Grandpa's Valentine
爺爺的情人卡
I received a call from the nursing home. Grandpa was failing rapidly. I should come. There was nothing to do but hold his hand. "I love you, Grandpa. Thank you for always being there for me."
我接到了療養院的電話，爺爺的情況急轉直下，應該去了。我什麼也做不了，只能握著他的手說：“爺爺，我愛你。謝謝你一直陪伴著我。”
Memories...memories...six days a week, Grandpa in that old blue shirt caring for those cattle...on hot summer days plowing the soil, planting the corn and beans and harvesting them in the fall...always working from dawn to dusk. Survival demanded work, work, work.
回憶…回憶…一週六天，爺爺總是穿著那件舊的藍襯衫照看著牛群…在炎熱的夏天耕種土地，種上玉米和豆子，秋天再把莊稼收穫…黎明而耕，黃昏而息，總是如此。生存需要勞作、勞作、不斷地勞作。
But on Sundays he put on his gray suit and hat. Grandma wore her wine-colored dress and ivory beads, and they went to church. Grandpa and Grandma were quiet, peaceful, unemotional people.
但是每逢週日，他就會穿上灰色西裝，戴上禮帽；奶奶則穿上酒紅色的連衣裙，戴上象牙珠鏈，兩人一起去做禮拜。爺爺和奶奶都是寧靜平和，感情從不外露的人。
The nurse apologized for having to ask me so soon to remove Grandpa's things from the room. It would not take long. There wasn't much. Then I found it in the top drawer of his nightstand. It looked like a very old handmade valentine. What must have been red paper at one time was a streaked faded pink. A piece of white paper had been glued to the center of the heart. On it, penned in Grandma's handwriting, were these words:
護士向我道歉，說不得不這麼快就請我把爺爺的物品從房間裡搬走，其實搬東西也用不了很久，爺爺身無長物。搬東西時，我在他的床頭幾最上面的抽屜裡發現了一樣東西。那看起來像是一張舊的自制的情人卡，以前應該是紅色的紙現在退色了，變成了帶有斑紋的粉紅色，紅心的中央用膠水粘著一張白紙，上面是奶奶用鋼筆寫下的一段文字，內容是這樣的：
哈里特致李
以我全部的愛
1985年2月14情人節
TO LEE FROM HARRIET
With All My Love,
February 14, 1895
Are you alive? Real? Or are you the most beautiful dream that I have had in years? Are you an angel—or a figment of my imagination? Someone I fabricated to fill the void? To soothe the pain? Where did you find the time to listen? How could you understand?
你是真實的、活生生的嗎？難道說你是我這麼多年來最美麗的夢？你是一個天使嗎？——或者你只是我想象中的幻影，為了填補空虛，為了撫平創傷臆造出來的人物？你是從哪裡找到時間來聽我訴說的？你又為何總能理解我呢？
You made me laugh when my heart was crying. You took me dancing when I couldn't take a step. You helped me set new goals when I was dying. You showed me dew drops and I had diamonds. You brought me wildflowers and I had orchids. You sang to me and angelic choirs burst forth in song. You held my hand and my whole being loved you. You gave me a ring and I belonged to you. I belonged to you and I have experienced all.
我的心痛哭時，你帶給我歡笑。我還沒學會舞步，你就帶我去了舞會。我行將就木時，你卻幫我設立了新的目標。你給我看那清新的露珠，我就擁有了璀璨的鑽石；你給我摘來野花，我就擁有了幽蘭；你給我唱一首歌，天使們就開始了合唱。你握住我的手，我的整個人都愛上了你；你給我一枚戒指，我全部屬於了你；我屬於你之後，就體驗了世間的全部。
全身心地愛你，
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I read the words. I pictured the old couple I had always known. It's difficult to imagine your grandparents in any other role than that. What I read was so beautiful and sacred. Grandpa had kept it all those years. Now it is framed on my dresser, a treasured part of family history.
我讀著這些話，淚水撲面而下。我想象著一直以來就認識的這對老夫婦。要把爺爺奶奶想象成其他角色是那樣的困難。我讀到的字句卻是如此美麗而神聖。爺爺這些年一直保存著這張卡，而現在，我把它裝上鏡框，放在梳妝檯上。它成了一份彌足珍貴的家族歷史。
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