作者：（美）弗罗伊德·戴尔 等著 张白桦 译
出版社：中国国际广播出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
生命中一直在等待的那一天(中英双语)试读：
自序
微型小说，又名小小说，今天已经成长为一个独立的文体。作为小说“四大家族”之一，微型小说进入“蒲松龄文学奖”和“鲁迅文学奖”的视野，成为当代受众范围最广的纯文学样式。这一成就的取得，与当代外国微型小说的汉译有着直接的关系。对此，我在《当代外国微型小说汉译的翻译文学意义》的论文中有过详尽的阐述。具体说来，这种新型的、活力四射的文学样式的引进，推动了中国当代主流文学重归文学性，重塑了当代主流诗学，提高了文学的地位，从而创造了民族文学史、国别文学史上的“神话”，具有翻译文学意义。
微型小说翻译对于我来说，好像“量身定制”一般。20世纪80年代初，微型小说在中国横空出世，这种简约而不简单的文体非常适合我的审美取向和性格特征，而翻译则可以调动起我全部的知识和双语语言积累。从1987年我发表的第一篇微型小说译作《他活着还是死了》，到2004年的《我是怎样把心丢了的》，这十七年间，我完成的微型小说翻译总计约350万字。
我的微型小说创作有三种：第一种是母语原创，如《白衣女郎》。第二种是汉译英，如在加拿大出版的《中国微型小说精选》（凌鼎年卷），这是中国第一部英译微型小说自选集，我曾参与翻译。第三种是英译汉，这一种类所占比重最大。代表作有《爱旅无涯》《仇家》《爱你至深》等。
我翻译时的期待视野定位在青年身上，目的是做文化、文学的“媒”，因此更愿意贴近读者，特别是青年读者，觉得“大家好才是真的好”。在翻译策略上以归化为主，异化为辅；在翻译方法上以意译为主，直译为辅；在翻译方式上以全译为主，节译为辅；在翻译风格上以时代性为特色，笃信“一代人有一代人的翻译”之说。
所幸这样的取向还是与读者和社会的需求相契合的，因而产生了一定的社会效益。首译都会发表在国内的百强、十佳报刊，如《读者》《中外期刊文萃》《微型小说选刊》《小小说选刊》《青年参考》《文学故事报》等。常见的情况是，在这样的权威报刊发表后，随即就会呈现“凡有井水处，即能歌柳词”的景观，如《爱你至深》发表的二十年间就被转载60余次。
转载不仅限于报刊之间，数十种权威专辑和选本的纸质版也有收录，如《21世纪中国文学大系翻译文学》、《外国微型小说三百篇》、《世界微型小说经典》（8卷）、《世界微型小说名家名作百年经典》（10卷）；电子版图书如《小小说的盛宴书系：别人的女郎》《诺贝尔文学奖获奖作家微型小说精选》等；网上资源如读秀、百链期刊、龙源期刊网等。
此外，众所周知，微型小说历来是中考、高考、四六级的语文和英语考试的听力、阅读理解、翻译、作文的模拟试题和真题材料。微型小说还是影视短剧、喜剧、小品的改编材料。
当然，还有社会影响。第一，多次荣获国家级奖项。1998年《爱旅无涯》获《中国青年报·青年参考》最受读者喜爱的翻译文学作品，2010年当选小小说存档作家，2002年“英汉经典阅读”系列获上海外国语大学学术文化节科研成果奖，2002年当选当代微型小说百家，2002年《译作》当选全国第四次微型小说续写大赛竞赛原作。第二，受到知名评论家张锦贻、陈勇等关注和评论达10余次。第三，曾受邀参加中央电视台、内蒙古电视台及电台、中国作家网的人物专访。第四，个人传记入选美国与捷克出版的《华文微型小说微自传》《中国当代微型小说百家论续集》《世界微型小说百家传论》。第五，因为翻译而收到来自世界各地、各行各业的读者来信、电话、邮件不计其数。
虽然近年我转向长篇小说的翻译，并以《老人与海》《房龙地理》《鹿出没》等再次获得读者的青睐，然而对于我来说，那些年，绞尽脑汁一字一句地写在稿纸上，满怀希冀地一封一封地把译稿投进邮筒，忐忑不安地在报亭、邮局一本一本地翻找自己的译作，欢天喜地买几本回家，进门就问女儿“Can you guess？”等她的固定答案“妈妈又发了！”都是我生命中一个一个的定格瞬间。微型小说翻译是我的“初心”，而唯有“初心”是不能辜负的。因此，我于2015年开办了以我的微型小说翻译为内容的自媒体——微型公众号“白桦译林”，收获了大量读者和转载，更促成了“译趣坊?世界微型小说精选”系列的陆续出版。
谨以此书感谢多年来扶持过我的报刊编辑老师，以及多年来一直乐于阅读我的微型小说的读者和学生。
一条毛毯
弗罗伊德·戴尔
彼得不相信爸爸真的会做这件事——把爷爷送走。“走”，他们就是这么说的，直到现在彼得都不相信这出自父亲的口。
可是，给爷爷买的毛毯就放在这里，明早爷爷就得离开，这是彼得和爷爷在一起的最后一个晚上了。爸爸去见那个他要迎娶的女孩了，要到很晚才能回来，所以，彼得和爷爷要晚点儿睡，说说话。
这是一个晴朗的九月的夜晚，银色的月亮高高地挂在天空上。洗完碗碟，爷孙搬出椅子走出屋子，坐在月光下。“我去拿口琴来给你吹几支老曲子。”爷爷说。
一会儿，爷爷从屋里出来了，拿来的不是口琴，而是那条黑红条纹的双人大毛毯。“嗯，这毛毯多好啊！”老人轻轻地抚摸着膝头的毛毯说，“你爸真是孝顺啊，给我这老家伙带这么高级的毛毯走。你看这毛，一定很贵的，这么好的毛毯不会有几条。”
爷爷总这么说，他是为了避免难堪，他一直装着很想去政府办的养老院——那幢砖砌的大楼的样子，想象着，去那个地方与那么多老人一起共度晚年，拥有最好的一切……可彼得从没想到爸爸真会把爷爷送走，直到今晚看到爸爸带回这条毛毯。“是条好毛毯。”彼得搭讪着走进小屋。他不是个爱哭鼻子的孩子，况且，他早已过了好哭鼻子的年龄了。他是进屋给爷爷拿口琴的。
爷爷站起来接口琴的时候毛毯滑落到地板上。爷爷吹了一会儿，然后说道，“你会记住这支曲子的。”
彼得呆呆地坐着，望着外面的溪谷。爸爸要迎娶那个姑娘了。是的，那个姑娘亲过彼得了，对彼得百般宠爱，还发誓说要做个好后妈什么的……
爷爷突然停下来，说道，“你爸要娶的姑娘不错。有个这么漂亮的妻子他会感觉又有了第二春。我这样的老头又何必在这碍事呢？我老了，七病八痛的，招人嫌呢。不，不！还是走为上策呀！好，再吹两支曲子我们就上床睡觉，我明天早晨再收拾毛毯。”
他们没有听到有两个人正沿着小路走来，爸爸拥着那个姑娘，姑娘容光焕发，脸蛋儿好像瓷娃娃。直到走进门廊，爷孙俩才听到她的笑声，琴声戛然而止。爸爸一声没吭，姑娘走到爷爷跟前得体地说道：“明天早晨不能来送您，我现在来跟您告别的。”“谢谢了，”爷爷眼睛低垂着说道。接着，爷爷看到了脚边的毛毯，弯腰拾了起来，“你看，”爷爷说道，“这是儿子送我的离别礼物。多好的毛毯！”“是不错。”她摸了一下毛毯，“好高级呀！”她惊讶地重复道，“我得承认——这确实是一条高级毛毯！”她转向爸爸，冷冷地说，“一定花了不少钱吧？”
爸爸清了清嗓子，说道，“我想给他一条最好的……”“还是双人的呢。”姑娘说道，似乎是在责备爸爸。“是的，”老人说，“是条双人毛毯。一条一个老家伙即将带走的毛毯。”
彼得突然转身跑进了屋。他听到那姑娘还在责备爸爸，她回过味儿来了，这条毛毯花费了爸爸——她多少钱，都花在这条毛毯上了。爸爸开始慢慢动怒，姑娘突然怒气冲冲地拔腿就走了……
彼得出屋时她正回头冲爸爸喊，“解释也没用，他根本用不着双人毛毯。”她沿着那条小路跑了。
爸爸看着她，好像是不知所措的样子。“哦，她说得对，”彼得说，“爸爸，给！”——彼得递给爸爸一把剪刀，“把毛毯剪成两块。”
爷爷和爸爸都盯着彼得看。“爸爸，我跟你说，把毛毯剪成两块，留下一块。”“好主意，”爷爷温和地说，“我用不着这么大的毛毯。”“是的，”彼得厉声说道，“老人家送走时给条单人毛毯就不错了。我们还能留下一半，以后迟早总有用处。”“你这是什么意思？”爸爸问。“我是说，”彼得慢腾腾地说，“等你老了，我送你走时给你这一半。”
大家都沉默了。好半天，爸爸走到爷爷面前呆呆地站着，没有一句话。爷爷把手放到他儿子的肩上低声说道：“没关系，孩子，我知道你不是这么想的……”这时，彼得哭了。
但没什么，因为爷爷、爸爸都哭了……
The Blanket
By Floyd Dell
Peter hadn’t really believed that Dad would be doing it— sending Granddad away.“Away”was what they were calling it. Not until now could he believe it of his father.
But here was the blanket that Dad had bought for Granddad，and in the morning he’d be going away. This was the last evening they’d be having together. Dad was off seeing that girl he was to marry. He would not be back till late，so Peter and Granddad could sit up and talk.
It was a fine September night，with a silver moon riding high. They washed up the supper dishes and then took their chairs out onto the porch.“I’ll get my fiddle，”said the old man，“and play you some of the old tunes.”
But instead of the fiddle he brought out the blanket. It was a big double blanket，red with black stripes.
“Now，isn’t that a fine blanket！”said the old man，smoothing it over his knees. “And isn’t your father a kind man to be giving the old fellow a blanket like that to go away with？It cost something，it did—look at the wool of it！There’ll be few blankets there the equal of this one！”
It was like Granddad to be saying that. He was trying to make it easier. He had pretended all along that he wanted to go away to the great brick building—the government place. There he’d be with so many other old fellows，having the best of everything…But Peter hadn’t believed Dad would really do it，not until this night when he brought home the blanket.
“Oh，yes，it’s a fine blanket，”said Peter. He got up and went into the house. He wasn’t the kind to cry and，besides，he was too old for that. He’d just gone in to fetch Granddad’s fiddle.
The blanket slid to the floor as the old man took the fiddle and stood up. He tuned up for a minute，and then said，“This is one you’ll like to remember.”
Peter sat and looked out over the gully. Dad would marry that girl. Yes，that girl who had kissed Peter and fussed over him，saying she’d try to be a good mother to him，and all…
The tune stopped suddenly. Granddad said，“It’s a fine girl your father’s going to marry. He’ll be feeling young again with a pretty wife like that. And what would an old fellow like me be doing around their house，getting in the way？An old nuisance，what with my talks of aches and pains. It’s best that I go away，like I’m doing. One more tune or two，and then we’ll be going to sleep. I’ll pack up my blanket in the morning.”
They didn’t hear the two people coming down the path. Dad had one arm around the girl，whose bright face was like a doll’s. But they heard her when she laughed，right close by the porch. Dad didn’t say anything，but the girl came forward and spoke to Granddad prettily：“I won’t be here when you leave in the morning，so I came over to say good-bye.”
“It’s kind of you，”said Granddad，with his eyes cast down. Then，seeing the blanket at his feet，he stooped to pick it up. “And will you look at this，”he said.“The fine blanket my son has given me to go away with.”
“Yes，”she said.“It’s a fine blanket.”She felt the wool and repeated in surprise，“A fine blanket—I’ll say it is！”She turned to Dad and said to him coldly，“That blanket really cost something.”
Dad cleared his throat and said，“I wanted him to have the best…”
“It’s double，too，”she said，as if accusing Dad.
“Yes，”said Granddad，“it’s double—a fine blanket for an old fellow to be going away with.”
The boy went suddenly into the house. He was looking for something. He could hear that girl scolding Dad. She realized how much of Dad’s money—her money，really—had gone for the blanket. Dad became angry in his slow way. And now she was suddenly going away in a huff…
As Peter came out，she turned and called back，“All the same，he doesn’t need a double blanket！”And she ran off up the path.
Dad was looking after her as if he wasn’t sure what he ought to do.
“Oh，she’s right，”Peter said.“Here，Dad！”—and he held out a pair of scissors.“Cut the blanket in two.”
Both of them stared at the boy，startled.“Cut it in two，I tell you，Dad！”he cried out.“And keep the other half.”
“That’s not a bad idea，”said Granddad gently.“I don’t need so much of a blanket.”
“Yes，”the boy said harshly，“a single blanket’s enough for an old man when he’s sent away. We’ll save the other half，Dad. It’ll come in handy later.”
“Now what do you mean by that？”asked Dad.
“I mean，”said the boy slowly，“that I’ll give it to you，Dad—when you’re old and I’m sending you—away.”
There was a silence. Then Dad went over to Granddad and stood before him，not speaking. But Granddad understood. He put out a hand and laid it on Dad’s shoulder. And he heard Granddad whisper，“It’s all right，son. I knew you didn’t mean it…”And then Peter cried.
But it didn’t matter—because they were all crying together.
谁给了我耳朵
“我可以看看我的宝宝吗？”初为人母的她开心地问道。当裹着的婴儿放到她臂弯里，她掀开裹着婴儿的布，在看到他的小脸时，不由地倒吸了一口气。医生快速地转过身，透过医院的高高的窗户向外看去。婴儿生下来就没有耳朵。
时间证明，婴儿虽然没长耳朵，听力却完全没有问题，只是有损他的形象。一天，当他匆匆从学校跑回家，扑进母亲的怀里时，她幽幽长叹，意识到他的生命历程中注定会有一连串的伤心。
他将遭到的不幸脱口而出：“一个男孩，一个大个子男孩……他叫我怪胎。”
他已经长大了，虽然不幸没有了耳朵，长得还是挺帅的，同学们很喜欢他，若不是因为没有耳朵，他很可能都能当上班长。他对文学和音乐很有天赋，后天发展得也很好。“可是你可以跟其他年轻人一样的。”母亲责备道，却是语重心长的。
男孩的父亲与家庭医生商量……“难道就无计可施了吗？”“如果能够找到的话，我认为可以移植一双外耳。”医生做了决定，于是他们开始寻求一个愿意为这个年轻人做出牺牲的人。
两年过去了。父亲对儿子说道，“孩子，你要住院了。我和你妈找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了，不过捐献人要求保密。”
手术获得了巨大成功，一个新人诞生了。他的潜能得到充分发展，在中学和大学都取得了一系列的成功。
后来，他结了婚，进入外交部门。一天，他问父亲：“可是我一定要知道，是谁给我捐献的耳朵？谁给予了我这么多？我永远都无法报答他的恩情。”“我也认为你无法报答，”父亲说，“但是协议上说不让你知道……还不到时候。”
数年来，他们严格保守着这个埋藏得很深的秘密，但是真相大白这一天终于还是来了，这也是儿子度过的最黑暗的日子。他和父亲站在母亲的棺材前，父亲慢慢地、轻柔地，向前伸出一只手，掀开母亲浓密的、红褐色的头发：母亲竟然没有外耳！“你母亲说过她很高兴，她从不理发，”父亲轻柔地低声说，“但没人觉得母亲不如以前美丽，是吧？”
Who Gave Me the Ears
“Can I see my baby？”the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face，she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother’s arms，she sighed，knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
He blurted out the tragedy.“A boy，a big boy…called me a freak.”
He grew up，handsome except for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students，he might have been class president，but for that. He developed a gift，a talent for literature and music.
“But you might mingle with other young people，”his mother reproved him，but felt a kindness in her heart.
The boy’s father had a session with the family physician… “Could nothing be done？”
“I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears，if they could be procured，”the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.
Two years went by. Then，“You’re going to the hospital，son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.”said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success，and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius，and school and college became a series of triumphs.
Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.“But I must know，”he asked his father，“Who gave me the ears？Who gave me so much？I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could，”said the father，“but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet.”
The years kept their profound secret，but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever passed through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly，tenderly，the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick，reddish brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently，“and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful，did they？”
别人与母亲
A. R.韦尔斯
我们吵闹，别人避之不及心生厌，
母亲爱子嬉戏乐相伴。
我们摔倒，别人责骂响耳畔，
母亲以吻止泪暖心田。
别人工作全凭耐心一片，
母亲日夜操劳不知疲倦。
别人的爱忽多忽少，
母亲的爱有增无减。
别人的原谅尚留怨，
母亲的宽恕到永远。
别人翻旧账报宿怨，
母亲的账清零金不换。
别人对我们疑神疑鬼，
母亲对我们的笃信未曾断。
别人的信仰弃之敝屣，
母亲的祷告一遍又一遍。
Mothers and Others
By A. R.Wells
Others weary of the noise，
Mothers play with girls and boys.
Others scold because we fell，
Mother’s kiss and make it well.
Others work with patient will，
Mothers labor later still.
Others’ love is more or less，
Mothers love with steadiness.
Others pardon，hating yet，
Mothers pardon and forget.
Others keep the ancient score，
Mothers never shut the door.
Others grow incredulous，
Mothers still believe in us.
Others throw their faith away，
Mothers pray，and pray，and pray.
心若在
有一个老人住在明尼苏达州，他想把自己土豆园的地翻一翻，可是却很困难，因为能帮上他忙的独生子，此时却在监狱服刑。老人给监狱里的儿子写信提到了这个情况。
亲爱的儿子，
一想到今年不能种土豆了，我就感觉很不好。我不愿意错过翻地时间，因为你妈妈一直喜欢播种时节。我年老体弱，翻不动地了，要是你在的话，我的麻烦就没有了，我知道，你现在要是不在监狱的话，你会给我翻地的。
爱你的，
爸爸
很快，老人就接到了一封电报：“爸爸，看在上帝的分儿上，不要挖菜园！我把枪埋在菜园里啦！”
次日清晨，十二个联邦调查局的特工和当地警察局的官员出现了，他们把整个菜园的地翻了个遍，也没有找到枪支。
老人大惑不解，于是给儿子又写了封短信，告诉儿子所发生的一切，问儿子下一步怎么办。
他儿子的回答是：“去种你的土豆吧，爸爸。我在这里能为你做的也就只有这些了。”
不论你在天涯海角，只要你下定决心要做内心最想做的事，你就一定可以做得到。重要的是你的心怎么想，而非你是什么身份或者身在何方。
Will Power
An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden，but it was very hard. His only son，who would have helped him，was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation.
Dear son，
I am feeling pretty bad because it seems I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden，because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here，all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me，if you weren’t in prison.
Love，
Dad
Shortly，the old man received a telegram： “For Heaven’s sake，Dad，don’t dig up the garden！That’s where I buried the GUNS！”
The next morning，a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.
Confused，the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened，and asked him what to do next.
His son’s reply was： “Go ahead and plant your potatoes，Dad. It’s the best I could do for you from here.”
No matter where you are in the world，if you have decided to do something deep from you heart，you can do it. It is the thought that matters，not where you are or where the person is.
母亲写给世界的信
亲爱的世界：
我的儿子今天就要开始上学读书了。
一时之间，他会感觉陌生而又新鲜。我希望你能够对他温柔一些。
你也是知道的，到现在为止，他一直是家中的小皇帝。
一直是后院的大王。
我一直与他寸步不离，忙着为他治疗伤口，抚慰他的种种情绪。
而现在——一切都将截然不同了。
今天清晨，他就要走下前门的楼梯，冲我挥手，然后开始他的伟大的历险，这一历险可能包括战争、悲剧和痛苦。
既然活在这个世上，他就需要信念、爱心和勇气。
所以，世界啊，我希望你能够时不时握住他稚嫩的小手，教会他应当掌握的种种本领。
教育他吧——可是，如果可能的话，温柔一些。
教他知道，恶棍出现的地方，必有英雄同在；奸诈的政客出现的地方，必有献身义士同在；敌人出现的地方，必有朋友同在。
教他感受书籍的神奇魅力。
给他时间，让他静思大自然永恒的奥秘：空中的飞鸟，阳光里的蜜蜂，青山上的繁花。
教给他，失败远比欺骗光荣。
教他对自己的信念坚信不疑，哪怕大家都说是错的。
教他可以最高价出售自己的体力和脑力，但绝不可出卖良心和灵魂。
教他对众生喧哗置若罔闻……并在自己确信该出手时挺身而出。
温柔地教导他吧，世界，但是不要溺爱他，因为烈火出好钢。
这是一个大单，世界，但是请你竭尽全力。
他是一个这么可爱的小家伙。
A Special Letter
Dear World，
My son starts school today.
It’s going to be strange and new to him for a while，and I wish you would sort of treat him gently.
You see，up to now，he’s been king of the roost.
He’s been boss of the backyard.
I have always been around to repair his wounds，and to soothe his feelings.
But now—things are going to be different.
This morning，he’s going to walk down the front steps，wave his hand and start on his great adventure that will probably include wars and tragedy and sorrow.
To live his life in the world he has to live in will require faith and love and courage.
So，World，I wish you would sort of take him by his young hand and teach him the things he will have to know.
Teach him—but gently，if you can.
Teach him that for every scoundrel there is a hero；that for every crooked politician there is a dedicated leader；that for every enemy there is a friend.
Teach him the wonders of books.
Give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky，bees in the sun，and flowers on the green hill.
Teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat.
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas，even if everyone tells him they are wrong.
Teach him to sell his brawn and brains to the highest bidder，but never to put a price on his heart and soul.
Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob…and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.
Teach him gently，World，but don’t coddle him，because only the test of fire makes fine steel.
This is a big order，World，but see what you can do.
He’s such a nice little fellow.
我离家出走的那一天
黛尔·艾伦·肖克利
我站在大门口，望着外面湿漉漉、冷冰冰的草坪。那几周的日子也是沉闷乏味的。头顶上，灰色的天空低垂着。那棵大橡树，树皮剥落，弯曲的手指指向苍穹，仿佛在祈求太阳赐予温暖。我也有同感。太阳是否还会再次照耀大地？
我不知道我是着了什么魔，但是在那一刻，我特别渴望离家出走，去一个有阳光有大海的具有异国情调的地方，那里没有人知道我的名字，风吹过我的头发，雨伞只是用来遮阳的。
你有没有想过，独自一人驱车前往未知的地方，到一个你不需要处理那些似乎永远都解决不了的棘手问题的地方，哪怕只是一瞬间？
当时我确实离家出走了，当时我的点滴的想法正是这样。
那天晚上很晚的时候。我不记得当时是为什么了，但我和丈夫大吵特吵了一顿，我们俩都说了些彼此本来并不想说的话，最后，我说：“我要走了。”他说：“好。越快越好。”
我把几件东西扔在一个小手提箱里，“砰”的一声关上了门，根本不知道我要去哪里。在兜了几分钟的圈子以后，我在当地的杂货店停下来，买了一些我忘了带的东西，匆匆忙忙地出了店门。
但还没等我走下第一个通道，我的手机就响了。原来是已经长大成人的女儿打来的。我接了电话，她问道：“嘿，妈妈。你在哪里？”
我立刻明白她已经知道真相了，她声音中的某种东西泄露了秘密。“嘿，亲爱的。我出去玩一会儿。怎么了？”“嗯，你在哪儿？”坚持是她的名字。“刚刚出去。怎么啦？”“妈妈，爸爸很担心你。”“他怎么会为我担心呢？我才出去二十分钟。他给你打电话了吗？”我很不安。“没有，他没有给我打电话。我打电话来找你说话，是的，他真的很担心你。”“嗯，他应该早就料到的，”我说，想起了他口无遮拦出口伤人的话，我的火儿又上来了。“听着，亲爱的。我真的需要挂断电话。你可以告诉你爸爸我很好。我很好。我爱你，明天我给你打电话。”
我挂断电话，在商店里徘徊，想把我的思绪整理一下。我有钱，所以我决定去附近的旅馆，试着睡一会儿。上帝知道我有多需要睡眠。
我给买的东西付钱的时候，比我平时单独外出的时间要晚得多。这次我把车停在离商店很近的地方，所以实际上是一路小跑回到的车里。一上车，我就锁上车门，发动了车子。我没有看车外面。车的雨刷下别了一张大大的方形白纸。那到底是什么东西？
当我的眼睛渐渐适应了眼前的黑暗以后，雨刷上的一切变得清晰了。在一张白纸上，用一个黑色的记号笔画了一个大大的心，心里写着这些话：“求求你回家吧！！我想念你！我爱你！”
还没等我看完，一辆卡车就在我旁边停了下来。从车窗里探出头来的不是别人，正是我的丈夫。显然，他已经叫来了搜索队。我的女儿坐在他旁边，咧着嘴笑着。
这时，我也笑了起来。我笑得那么厉害，几乎喜极而泣。尽管我竭尽全力要离家出走，这个爱我的野人和笨蛋却竭尽全力地追踪我。有他坐在那里，瞪着小狗似的眼睛，我现在是不可能那么顺利地离开了。
当我跟着他出停车场时，我意识到我们刚才的行为是多么愚蠢，为鸡毛蒜皮的事情争吵，而我又是多么幸运，我最爱的那个人爱我，会来找我，还找到了我，带我回家。
The Day I Ran Away from Home
By Dayle Allen Shockley
I stood at the front door，looking out over the cold wet lawn. It had been a soggy couple of weeks. Overhead，the sky hung low and gray. The big oak，stripped barren，pointed crooked fingers toward the heavens as if pleading for the sun’s warmth. I echoed that sentiment. Would the sun ever shine again？
I don’t know what came over me，but in that moment，I longed to run away from home，to an exotic place filled with sunshine and sea，where no one knew my name，where the wind blew through my hair，and umbrellas were used only for shade.
Have you ever wished，even for a split second，to drive off to places unknown，alone？To a place where you don’t have to deal with the same old issues that keep turning up through the years，seemingly never to be resolved？
There was that time I actually did run away，sort of. The details went something like this.
It was late one evening. I don’t recall what it was about，but The Man and I had a very big and ugly argument. We both said things we didn’t mean and，in the end，I said，“I’m leaving，” and he said，“Good. The sooner，the better.”
I threw a few things in a small suitcase and slammed the door behind me，not having a clue where I was going. After driving in circles for several minutes，I stopped at my local grocery to pick up some personal items I’d forgotten to pack in my heated rush to get out of the house.
But before I got down the first aisle，my cell phone rang. It was my grown daughter calling. I answered the phone and she said，“Hey，Mom. Where are you？”
Instantly，I knew she knew. Something in her voice gave it away.
“Hey，sweetie. I’m out for a bit. What’s up？”
“Well，where are you？”Persistence is her middle name.
“Just out. Why？”
“Mom，Dad is worried about you.”
“How can he be worried about me？I’ve been gone a total of twenty minutes. Did he call you？”I was perturbed.
“No，he didn’t call me. I called and asked to talk to you and yes，he is really worried about you.”
“Well，he should have thought of that sooner，”I said，my anger returning，remembering all of the hateful things he’d spouted.“Listen，sweetie. I really need to get off the phone. You can tell your dad that I’m fine. I’m just fine. I love you，and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I hung up and lingered in the store，trying to get my thoughts together. I had money，so I decided I’d go to a nearby hotel and attempt to get some sleep. Lord knew I needed it.
By the time I paid for my purchases，it was much later than I liked to be out alone. I’d parked a good distance from the store and practically ran to my car. Once inside，I locked the doors，cranked the engine，and started to drive off. But I couldn’t see out. A large square of white paper was stuck under my windshield wiper. What on earth？
As my eyes adjusted to the dark，it became clear. There，on a white piece of copy paper，drawn with a black marker，was a big heart encircling these words：“Please come home！！I miss you！ I love you！”
Before I could process it all，a truck pulled up alongside me. Hanging out the window was none other than my husband. Apparently，he’d called out the search party. Beside him，grinning from ear-to-ear，sat my daughter.
And that’s when I started laughing. I laughed so hard I cried. Despite my best efforts to run away from home，the wild and zany man who loved me had managed to track me down. I couldn’t very well leave now，not with him sitting there with puppy-dog eyes.
As I followed him out of the parking lot，I realized how foolish we’d been，arguing over insignificant things，and how blessed I was that the man I loved most in the world loved me back and had come looking for me and found me，and was leading me home again.
妈妈的电话
黎明时分，电话铃声响起。我前夜宿醉，正在昏昏欲睡，接起电话，听到妈妈的声音：“汤米，快起床！今天要开会。”
我看看手表，便不高兴地叫起来：“我不是说六点整再叫我吗？我还想多睡一会儿，现在都被你吵醒了！”
妈妈在那头沉默不语，我随即切断了电话。
我冒着倾盆大雨，急急忙忙赶车上班。在车站等公车的时候，我旁边站着一对白发苍苍的老夫妇，我听见老头对老太太嘟嘟囔囔道：“都是你的错，你看你，我一整晚都没睡好，你还那么早就催我，现在却要等这么长时间！”
公车终于来了，司机是一个年轻人。
我刚一上车，他就关上车门，我赶紧提醒他：“司机，后面还有两位老人，他们还没上车呀！”
年轻人却带着一脸灿烂的笑容答道：“哦，没关系，那是我爸妈！今天是我第一天到汽车公司上班，他们专程来照看我第一天顺利开工的。”
他回头向两个老人挥了挥手，就开动了车子。
看到这幅景象，我立刻想起妈妈早上的电话，一种挥之不去的愧疚感涌上了我的心头。
那天下班以后，我给妈妈打电话，没想到我还没道歉，妈妈就先说：“嗨，孩子，早上那么早叫你，都是我不好，因为担心你开会迟到，我一晚上没有睡好……”
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