温柔
Michael and I hardly noticed when the waitress came and placed the plates on our table.We were seated in a small deli tucked away2） from the bustle3） of Third Street，in New York City.
Our exchange was lively，if not profound.We laughed about the movie that we had seen the night before and disagreed about the meaning behind the text we had just finished for our literature seminar.He told me about the moment when he had taken the drastic step into maturity by becoming Michael and refusing to respond to "Mickey."Had he been twelve or fourteen？He couldn't remember，but he did recall that his mother had cried and said he was growing up too quickly.As we bit into our blueberry blintzes，I told him about the blueberries that my sister and I used to pick when we went to visit our cousins in the country.I recalled that I always finished mine before we got back to the house，and my aunt would warn me that I was going to get a very bad stomachache.Of course，I never did.
As our sweet conversation continued，my eyes glanced across the restaurant，stopping at the small corner booth where an elderly couple sat.Her floral print dress seemed as faded as the cushion on which she had rested her worn handbag.The top of his head was as shiny as the soft－boiled egg on which he very slowly nibbled.She also ate her oatmeal4） at a slow，almost tedious pace.
But what drew my thoughts to them was t heir undisturbed silence.It seemed to me that a melancholy5） emptiness permeated6） their little corner.As the exchange between Michael and me fluctuated7） from laughs to whispers，confessions to assessments，this couple's poignant8） stillness called to me.How sad，I thought，not to have any thing left to say.Wasn't there any page that they hadn't yet turned in each other's stories？What if that happened to us？
Michael and I paid our small tab and got up to leave the restaurant.As we walked by the corner where the old couple sat，I accidentally dropped my wallet.Bending over to pick it up，I noticed that under the table，each of their free hands was gently cradled in the other's.They had been holding hands all this time！
I stood up and felt humbled by the simple yet profound act of connection I had just been privileged to9） witness.This man's gentle caress of his wife's tired fingers filled not only what I had previously perceived as an emotionally empty corner，but also my heart.Theirs was not the uncomfortable silence whose threat one always feels just behind the punch line or at the end of an anecdote10 on the first date.No，theirs was a comfortable，relaxed ease，a gentle love that knew it did not always need words to express itself.They had probably shared this hour of the morning with each other for a long time，and maybe today wasn't that different from yesterday，but they were at peace with that，and with each other.
Maybe，I thought as Michael and I walk ed out，it wouldn't be so bad if someday that was us.Maybe，it would be kind of nice.
by Daphna Renan
温柔
当侍者走过来将盘子放在我们的桌上时，迈克尔和我几乎都没有注意到。我们坐在一家小熟食店里，它藏匿在纽约市繁忙的第三大街的一个地方。我们的交谈也许谈不上深刻，但是很热烈。我们笑谈头天晚上看过的电影，又对刚刚在文学讨论课上学完的课文中隐含的意义争论了一番。他告诉我他步入成熟的那个关键时刻――即他成为迈克尔，而不再让人叫他"米基".那时他是12岁还是14岁？他记不得了，但他的确记得他母亲叫喊着说他长得太快了。当我们开始吃蓝莓薄饼卷时，我告诉他我妹妹和我以前去乡下看表姐妹时去摘蓝莓的情景。我记得我总是在回到家前就把我摘的那些全都吃完了，而我的姑姑总是警告说我会肚子疼的。当然我的肚子压根儿没疼过。当我们愉快的交谈仍在进行时，我匆匆环视了一下餐馆，最后将目光停在一个小小的靠墙角的餐位，那里坐着一对老夫妇。她那有印花图案的裙子看上去像椅垫一样褪了色，椅垫上放着她破旧的手提袋。他的头顶像他正在慢慢吃着的溏心蛋一样发亮。她正在喝麦片粥，节奏缓慢得近乎乏味。但是吸引我注意力的是他们那不受干扰的沉默。在我看来，一种忧郁的空虚弥漫于他们那小小的角落。迈克尔和我的交谈，从欢笑到低语，从表白到评论起伏不断，而这对老夫妇痛切的沉寂触动了我。多么可悲呀，我想，再没什么话可说了。难道彼此的故事中再没有尚未翻开的一页了吗？如果这发生在我们身上会怎样呢？迈克尔和我付完账单后起身欲离开餐馆。当我们经过那对老夫妇就坐的角落时，我碰巧把钱包掉在了地上。弯腰将它拾起时，我注意到，在餐桌下，他们空着的手正温柔地握着。他们的手一直在握着。我站起身，刚才有幸看到的简单而深刻的相依之情让我感到自己的卑微。这位长者对妻子疲惫的手指温柔的抚摸所表现出来的柔情，不仅弥漫于我刚才认为是情感空白的角落，也充盈在我的心中。他们的沉默可不是那种初次约会一句妙语或一段趣闻之后令人不舒服的沉默。不，他们的沉默来得很舒服，很惬意，是一种无需语言来表达的温柔的爱。也许他们共享这早上的时光已有很长时间，也许今天与昨天并无多大不同，但是他们淡然处之，相亲相爱，一如既往。当迈克尔和我走出来时，我在想，也许，如果有一天我们俩变成这样，那不见得是件坏事。相反，也许会是件好事。
注释：
1. caress n. 爱抚
2. tuck away 隐藏起来
3. bustle n. 喧闹；熙攘
4. oatmeal n. （燕）麦片， （燕）麦粥
5. melancholy adj. 忧郁的
6. permeate vt. 弥漫， 渗透， 透过， 充满
7. fluctuate vi. 变动， 波动，起伏
8. poignant adj. 令人痛苦的，深刻的，剧烈的
9. be privileged to 有幸
10. anecdote n. 轶事， 奇闻
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