妻子的陶瓷天鵝

My wife, Loretta, who had terminal pancreatic cancer, received a package containing a beautiful white ceramic swan.

我的妻子洛蕾塔得了晚期胰腺癌。她收到了一個包裹里面裝著一只陶瓷天鵝。

It had cost $100, and our bills were multiplying rapidly.

它價值100美元，而當時我們(用于醫(yī)療等方面的花銷)已經(jīng)如流水。

“How could you do this?” I burst out.

“你怎么可以這樣?”我咆哮道。

“I ordered it a long time ago. I really wanted it,” she replied tearfully.

“我很早以前就定了，而且我真的很想要，”妻子淚流滿面的說道。

“It’s all right,” I said, ashamed.

“好吧。”我說著感到內(nèi)疚。

“I love you, Bill, and I don’t want to die,” she said.

“比爾，我愛你，而且我也不想死。”妻子又這樣說道。

“I love you too,” I said.

“我也愛你。”我回答道。

The darkness of my scolding turned into a bright moment of mutual love.

于是，本來是我無情的責罵，就這樣演變成了一段充滿愛的片刻。

Twenty-five years later, the swan remains. That moment is etched upon my heart.

25年了，這只陶瓷天鵝依舊還在，它似乎提醒著我，而那段與妻子的對話已經(jīng)被深深地刻在心里。