第2章 汉诺威广场，不见不散

My Darling Wife

佚名/Anonymous

第一次见到你，真的已经是62年前的事了吗？我明白，这是一生的缘分。但此时，当我凝望着你的双眸时，一切又都像是就发生在昨天，在汉诺威广场的那间小咖啡店里。

当时，你正在为一位年轻的母亲和她的新生宝贝开门，就在那一瞬间，我看到了你的微笑；从那一刻开始，我就知道，我要与你共度我的余生。

时至今日，我仍然觉得，初次遇到你时，我凝望你的眼神看起来一定很愚钝。我记得，当时我呆呆地望着你摘下帽子，用手指轻柔地抚弄着你的黑发。

你把帽子放在桌上，双手捧一杯热气腾腾的茶，嘟着嘴轻轻地吹开热气，那一刻，我感觉自己已经完全沉醉在你的一举一动中了。

从那时起，每一件事对我来说都好像是有意义的。咖啡店里的人们，以及行走于匆忙的街道上的人们顿时都消失在了迷雾之中。我的眼中只有你。

在我的一生之中，那次的初遇曾多次在我的脑中重现。一次又一次，我坐在那里，回味着当时的情形，感受岁月如梭，再次体味着你我初遇时的那份真爱。令我感到欣慰的是，多年以后的今天我仍然能够重拾那份感觉，我知道这是我生命中永远的慰藉。

即使我在战壕中不由自主地战栗和发抖时，我也没有忘记你的容颜。我蜷缩在潮湿的泥浆中，恐惧和枪林弹雨包围着我。我握着步枪，将其紧紧地贴在胸口，再次回想起我们的初遇。当战争的号角吹响时，我在恐惧中大叫。但是当我想到你，看到你在我的背后微笑，周围的一切顿时便陷入沉寂，我与你在这宝贵的时刻里相遇，暂时远离死亡和毁灭。直到我再次睁开双眼，我才又看到周围的战火，听到屠杀的声音。

九月，我回到了你身边，那时的我，因受伤痛的折磨而变得脆弱不堪，我无法告诉你我对你的爱是多么的强烈。我们彼此紧紧拥抱，仿佛想融入对方的身体，就在那一天，我向你求婚。当你注视我的双眼，说“我愿意”时，兴高采烈的我兴奋得大叫。

此时，我正看着我们的结婚照，我一直把它放在梳妆台上——你的首饰盒旁边。那时的我们是多么年轻和天真啊！我记得你说我穿制服很神勇英俊，而那时我正站在教堂的台阶上，咧着嘴笑得像只柴郡猫。这张照片已经有些泛黄和褪色，但是每当我看到它，眼里却只有我们年轻时灿烂的容颜。

一年后，你轻轻地将我的手放在你的腹部，悄悄地告诉我，我们有孩子了。那一刻，我记得我几乎被这突如其来的幸福所击倒！

我知道我们的两个孩子都深深地爱着你，此时，他们就在门外等候着。

你记得吗？乔纳森出世时，我是多么慌张！我还记得，当我第一次把他抱在怀中，你含笑望着我时的表情。微笑中，你的眼泪夺眶而出，我望着他，也流下了开心的眼泪。

萨拉和汤姆今天早上带着小泰西来了。你还记得我们初次看到我们的小孙女时，曾紧紧地拥抱在一起吗？

亲爱的，我知道你很累，我必须要放你走。但我是如此爱你，让你离开，我好难过。

亲爱的，我必须得走了，孩子们正在外面等我，他们也希望能同你道别。

你要离开我了，我很悲痛，但是请不要担心，只要一想到我很快就能去陪你，我就感到欣慰。我知道，不久之后，我们就会在汉诺威广场上的那间小咖啡店里再次相聚。

Can it really be sixty-two years ago that I first saw you？

It is truly a lifetime， I know.But as I gaze into your eyes now， it seems like only yesterday that I first saw you， in that small cafe in Hanover Square.

From the moment I saw you smile， as you opened the door for that young mother and her newborn baby， I knew that I wanted to share the rest of my life with you.

I still think of how foolish I must have looked， as l gazed at you， that first time I remember watching you intently， as you took off your hat and loosely shook your short dark hair with your fingers I felt myself becoming immersed in your every detail， as you placed your hat on the table and cupped your hands around the hot cup of tea， gently blowing the steam away with your pouted lips.

From that moment， everything seemed to make perfect sense to me.The people in the cafe and the busy street outside all disappeared into a hazy blur.All I could see was you.

All through my life I have relived that very first day.Many， many times I have sat and thought about that the first day， and how for a few fleeting moments I am there， feeling again what is like to know true love for the very first time.It pleases me that I can still have those feelings now after all those years， and I know I will always have them to comfort me.

Not even as I shook and trembled uncontrollably in the trenches， did I forget your face.I would sit huddled into the wet mud， terrified， as the hails of bullets and mortars crashed down around me.I would clutch my rifle tightly to my heart， and think again of that very first day we met.I would cry out in fear， as the noise of war beat down around me.But， as I thought of you and saw you smiling back at me， everything around me would be silent， and I would be with you again for a few precious moments， far from the death and destruction.It would not be until I opened my eyes once again， that I would see and hear the carnage of the war around me.

I cannot tell you how strong my love for you was back then， when I returned to you on leave in the September， feeling battered， bruised and fragile.We held each other so tight I thought we would burst.I asked you to marry me the very same day and I whooped with joy when you looked deep into my eyes and said"yes"to being my bride.

I'm looking at our wedding photo now， the one on our dressing table， next to your jewellery box.I think of how young and innocent we were back then.I remember being on the church steps grinning like a Cheshire cat， when you said how dashing and handsome I looked in my uniform.The photo is old and faded now， but when I look at it， I only see the bright vibrant colors of our youth.

I remember being so over-enjoyed，when a year later， you gently held my hand to your waist and whispered in my ear that we were going to be a family.

I know both our children love you dearly； they are outside the door now， waiting.

Do you remember， how I panicked like a mad man when Jonathon was born？ I can still picture you laughing and smiling at me now， as I clumsily held him for the very first time in my arms.I watched as your laughter faded into tears， as I stared at him and cried my own tears of joy.

Sarah and Tom arrived this morning with little Tessie.Can you remember how we both hugged each other tightly when we saw our tiny granddaughter for the first time？

I know you are tired， my dear， and I must let you go.But I love you so much and it hurts to do so.

I must go now， my darling.Our children are waiting outside.They want to say goodbye to you.

I am sad that you had to leave me， but please don't worry.I am content， knowing I will be with you soon.I know it won't be long before we meet again in that small cafe in Hanover Square.