雙語(yǔ)對(duì)照 ● 咸咖啡 Salty Coffee
■ 咸咖啡 Salty Coffee
◎ Trinity Bluce
He met her at a party. She was outstanding, many guys were after her; but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised, so as not to appear rude, she went along. As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”
他在一個(gè)聚會(huì)上遇見了她。她如此出眾，許多人都追隨她左右，而他又是如此普通，沒人注意到他。聚會(huì)結(jié)束后，他邀請(qǐng)她喝咖啡，她很驚訝，但出于禮貌她還是應(yīng)允了。他們坐在一家很不錯(cuò)的咖啡店里，他緊張地說(shuō)不出話來(lái)，她感到很不舒服。突然，他問服務(wù)員：“你能給我一些鹽嗎？我想往咖啡里加點(diǎn)鹽。”
They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious[86] , she asked, “Why salt with coffee?” He explained, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea ... I could feel its taste salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there.”
每個(gè)人都很詫異地盯著他，這人太奇怪了。他的臉紅了，但是服務(wù)生把鹽送來(lái)時(shí)，他還是把鹽加進(jìn)咖啡里，喝了起來(lái)。她很好奇，便問道：“你為什么有這個(gè)嗜好？”他解釋說(shuō)：“當(dāng)我還是一個(gè)小男孩的時(shí)候，我住在海邊。我喜歡在海邊玩?！铱梢愿杏X到海水的味道，就像加鹽的咖啡一樣?，F(xiàn)在每次喝咸咖啡的時(shí)候，我總會(huì)想起我的童年、我的故鄉(xiāng)。我很想念我的家鄉(xiāng)、我的父母，他們還在那里?！?
She was deeply touched. A man who can admit that he’s homesick[87] must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible.
她被深深地感動(dòng)了。那是他的真情流露。一個(gè)能告訴別人鄉(xiāng)愁的男人，一定是一個(gè)愛家、關(guān)心家人、有家庭責(zé)任感的男人。
She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.
接著，她也開始說(shuō)起了她遙遠(yuǎn)的家鄉(xiāng)、她的童年、她的家人。那真是一次溫馨的談話，也是他們之間故事的開端。
They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee!
接著他們又開始約會(huì)。她發(fā)現(xiàn)他真是一個(gè)能夠滿足自己所有要求的男人。他耐心、善良、熱心、細(xì)心。這是一個(gè)好男人，可她差點(diǎn)錯(cuò)過(guò)了。多虧了那杯咸咖啡！
So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.
他們結(jié)婚了，幸福地生活在一起。每次她為他煮咖啡，都會(huì)往里面放些鹽，因?yàn)樗矚g。
After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:
40年后，他去世了，留給她一封信：
My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous I asked for salt instead of sugar.
我最親愛的，請(qǐng)?jiān)徫乙簧闹e言。記得我們的第一次約會(huì)嗎？我很緊張，緊張到問服務(wù)員要了鹽而不是糖。
It was hard for me to ask for a change, so I just went ahead. I never thought that we would hit it off. Many times, I tried to tell you the truth, but I was afraid that it would ruin everything.
我很難要求更改，所以我就這樣喝了。我從沒想到我們會(huì)合得來(lái)。很多次，我想告訴你真相，但我怕那樣會(huì)毀了一切。
Sweetheart, I don’t exactly like salty coffee. But as it mattered so much to you, I’ve learnt to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.
親愛的，我不喜歡咸咖啡。但這對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)那么重要，我已經(jīng)學(xué)會(huì)了享受它。擁有你是我最大的幸福。如果我能再活一次，我希望我們還能在一起，即使這意味著我的余生都要品嘗咸咖啡。
