双语 ● 爱只是一根线　Love Is Just a Thread

■ 爱只是一根线　Love Is Just a Thread

◎ Cathyma

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[47] 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.

有时候，我真怀疑父母之间是否还有爱。他们每天都忙着给我和弟弟挣那高昂的学费。他们从未像我从书中读到，或在电视上看到的那样互诉衷肠。在他们看来，“我爱你”太奢侈了，他们说不出口。在情人节给彼此送一束花就更不可能了。我的父亲脾气不好，他常常会在劳累一天之后乱发脾气。

One day, my mother was sewing a quilt[48] . I silently sat down beside her and looked at her.

一天，母亲正在缝被子。我静静地坐在她旁边，看着她。

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

“妈，我有个问题想问你。”过了一会儿，我说道。

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

“什么？”她一边继续缝着，一边答道。

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

“您跟爸爸之间还有没有爱情啊？”我低声问她。

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.

母亲停下手中的活，满眼诧异地抬起头。她没有立刻回答，而是低下头继续缝被子。

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:

我担心我伤害了她。我尴尬极了，不知道该如何是好。不过，随后我听见母亲说：

“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.”

“苏珊，”她若有所思地说道，“看看这些线。有的时候，你能看得见它们，但大多时候它们都隐藏在被子里。这些线的确让被子变得更加耐用。如果生活是床被子的话，那么爱就是其中的线。你不可能随时随地看到它，但它却是真实存在的。爱是内在的。”

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 a serious illness.

我听得很仔细，但直到来年春天，我才真正理解她的这番话。那时，我的父亲突然得了重病，母亲需要在医院里照顾他一个月。当他们从医院回家时，两个人看上去都十分苍白，好像他们俩都得了重病一样。

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[49] through the leaves. All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world.

他们回来之后，每个清晨和黄昏，母亲都要搀扶着父亲在乡间小路上散步。我的父亲从未如此温柔过。他们就像是天作之合。小路两旁点缀着许多美丽的鲜花、绿草和树木。阳光透过树叶的缝隙，温柔地洒在地面上。这一切组成了一幅世间最美好的画。

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 .

医生说父亲将在两个月内康复。可两个月后，他仍然无法独立行走，我们都很替他担心。

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

“爸爸，你现在感觉怎么样？”一天，我问他道。

“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.

“苏珊，别为我担心。”他温和地说，“实话告诉你吧，我只是喜欢和你妈妈一起散步的感觉。我喜欢这种生活。”从他的眼神里，我读到他对母亲深深的爱。

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 ...

曾经我认为爱情就是鲜花、礼物和甜蜜的亲吻。可这件事让我明白，爱就像是隐藏在生活这床被子里的线。爱是内在的，它让生活变得更加坚固和温暖……

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