爱如鲜花盛开

爱如鲜花盛开

源自：网络 | 主播：孟飞Phoenix

I was nine

when my father first sent me flowers.

我九岁那年

父亲第一次送花给我。



I had been taking tap-dancing lessons

for six months,

and the school was giving its yearly recital.

当时，我加入学校踢踏舞班才六个月，

正逢学校举办一年一度的演出。



As an excited member

of the beginners' chorus line,

I was aware of my lowly status.

我只能加入新学员合唱队，

却依然兴致勃勃，

不过我清楚自己只是个不起眼的小角色。



So it was a surprise

to have my name called out

at the end of the show

along with the lead dancers

and to find my arms

full of long-stemmed red roses.

令人惊喜的是，

演出一结束，

我竟被叫到前台，

双手捧着一束枝繁叶茂的红玫瑰

与主舞的演员站在一起。



I can still feel myself standing on that stage,

blushing furiously and gazing over the footlights

to see my fathers grin as he applauded loudly.

我至今还感到自己像是站在舞台上，

双颊绯红，

我越过绚丽的脚灯光线向下张望，

看见父亲的笑脸。



Those roses were the first

in a series of large bouquets

that accompanied

all the milestones in my life.

他一面使劲地鼓掌，

一面快活地笑着。

这束鲜花是第一束，

往后每逢我人生的一个里程碑，

父亲都要送我一大束鲜花。



They brought a sense

of embarrassment.

可我的心情总是有些矛盾。



I enjoyed them,

but was flustered by the extravagance.

既高兴，又有些尴尬。

我喜爱鲜花，可又为这种奢侈而不安。



Not my father.

父亲却从不会觉得不安。



He did everything in a big way.

他做什么事都特别大方。



If you sent him to the bakery for a cake,

he came back with three.

如果你让他去面包房买一块蛋糕，

他一定会买回来三块



Once,when Mother told him

I needed a new party dress,

he brought home a dozen.

一次，

母亲对他说我需要一件新的派对礼服，

他竟买回来一打。



His behavior often left us without funds

for other more important things.

他的做法总是让我们没有钱

再去添置其他更需要的东西。



After the dress incident,

there was no money

for the winter coat I really needed

or the new ice skates I wanted.

那次礼服事件后，

家里就再也没钱去买我真正急需的冬大衣，

或者我一直向往的新溜冰鞋。



Sometimes I would be angry with him,

but not for long.

有时我会为这些事跟父亲赌气，

但时间都不会长。



Inevitably he would buy me something

to make up with me.

他照例会买些礼物与我和好。




The gift was so apparently

an offering of love he could not verbalize

that I would throw my arms around him

and kiss him-an act

that undoubtedly perpetuated his behavior.

这些礼物如此真切地传达着他不善用言辞表达的爱，

这时，我便会抱住爸爸，并送上一个亲吻，

这样的举动，无疑会使他继续这样的大方。



Then came my 16th birthday.

之后迎来了我16岁生日。



It was not a happy occasion.

可这并不是个快乐的时刻。



I was fat and had no boyfriend.

我长得很胖，还没有男朋友。



And my well-meaning parents

furthered my misery by giving me a party.

好心的父母为我准备了生日晚会，

可这更让我觉得痛苦。



As I entered the dining room,

there on the table next to my cake

was a huge bouquet of flowers,

bigger than any before.

我走进餐厅，

看见餐桌上生日蛋糕旁边，

摆着很大一束鲜花，

比以往的任何一束都要大。



I wanted to hide.

我真想躲起来。



Now everyone would think

my father had sent flowers

because I had no boyfriend to do it.

现在谁都会以为我没有男朋友送花，

只好由父亲来送了。



Sweet 16，and I felt like crying.

16岁该是最美好的，而我却只想哭。




I probably would have,

but my best friend,Phyllis,whispered,

"Boy,you're lucky to have a father like that."

或许当时我的确哭了，

但我最好的朋友 菲利斯，

在我耳边小声说：

“嘿，孩子，你有这样的父亲可真幸运。”




As the years passed,

other occasion-birthdays,

recitals