girl to boot! I had first been attracted to his beauty on the outside (who wouldn’t notice those beautiful brown eyes), but it would be his beautiful heart that made me realize how truly special he was.

I had actually found my Prince Charming.

Even though he was not riding on a handsome steed (but rented roller skates), he made me feel like Cinderella at the ball as we skated around the rink. I clung tightly to his hand—not because I was afraid of midnight—but to help keep him from falling.

When I look at our wedding pictures, my favorite is walking down the aisle as husband and wife. Most couples walk down the aisle with the bride’s hand tucked neatly in the crook of her husband’s arm. Not us! We walked down the aisle, after being pronounced man and wife, just like we had done 7 years before at that skating rink—hand-in-hand with the promise of helping keep the other one from falling.

Our children love to hear the story of how their dad did not know how to skate and asked me to hold his hand to help us keep from tumbling. But it had already been too late for their mother. Only after one look into those eyes, she had fallen—fallen in love with Prince Champing.

1980年春天，我在学校追随一个男孩已经整整一个月了，我只是没有勇气走到他的面前和他交谈。前一年冬天发生了那样令人尴尬的事情，我就更没有勇气接近他了。

当时，他是三年级篮球校队的首发队员，而我是拉拉队的队长，所以我有许多机会观看这个英俊的男孩打球。只是，我得戴上眼镜，要知道，我的视力很差，就像蝙蝠一样瞎，然而我太虚荣了，不愿意佩戴眼镜。

特里在最后一秒投篮命中半场球，我这个视力差到极点的拉拉队队长却把人认错了，并开始为另一个家伙欢呼喝彩。在场的观众都开始低声轻笑，我的脸涨得通红。这时，特里从我身旁走了过去，进了更衣室。过了几个月，他对我的了解仅仅是那个在他投了好球，却把他的名字弄错的糟糕的拉拉队队长。

然而，我最好的朋友常常和特里一起去教堂做礼拜。雪莉决定充当媒人。她不但邀请我去参加教堂组织的一个溜冰派对，而且，她将我推进了特里父母的车里，接着车便向溜冰场开去。尽管溜冰场距离这里有15英里远，然而在路上我们都没说几句话。一路上，我坐在车的后排，真想钻进座位底下去，这真是一个天大的错误。

即使是我们到达溜冰场以后，交往还是没有什么起色。每当有双人滑的时候，我都在心里盼望并祈求特里会过来邀请我。然而，事与愿违！经过了三场双人滑，我已经忍无可忍了！因此，我和他的两个最好的朋友轮流滑着。在溜冰场的喇叭响起最后一轮双人滑的通告时，特里终于动作笨拙地溜到栏杆旁，与我站在了一起。“我猜，你正在想我为什么没有邀请你和我一起双人滑。”这是他对我说的第一句话，我竭力试着不去看他的大眼睛，那双可以将我融化的美丽的棕色眼睛。我装得很冷淡，还对他撒了谎：“不，我并没有这么想。”

他非但没把我刻薄的回答放在心上，还用下面这些话俘虏了我的心。他用他那双漂亮的眼睛盯着自己的溜冰鞋，很谦虚地说道：“我之所以没有邀请你，是因为我滑得不好。假如你不担心我会让你摔倒在地，你是否愿意和我一起滑呢？”这一回，我看着那双眼睛，真的被他融化了。

就在我们手牵手在《直到永远》的歌曲声中滑行的时候，我知道我的生活将从这一刻改变。我从未见过一个会承认自己缺点的男孩，更别说还为一个女孩担心了。最初，我仅仅是着迷于他英俊的外表（哪个人不会注意到那双漂亮的棕色眼睛呢），然而，还是他美丽的心灵让我知道他是多么特别。

最终，我找到了自己的白马王子。

纵然他并未骑着骏马（只是租来的溜冰鞋），然而，在我们绕着溜冰场滑行的时候，他让我觉得我就是舞会上的灰姑娘。我紧紧地拉着他的手——并不是因为对午夜的惧怕——而是为了帮助他，不让他摔倒。

看着我们的结婚照片，我最钟爱的一张是夫妻两人沿着教堂过道朝前走的场景。大多数情况下，都是妻子优雅地用手挽着丈夫的胳膊一起从过道走过。可我们不是这样！在宣布成为夫妻之后，我们走过过道，仿佛七年前我们在溜冰场那样——手牵着手，许下诺言不让对方摔倒。

我们的孩子们喜欢听他们的爸爸不知道怎么滑冰，让我牵着他的手以防两个人摔倒的故事。然而那个时候，对他们的妈妈来讲为时已晚。那双眼睛她只看了一眼，就已经深陷其中，坠入了与白马王子的爱河之中。

心灵小语

美好的事物是值得争取的，从一个地方向他走近，再走近，然后微笑着紧紧地牵住对方的手，就是牵起了生命的快乐、忧伤和依托。

词汇笔记

embarrassing [im'bærəsiŋ] adj. 令人为难的；使人尴尬的

The most embarrassing thing for women is to find another woman

wearing the same dress at a formal party.

最让女人尴尬的是，在一个正式的聚会上发现另一个女人穿着和自己相同的衣服。

chuckle ['tʃʌkl] v. 咯咯地笑；轻声地笑

In the carriage going back to their hotel, Peter started to chuckle.

坐在返回旅馆的车厢里，彼得开始咯咯地笑起来。

nonchalantly ['nɔnʃələntli] adv. 冷淡地；不激动地；平静地

Linda answered nonchalantly, " Because I only like the jam on top."

琳达冷淡地说：“因为我只爱吃上面的酱啊。”

tart [tɑ:t] adj. 酸的；锋利的；尖刻的

That was a tart answer.

那是个尖刻的回答。

小试身手

我的视力很差，就像蝙蝠一样瞎，然而我太虚荣了，不愿意佩戴眼镜。

大多数情况下，都是妻子优雅地用手挽着丈夫的胳膊一起从过道

试读结束[说明：试读内容隐藏了图片]

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