文／［美］伊莱恩·庞达特　译／鹏程

The bed was about forty-five years old when Mom passed it along to me a few months after my father died. I decided to strip the wood and refinish it for my daughter Melanie. The headboard was full of scratches.

Just before starting to take the paint off, I noticed that one of the scratches was a date: September 18, 1946, the day my parents were married. Then it struck me – this was the first Omega Replica Watches bed they had as husband and wife!

父亲去世后没几个月,妈妈将那张差不多有45年历史的床送给了我。我准备将床板拆开,然后刨一刨给女儿梅莱恩钉张小床,结果发现床头上尽是刮痕。

就在开始蹭掉油漆前,我注意到其中一个刮痕是一个日期:1946年9月18日。这是我父母的结婚纪念日。我突然想起这是他们结为夫妻后的第一张床。

Right above their wedding date was another name and date “Elizabeth, October 22, 1947.”

My mother answered the phone. “Who is Elizabeth,” I asked, “and what does October 22, 1947, mean?” 

“She’s your sister.”

I knew Mom had lost a baby, but I never saw this as any-thing more than a misfortune for my parents. After all, they went on to have five more children.

在结婚日期上方又是一个名字和日期:“伊丽莎白,1947年10月22日。”

我给妈妈打电话询问。“谁是伊丽莎白?”我问,“1947年10月22日是什幺意思?”

“她是你的姐姐。”

我知道妈妈曾经失去过一个孩子,但我从来没意识到这件事对我的父母来说是多大的不幸。再说,他们一口气又生了五个。

“You gave her a name?” I asked. 

“Yes. Elizabeth has been watching us from heaven for forty-five years. She’s as much a part of me as any of you.” 

“Mom, there are a lot of dates and names I don’t recognize on the headboard.” 

“June 8, 1959?” Mom asked. 

“Yes. It says ‘Sam.’”

“您给她取的名字?”我问。

“是的。45年来,伊丽莎白一直在天堂注视着我们,她在我的心中跟你们任何一个一样重要。”

“妈妈,床头上有许多我弄不明白的日期和姓名。”

“1959年6月8日?”她问。

“是的,上面写着‘山姆。”

“Sam was a black man who worked for your father at the plant. Your father was fair with everyone, treating those under him with equal respect, no matter what their race or religion. But there was a lot of racial tension at that time. There was also a union strike and a lot of trouble.

“One night, some strikers surrounded your dad before he got to his car. Sam showed up with several friends, and the crowd dispersed. No one was hurt. The strike eventually ended, but your dad never forgot Sam. He said Sam was an answer to his prayer.” 

“山姆是一个曾在农场上给你爸爸干活的黑人。你爸爸对谁都是那样的公平,无论他们是什幺种族和信仰,他总是给予他手下的人以平等的尊重。然而,当时种族这根弦绷得很紧,工会罢工,工人闹事。一天晚上,你爸爸还没钻进汽车,就被一群罢工者围住,幸亏山姆带着几位朋友赶到解了围,才无人受伤。罢工终于结束了,但你爸爸永远也忘不了他,他说山姆是他祈祷的回报。”