登陆注册
985800000003

第3章 拥抱温暖的阳光 (2)

他在我腿上待了好久,坐到心满意足后,才跳下去完成自己的涂色工作。我问他是否感觉舒服多了,他说是的,可自己的病还是没有好,一切都无法改变。我对他说我知道。我离开时心情很悲伤,但我会再为这件事做些努力的,尽自己的一切力量帮助他。

天快黑时,我正准备回家。这时,我感到有人在拽我的夹克衫,我回头一望,原来是他,站在那里,稚嫩的脸蛋上挂着灿烂的微笑。他说:“我心里的颜色在变,它将变得越来越亮……我想那温暖的拥抱真的有用。”

回家的路上,我触摸着我的心脏,意识到它的颜色也变得越来越亮了。

For Three Solid Years’ Waiting整整三年的等待

Located in the checkroom in Union Station as I am, I see everybody that comes up the stairs.

Harry came in a little over three years ago and waited at the head of the stairs for the passengers from the 9:05 train.

I remember seeing Harry that first evening. He wasn’t much more than a thin, anxious kid then. He was all dressed up and I knew he was meeting his girl and that they would be married twenty minutes after she arrived.

Well, the passengers came up and I had to get busy. I didn’t look toward the stairs again until nearly time for the 9:18 and I was very surprised to see that the young fellow was still there.

She didn’t come on the 9:18 either, nor on the 9:40, and when the passengers from the 10:02 had all arrived and left, Harry was looking pretty desperate. Pretty, soon he came close to my window so I called out and asked him what she looked like.

“She’s small and dark,” he said, “and nineteen years old and very neat in the way she walks. She has a face,” he said, thinking a minute, “that has lots of spirit. I mean she can get mad but she never stays mad for long, and her eyebrows come to a little point in the middle. She’s got a brown fur, but maybe she isn’t wearing it.”

I couldn’t remember seeing anybody like that.

He showed me the telegram he’d received: ARRIVE THURSDAY. MEET ME STATION. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. MAY. It was from Omaha, Nebraska.

“Well,” I finally said, “why don’t you phone to your home? She’s probably called there if she got in ahead of you.”

He gave me a sick look. “I’ve only been in town two days. We were going to meet and then drive down South where I’ve got a job. She hasn’t any address for me.” He touched the telegram.

When I came on duty the next day he was still there and came over as soon as he saw me.

“Did she work anywhere?” I asked.

He nodded. “She was a typist. I telegraphed her former boss. All they know is that she left her job to get married.”

Harry met every train for the next three or four days. Of course, the railroad lines made a routine checkup and the police looked into the case. But nobody was any real help. I could see that they all figured that May had simply played a trick on him. But I never believed that, somehow.

One day, after about two weeks, Harry and I were talking and I told him about my theory. “If you’ll just wait long enough,” I said, “you’ll see her coming up those stairs some day.” He turned and looked at the stairs as though he had never seen them before.

The next day when I came to work Harry was behind the counter of Tony’s magazine stand. He looked at me rather sheepishly and said, “Well, I had to get a job somewhere, didn’t I?”

So he began to work as a clerk for Tony. We never spoke of May anymore and neither of us ever mentioned my theory. But I noticed that Harry always saw every person who came up the stairs.

Toward the end of the year Tony was killed in some argument over gambling, and Tony’s widow left Harry in complete charge of the magazine stand. And when she got married again some time later, Harry bought the stand from her. He borrowed money and installed a soda fountain and pretty soon he had a very nice little business.

Then came yesterday. I heard a cry and a lot of things falling. The cry was from Harry and the things falling were a lot of dolls and other things which he had upset while he was jumping over the counter. He ran across and grabbed a girl not ten feet from my window. She was small and dark and her eyebrows came to a little point in the middle.

For a while they just hung there to each other laughing and crying and saying things without meaning. She’d say a few words like, “It was the bus station I meant” and he’d kiss her speechless and tell her the many things he had done to find her. What apparently had happened three years before was that May had come by bus, not by train, and in her telegram she meant “bus station,” not “railroad station.” She had waited at the bus station for days and had spent all her money trying to find Harry. Finally she got a job typing.

“What?” said Harry. “Have you been working in town? All the time?”

She nodded.

“Well, Heavens. Didn’t you ever come down here to the station?” He pointed across to his magazine stand. “I’ve been there all the time. I own it. I’ve watched everybody that came up the stairs.”

She began to look a little pale. Pretty soon she looked over at the stairs and said in a weak voice, “I never came up the stairs before. You see, I went out of town yesterday on a short business trip. Oh, Harry!” Then she threw her arms around his neck and really began to cry.

After a minute she backed away and pointed very stiffly toward the north end of the station. “Harry, for three years, for three solid years, I’ve been right over there working right in this very station, typing, in the office of the stationmaster.”

由于我工作的地方在联合车站的行李寄存处,我看得见每一个上楼的人。

哈里3年多以前来到这里,站在楼梯口等待9:05到达的火车旅客。

我还记得那第一晚见到哈里时的情景。那时,他瘦瘦的,神情焦虑,就像个孩子似的。他穿戴整齐,我知道他是在等女朋友,而且在她到达20分钟之后他们就要结婚。

旅客们过来了,我得忙碌起来。等到9:18的那趟车快到的时候我才再往楼梯方向看去,我吃惊地发现那个年轻人还在那里。

她也没乘9:18的那趟车来,9:40的车上也没她。等10:02那趟车的旅客全都到达并离开后,哈里显得很失望。很快他走近我的窗口,我就招呼他,问她长得什么模样。

“她个子小,皮肤黑,”他说,“19岁。走路的样子很利落。她的脸,”他想了一会儿,说,“很有个性。我的意思是说她会生气,但从不会生气太久。她的眉心处有一个小点儿。她有一件褐色毛皮大衣,不过可能没穿着。”

我想不起来看见过有谁长得像那样。

他给我看他收到的电报:星期四到。车站接我。爱爱爱爱。——梅。电报寄自内布拉斯加州的奥马哈市。

“呃,”我最后说,“你干吗不往家里打个电话?如果她先你到达这里,她可能已给你家打过电话。”

他懊恼地看了我一眼。“我到城里才两天。我们打算见面之后开车去南方,我在那儿找到了一份工作。她——她也没给我任何地址。”他摸了摸电报。

第二天我去值班时他还在那儿。一看见我,他就走了过来。

“她在哪儿工作过吗?”我问。

同类推荐
  • 享受一分钟的感动

    享受一分钟的感动

    本书截取了生活的精彩文章,其中亲情、友情、爱情故事以及励志等文章,能够使你享受生活快乐,体验人生意义的同时,让你树立信心,帮你克服人生路上的各种绊脚石。
  • 摇响青春的风铃(英文爱藏双语系列)

    摇响青春的风铃(英文爱藏双语系列)

    《摇响青春的风铃》带你品味那如水的青春。作为双语读物,《摇响青春的风铃》为中英双语对照版,既是英语学习爱好者、文学爱好者的必备读物,也是忙碌现代人的一片憩息心灵的家园,让读者在欣赏原法原味和凝练生动的英文时,还能多角度、深层次地品读语言特色与艺术之美。
  • 那些无法拒绝的名篇

    那些无法拒绝的名篇

    《每天读一点英文》是一套与美国人同步阅读的中英双语丛书,该丛书由美国英语教师协会推荐,内文篇目取自美国最经典、最权威、最流行的读本,适于诵读;“实战提升”部分,包括导读、单词注解、诵读名句,学习英语的同时提升演讲能力。
  • 那些光影飞华的魅惑(每天读一点英文)

    那些光影飞华的魅惑(每天读一点英文)

    《那些光影飞华的魅惑》由我的美丽日记、我的健康我做主、时尚达人、勇闯天涯、摩登时代等篇目组成,让你在体味时尚、逐赶潮流中,不知不觉提升英语能力。
  • 谜语绕口令英语

    谜语绕口令英语

    谜语和绕口令是英语文学中两种比较独特的语言艺术形式。前者既饶有情趣,又可以启发心智,增进思考和想像能力;后者结构巧妙,诙谐风趣,富有音乐性,最适合口头背诵,深受广大英语读者的喜爱。
热门推荐
  • 闪婚之豪门娇妻

    闪婚之豪门娇妻

    豪门相亲宴,她嫌弃他三十岁还带着一个孩子,果断地临阵脱逃再见面,她却以容太太的身份带着他的女儿冲到夜总会兴师问罪很好,既然她如此高调地以容太太的身份自称,他很乐意成全她婚后,天性善良的她安安分分地当起了豪门小后妈却在一个月黑风高的夜里被他堵在他们的新房门口“容太太,你打算什么时候履行身为妻子的职责?”“我不是把芮芮照顾得很好吗?”某后妈还在状况外“除了是芮芮的妈咪之外,你还是我老婆!”腹黑男轻笑“所以呢?你……想要我干嘛?”小后妈很紧张很害怕“我要和你做点夫妻该做的事!”腹黑男很平静很冷血
  • 拔剑

    拔剑

    三国之后,中原大地尸骸遍野,人口锐减;到了西晋,又发生了八王之乱。北方游牧民族乘机南下烧杀抢掠。汉人从2000万急剧下降到400万。这就是历史上有名的五胡乱华。
  • 丑女敛财:驭夫女将军

    丑女敛财:驭夫女将军

    (棺材里重生,丑女敛财,玩转古代。)面对他的压迫,“曾经的曾经我将心全部的交给了你,你用一万万两买下了它。”对于他的纠缠,“当初为了一万两,你的残酷,我从没宽恕!想娶我,就算下辈子也未必轮到你。”唯有他,“这是我全部的家当,你签收吧!”见她拿钱走人,他邪气一笑,“你遗落了一样珍宝。”“什么?”她双目放光,四处寻觅。
  • 著名交响曲欣赏

    著名交响曲欣赏

    本书文字浅显易懂,并包含了一部分曲谱,能指导读者怎样去了解欣赏一部交响乐名曲,其中包含了交响乐名曲的评论与指导性欣赏。适合大众阅读,《著名交响曲欣赏》定位为交响乐知识普及型书籍,收集了各种世界闻名的交响乐名曲,并对其进行了讲解与分析,阅读价值高。,以及名曲诞生的历史,以及音乐人创作的背景、故事等。其中囊括了巴赫、莫扎特、贝多芬、李斯特等的许多世界名曲
  • 戴高乐(名人传奇故事丛书)

    戴高乐(名人传奇故事丛书)

    本书以戴高乐将军奇峰迭起的一生传奇为主轴,通过对他在第二次世界大战中种种亲身经历的逼真摹写,全景式再现,并充分塑造了戴高乐将军坚忍不拔、锋芒毕露的“军人政治家”形象。
  • 异世神王劫

    异世神王劫

    龙朔修仙者,在一场东皇钟的夺宝大战之中,得一神秘戒指,随后自爆元婴与师门仇人同归于尽,奈何灵魂受其神秘戒指的保护而不灭,与东皇钟一起穿越到一个魔法斗气的世界重生,魔法斗气遇上华夏仙术,究竟谁更强大,异界神兵对上华夏上古十大神器,究竟谁更锋利。
  • 风湿性疾病诊治绝招

    风湿性疾病诊治绝招

    方剂是中医理、法、方、药综合运用于临床的具体体现,在中医临床中占有极其重要的地位。全国各地的名老中医在长期的临床实践中总结创造了大量的有效方剂,是他们的临床实践与中医药理论、前人经验相结合的智慧结晶,对于治疗常见病、多发病、疑难病发挥了巨大作用,代表着当前中医学术和临床发展的最高水平,是中医药学伟大宝库中的新财富,与浩如烟海的中医古籍文献相比,它更鲜活生动,更具有现实的指导性。
  • 狂武战帝

    狂武战帝

    若这山河不在,要我残躯何用?新书《不朽龙帝》已经上传,欢迎阅读。普群:狂武战帝—被罚站的豆 463531647,读者皆可进入。vip群:豆豆书迷 Vip 群 237420887,需要狂武战帝全订阅粉丝截图,会有验证。热血完本老书:只手遮仙,笔名:我本幕辰
  • 侧妃劫

    侧妃劫

    好奇游玩,她竟莫名奇妙的被人指为刺客,偏偏师父还不许她显露武功,她就只有乖乖的任人宰割!王府中,冷冽的六王爷勾起了她的兴趣,他的狂傲,他的孤冷,还有那偶尔一露的温情,都让她深陷,让她迷蒙,让她欲罢不能。同样,她的倔犟,她的坚强,她的清雅淡越,不知不觉间,牵动他的每一根情愫,每一条神经。她如一团迷雾,让他越陷越深.他爱她,想要娶她为侧妃。她亦爱他,却断然拒绝。只因为,他给不了她所要的……谁许我,一生不变唯一的承诺,我情愿,倾尽心中所有的柔情!片段一“王爷,王妃娘娘养了只小猫,很是可爱呢!”某王淡淡一撇,不予理会。“王爷,王爷,暮侧妃也养了只宠物,不过……”“不过什么?”某人好奇。“不过……不过是只大老虎,还咬死了王妃的小猫!”“什么?老虎?”某王一跃而起……片段二“王爷也认为毒是我下的吗?”“不是你还会是谁?”邪魅的薄唇冷淡的抿起,平静的面容看不出一丝涟漪。“我若说不是我,王爷可愿相信?”想要做最后一丝的努力,想要让自己死心!“本王更看重事实,因为除了你,没人会有这么毒的心肠!”一句话,像重锤般狠狠砸落,粉碎了她仅有的一点点奢望。没有丝毫犹豫,段如风一转身,亲自接过丫鬟手里那碗墨黑的药汁,一步步的逼向她。“好,我喝!若这是你们大家的心愿,我岂能不成全!”兰蕊大笑。很好,都想自己死吗?只是,你们不要后悔才好!仰头,一口气喝完,将碗一丢,白瓷碗儿立刻跌的粉碎,心,亦碎了一地……一缕鲜血在她的唇角滴落,兰蕊缓缓倒下,唇边是绝美的笑容,“王爷,告诉你个秘密……”友情推荐:苏瑾儿《杠上黑心老公》纳兰初七《“正”妃》青涩鸢萝《神之咒》陈霆颖《总裁的替婚前妻》御剑行《下堂妃也逍遥》青涩鸢萝《总裁-别太坏》玲江仙《丫头,哪里逃》澜姗《血妻》红涩《黑道美容师》红豆皮皮《妖孽太猛》过期贝儿《腹黑前夫,你死定了》孙夫人《禁---爱》钱菲菲《重生---纨绔千金》谈笑然《重生之八百年以后》冥溪《相公太勾魂》陌潇湘《契约结婚》七星盟主《古代女法医》苏瑾儿《囚宠“罪”妃》六王爷段如风由亲亲编编小憬拥有!这是唯一有人要滴男主……哈哈!
  • 大科学家的故事(古今中外英雄伟人故事系列)

    大科学家的故事(古今中外英雄伟人故事系列)

    社会的发展,时代的进步,离不开科学。电灯的发明,蒸汽机的诞生,人类登上月球,等等,都是科学的作用和结果。因而,科学家促进了社会的发展,推动了时代的进步。