平淡的爱（2）
“Why？” he asked, shocked. “I am tired, there are no reasons for everything in the world！ ” I answered. He kept silent the whole night, seemed to be in deep thought with a lighted cigarette at all times.
My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can’t even express his predicament, what else can I hope from him？ And finally he asked me, “What can I do to change your mind？” Somebody said it right, it’s hard to change a person’s personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.
Looking deep into his eyes, I slowly answered, “Here is the question, if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind. Let’s say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me？” He said, “I will give you my answer tomorrow ...” My hopes just sank by listening to his response.
I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes ...
“My dear, I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further.” This first line has already broken my heart. I continued reading. “When you use the computer you always mess up the software programs, and you cry in front of the screen, I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs.
“You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you. You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to save my eyes to show you the way.
“You always have the cramps whenever your‘good friend’ approaches every month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy. You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom.
“You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand ... and tell you the colour of flowers, just like the color of the glow on your young face ...
“Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do ... I could not pick that flower yet, and die ...” My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting ... and as I continued reading ...“Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk ...”
I rushed to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread ... Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone ...
That’s life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness.
天底下最真挚的爱情（1）
佚名
我一个朋友正处于热恋之中，她幸福地坦言，恋爱时，天空似乎更蓝了。莫扎特的音乐让她感动得流泪。恋爱使她的体重减轻了15磅，她看起来像个封面女郎。
“我又年轻了！”她兴奋地喊道。
在朋友对她的新欢赞不绝口时，我又重新审视我的旧爱。丈夫斯科特与我结婚快20年了，体重增加了15磅，曾是马拉松选手的他，如今却只能从楼上跑到楼下的医院大厅。他的发际线不断后移。从体形可以看出，他经常超负荷地工作，并且甜食吃得太多。但约会时，餐桌对面的他仍会向我使某种眼色，使我领会其中的含义，结账回家。
当朋友问我“是什么使你们的爱持续至今”时，我毫不犹豫地列举了一些显性因素：责任感、共同的兴趣爱好、无私、身体吸引力，再者就是沟通。当然，还有其他诸多因素：我们会时常寻找乐趣，创造一些欢乐时光。昨天，斯科特把捆报纸的橡皮筋拉下来，然后调皮地弹向我，“战争”由此一发而不可收拾；上周六在杂货店，我们把购物单一分为二，比赛谁先抢购完到达收银台，谁就是胜利者；即便是一起洗碗，我们也要打斗一番。只要在一起，我们就开开心心的。
我与斯科特常会给对方带来惊喜。一次，我回到家，发现门上贴着一张小纸条，上面的内容指引我找到了另一张纸条，接着又是一张，最后指引我走到小储藏室。我打开门，发现斯科特手里捧着“金罐子”（我的蒸煮锅），还拿着一个装着“财富”的大礼包。有时我也会把写给他的纸条贴在镜子上，偷偷地在他的枕头下藏一个小礼物。
我们都理解对方。我理解他为什么一定要和老朋友们出去打篮球，而他也理解我为什么每年都要离开他和孩子，去与姐妹们聚会，连续几天无休止地聊天说笑。
我们同甘共苦。不仅分担忧愁的家事和身为父母的责任，也分享各自的见解。上个月，斯科特参加了一个会议，给我带回一本很厚的历史小说。虽然他比较喜欢惊悚和科幻类小说，但他还是在飞机上把它读完了。他说是为了在我读完后，能和我交流见解。听了这番话，我感动不已。
我们彼此宽容。当我在派对上不顾一切，疯狂地喧闹时，斯科特原谅了我；而当他用我们的一点积蓄炒股炒赔了，向我坦白时，我抱紧他，安慰道：“没关系，钱乃身外之物。”
我们心有灵犀。上周，他回到家，一进门我便从他的神情中看出他心情不好。他逗孩子们玩了一会儿后，我便问他怎么了。他告诉我，一个60岁的老太太中风了。想到病人的丈夫会站在床边爱抚她的手时，他哭了。他实在不忍心告诉病人的丈夫，与他共度了40年的妻子可能永远不能康复！我的眼泪也流了下来，为那可恶的病魔，为这世间维系了40年的婚姻，也为丈夫这么多年来在医院目睹了无数垂死的病人后还能有如此的感动和怜悯！
我们都有坚定的信念。上周四，一个朋友到我家来，向我诉说了她的忧虑，她担心丈夫会逐渐丧失与癌症抗争的勇气和信心。周三，我和一个朋友吃午饭，她正努力使离婚后混乱的生活步入正轨。周四，一个邻居打电话告诉我，她公公得了可怕的老年痴呆症。周五，我一个儿时的玩伴打来长途电话告诉我，他父亲去世了。我放下电话，心里想着一周内竟连续发生这么多令人揪心的悲剧。泪水模糊了我的双眼。我走出家门想做点什么，发现窗外橙色的剑兰花竟然开了，儿子和他的伙伴们玩耍的欢声笑语传到耳边，邻居正在举办婚宴，新娘子穿着缎面有花边修饰的婚纱，把花束抛向欢呼雀跃的朋友。那一夜，我把这一切都讲给丈夫听，人生轮回，悲欢离合总会伴随我们。我们将这样相濡以沫地生活下去。
天底下最真挚的爱情（2）
最后一个原因，我们互相了解。我知道斯科特每晚都会把换洗的衣服扔向洗衣篓，却总也扔不进去；我知道大多数约会他都会迟到，因而会被罚吃剩下的最后一块巧克力。他知道我睡觉时喜欢用枕头把头蒙起来；我时常忘带钥匙，进不了家门，因此我也会自觉地吃掉最后一块巧克力。
我猜想，或许是舒适的感觉让我们的爱延续至今。今天的天空和昨天的一样，并没有变得更蓝，它仍是我们熟悉的颜色；我们也不再有年轻的感觉；我们经历的太多了，而正是这些经历让我们成长，让我们更理性，让我们不断增值，构成了我们的回忆。
我希望我们已经得到了使爱情延续的秘诀。结婚时，斯科特在我的戒指上刻上了罗伯特?布朗宁的诗词：“陪我到老吧！”我们始终恪守着这一誓言。
The Best Kind of Love
Anonymous
I have a friend who is falling in love. She honestly claims the sky is bluer. Mozart moves her to tears. She has lost 15 pounds and looks like a cover girl.
“I’m young again！” she shouts exuberantly1.
As my friend raves on about her new love, I’ve taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows the signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home.
When my friend asked me， “What will make this love last？” I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication. Yet there’s more. We still have fun. Spontaneous2 good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled up newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first. Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together.
And there are surprises. One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me to another note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a “pot of gold” (my cooking kettle) and the “treasure” of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow.
There is understanding. I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And he understands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids—and even him—to meet my sisters for a few days of nonstop talking and laughing.
There is sharing. Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens—we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction3, he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I’d read it.
天底下最真挚的爱情（3）
There is forgiveness. When I’m embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, “It’s okay. It’s only money.”
There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it’s been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year-old woman who’d had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman’s husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover？ I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.
There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her father-in-law’s personality. On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought： this is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous4 orange blossoms of the gladiolus5 outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor’s house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.
Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper6 every night; he’ll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I’ll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.
I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it’s just a familiar hue. We don’t feel particularly young: we’ve experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.
I hope we’ve got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott’s wedding band engraved with Robert Browning’s line “Grow old along with me！” We’re following those instructions.