本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2014-1-18 07:38 编辑
不能改天的约会
荷叶/译
结婚二十一年后,我发现了一个保持爱的火花的新方法。我开始和另一个女人出去约会,这其实是我妻子的主意。
我知道你爱她,”有一天妻子说,这令我吃惊非小。“但是我爱你,”我辩解道。“这我知道,但你也爱她。”
我妻子想让我去拜访的另一个女人是我母亲,她已寡居十九年,但我的工作加上三个孩子,使我只能偶尔去看望看望她。那天晚上我给她打了电话,邀请她一起出去吃饭,看电影。“怎么了?你没事吧?”她问。
我母亲是这样一种女人,她会怀疑一个深夜电话或出奇不意的邀请是坏消息的征兆。“我想和你一起度过一些时光会很愉快。”我回答说:“只有我们两人。”她略加思索,说:“我很喜欢那样。”
那个星期五下班后,当我开车去接她时,略微有点紧张。当我到她家里时,发现她和我一样,对我们的约会似乎也有一些紧张。她穿着外套,在门口等我。
她烫了发,穿着她上次庆祝结婚纪念日的长裙,容光焕发,笑得像个天使。“我告诉朋友要和儿子出去约会,他们都大加赞叹。”她一边上车,一边说着话,“他们迫不及待地想听听我们的约会情况。”
我们走进一家虽不奢华但很温馨的餐馆。母亲挽着我的胳膊,俨如第一夫人。就坐后,我不得不读菜谱。她的眼睛只能读大字。读到一半,我抬眼发现妈妈正坐在那里,怔怔地盯着我看,嘴角上挂着怀旧的笑容。
“你小的时候,不得不读菜谱的人是我。”她说。“那现在到了你休息,让我来报恩的时候了。”我回答道。
席间,我们谈得很愉快,也没谈什么特别的,只是聊聊彼此生活中最近发生的事。我们聊起来没完没了,耽误了看电影。当后来我把她送回去时,她说:“我还会和你一起出去,但条件是我请你。”我同意了。
“你的约会怎么样?”回到家后,妻子问。“很好,比想象的要好得多。”我回答道。
几天后,母亲死于大面积心脏病突发。事情来得那样突然,我什么也没来得及为她做。在那一时刻,我才意识到及时说出“我爱你”并给予自己所爱的人她应得的时间的重要性。
生活中没有什么比家人更重要了。花点时间陪陪他们,因为这些事情不能推迟到“改天”。
附:原文 After21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea. "I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise."But I love YOU," I protested. "I know, but you also love her." The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her togo out for dinner and a movie. "What's wrong, are you well?" sh easked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitationis a sign of bad news. "I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us." She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I would like that very much." That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. "I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting." We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said."Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded. During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary - but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed. "How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice.Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered. A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. At that moment I understood the importance of saying in time: "I LOVE YOU" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve,because these things cannot be put off till "some other time" |