书城短篇读者文摘:这一刻的美丽
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第9章 爱是一个动词(2)

一个男子站在棕榈树下,目不转睛地注视着这位黑发女子:她伫立在水边,凝望着大海,显然像是在等待什么——或是某人。她很美,身段修长,一袭宽松的棉质裙与头发在风中起舞,那双明亮的蓝眼睛,美得简直可以与大海的颜色相媲美。然而吸引他的并非她的容貌,作为一名自由摄影师,因为工作上的关系,他见过的美女无数。吸引他的是她的落寞和深情。尽管隔着一些距离,但是他仍能感觉到她是不同于他所见过的任何其他女性的。

未曾转身,莉萨便察觉到了男人在靠近。她早已发觉他站在远处盯凝着她,奇怪的是,她并没有因为被注视而感到不自在。她看着他,瞬间闪过一丝心灵相通的火花,这样的碰撞以前只有过一次。他慢慢地向她走近,两人的目光胶着了。他们就像见到一个失去联络很久的朋友——而不是在陌生的地方遇见一个陌生人。

过了一会儿,他们在附近林立的酒吧里找了一间坐了下来。啜饮着当地的鸡尾酒,开始交谈。最初是谈论一些有趣的事——聊他们住的酒店,食物的品质以及当地人的友好热情。然而再深入下去时,相比之前见面的自然和从容,他们的谈话便莫名地犹豫不前了。尽管如此,从他们端详对方的举止和直视对方眼睛的神态中,旁观者还是能洞悉到些许微妙的暧昧。直到酒精逐渐发挥了让人放松的效力,谈话才继续深入下去。他们谈论着来此地的原因,最后,虽然明知不太适宜,莉萨仍将她去年所经历的痛苦尽数道出,以及是什么事情让她又回到了这里——在这儿,她嫁给了一个曾以为会深爱一生的男人。她将一直锁在心底、至今仍无法向他人启齿的话倾吐了出来,并向他倾诉失去宝宝后悲痛的心情

那时她已怀孕六个月,还是世界上最幸福的人。直到事情发生的前一刻。当时她和母亲待在一起,詹姆斯在郊外工作,没能及时赶回来。医生说这是很平常的事情,他们还有机会。然而她无法做到,她连正视詹姆斯的眼睛都办不到。她恨他,恨他当时不在身边,恨他没有自己那么伤心,更恨他和仅仅在自己怀里躺了三个小时就被抱走的儿子如此相像。接下来的几个月,她远离了丈夫、家庭和朋友,不愿从伤痛中走出来——她觉得那样做是对儿子的背叛。在葬礼上,她拒绝站在丈夫旁边。第二天,她便离开了他。

抬起头,莉萨读出自己的伤痛映满了男人的双眼。几个月来,她第一次不再感到孤独,她感到压得她喘不过气来的担子开始减轻,尽管只有一点点,但起码这是个开始。她开始相信自己还是有未来的,也许是和眼前这个男人、也许是和他这双温柔的淡褐色眼睛——里面噙着他们共同的泪花。

他们来此本为结束他们的婚姻,但也许事情还有转机。她站起身,牵起詹姆斯的手,领着他走出酒吧,走向他们三年前互相许下诺言的沙滩。明天,她会取消离婚,今晚,他们将重续承诺。

The Rose of First Love

初恋玫瑰

Today is Valentine’s day.

Girl: I will go…

Bending her head, she says to a boy, who is a shy guy as she is.

The boy, not echoing, only kicks small pebbles with his tiptoes, here and there.

After a while, the girl says again, in an oblique voice: I should go…

Raising her head, casting a quick glance at him and diverting her eyesight again, she tangles the fringes of her dress.

Boy: Enh…

Inarticulately giving her a response, the boy hides carefully the other hand behind his back again. It seems that there are some tiny sweats on his front, or a shade flurry in his mind of saying something or not.

Still a long silence.

“I’ll go.” Seemingly being angry, the girl bravely raises her head, glares at him, with a shred of gentle encouragement in her eyes. Becoming more anxious, he seems not to know how to jump out of this dilemma; or seems to make crucial decision. Finally, strengthening that hand, turning red, with a little thrill, the boy says: “…for you!”

It is a rose, very rosy, keenly flowering, like a mass of fire, burning on the boy’s hand. The girl smiles, very happily. But immediately, she turns back and runs away, while turns her head and says with smile :”I will go!”

However, after no more than several paces, it seems that something bring to her mind. She runs back to the boy, with red cheeks, “Enh----” snatching the rose from his hand, without saying a word, runs away again.

Watching her silhouette in distance, the boy smiles…

I stand on the terrain, occasionally witnessing this scene of the prologue of love in the sunshine, and can not help giving a smile from my heart. I recall my own first love, which not make her debut from a bouquet of red rose hiding behind the back?

今天是情人节。

女孩儿:“我走了……”低着头,向对面那个同样腼腆的男孩子说。

男孩子用脚尖踢着地上的小石子儿,没有回答。

过了会儿,女孩儿又小声说了一遍,“我该走了……”一边抬起头来飞快地看了男孩子一眼,重又垂下了眼帘,绞着裙角。

男孩子:“嗯……”含糊地应了一声,把刚才一直藏在身后的手藏得更深了……额上似乎有些细细的汗珠,又像有些欲说还休的慌乱……

又是好一阵沉默。

“我走了!” 女孩儿好像有些嗔怒了…… 勇敢的抬起头来,盯着男孩子,目光里却有温柔的鼓励……

男孩子更慌乱了,像是没有办法似的,又像是下了好大的决心……终于把藏在身后的手递到女孩儿的面前,脸红得厉害,似乎声音也有些在抖:“ ……给你。”

那是一支鲜红的玫瑰,开得正艳,像是一团火,燃烧在男孩子的手上。

女孩儿笑了,笑得好开心。但一转身就跑开了,一边回头一边笑着说:“我走了!”可没有跑几步,又像想起了什么,红着脸颊又跑回来,一把抢过男孩子手里的那支红玫瑰,也不说话,就又跑远了……

望着女孩子跑远的背影,男孩子笑了……

我在阳台上,无意中目睹了夕阳底下这一幕爱情的序曲,忍不住也会心地笑了……想起了自己的初恋,不也是开始于一支藏在身后的红玫瑰里吗?

爱的谎言

Love lies

A girl and a boy were on a motorcycle, speeding through the night.

They loved each other a lot.

Girl: "Slow down a little. I"m scared."

Boy: "No, it"s so fun."

Girl: "Please... it"s so scary."

Boy: "Then say that you love me."

Girl: "Fine. I love you. Can you slow down now?"

Boy: "Give me a big hug."

The girl gave him a big hug.

Girl: "Now can you slow down?"

Boy: "Can you take off my helmet and put it on? It"s uncomfortable and it"s bothering me while I drive."

The next day, there was a story in the newspaper. A motorcycle had crashed into a building because its brakes were broken.

There were two people on the motorcycle, of which one died, and the other had survived...

The guy knew that the brakes were broken. He didn"t want to let the girl know, because he knew that the girl would have gotten scared.

Instead, he was told the last time that she loved him, got a hug from her, put his helmet on her so that she can live, and die himself...

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairy tale...

一天夜里,男孩骑摩托车带着女孩超速行驶。

他们彼此深爱着对方。

女孩:“慢一点……我怕……”

男孩:“不,这样很有趣……”

女孩:“求求你.……这样太吓人了……”

男孩:“好吧,那你说你爱我……”

女孩:“好……我爱你……你现在可以慢下来了吗?”

男孩:“紧紧抱我一下……”

女孩紧紧拥抱了他一下。

女孩:“现在你可以慢下来了吧?”

男孩:“你可以脱下我的头盔并自己戴上吗?它让我感到不舒服,还干扰我驾车。”

第二天,报纸报道:一辆摩托车因为刹车失灵而撞毁在一幢建筑物上。

车上有两个人,一个死亡,一个幸存……

驾车的男孩知道刹车失灵,但他没有让女孩知道,因为那样会让女孩感到害怕。

相反,他让女孩最后一次说她爱他,最后一次拥抱他,并让她戴上自己的头盔,结果,女孩活着,他自己死了……

就在一会儿的时间里,就在平常的生活里,爱向我们展示了一个神话!

Demaged Goods

受损的物品

The dust mites1 danced in the ray of sunshine that provided the only light in the rabbi"s2 office. He leaned back in his office chair and sighed as he stroked3 his beard. Then he took his wire-rimmed4 glasses and polished them absentmindedly5 on his flannel6 shirt.

“ So,” he said, “ you were divorced. Now you want to marry this good Jewish7 boy. What"s the problem?”

He nestled8 his grizzled9 chin in his hand and smiled softly at me.

I want to shriek. What"s the problem? First of all, I"m Christian. Second, I"m older than he is. Third--and not least, by any means-- I"m divorced! Instead, I looked back into his soft brown eyes and tried to form the words.

“ Don"t you think,” I stuttered10, “ that being divorced is like being used? Like being damaged goods?”

He settled back into the office chair and stretched so that he was looking at the ceiling. He stroked the scraggly11 beard that covered his chin and his neck. Then, he returned to his spot behind the desk and leaned toward me.

“ Say you have to have surgery. Say you have a choice between two doctors. Who are you going to choose? The one right out of medical school or the one with experience?”

“ The one with experience,” I said.

His face crinkled12 into a grin. “ I would, too,” he locked his eyes with mine. “ So in this marriage, you will be the one with experi ence. That"s not such a bad thing, you know.”