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寻找拉尔夫 （美国）丽丝·约翰逊 陈荣生 译
（图片欣赏——李健丽摄/湛江） 他们结婚48年了。 妈妈得了绝症。通往终点的路是残酷而漫长的。爸爸停止了工作，留在家里。照顾妈妈是一项全职工作。他的生意垮了。我们靠存款度日。 妈妈喜欢在家里过。她想在家人、回忆和她所熟知的东西的围绕下度过她最后的日子。爸爸二话不说接受了。 很多朋友过来帮忙，但爸爸却是24小时全天候“值班”。在最后的两周，我们把她送到安宁疗护所。她需要专业的照顾了。 爸爸睡在那里，吃在那里，以确保妈妈感到温暖。她入睡后他仍然握着她的手。 我曾劝过爸爸：“回家吧。休息一下。”我不得不把他赶出去，回家把自己收拾干净。爸爸不想让妈妈独自度过，哪怕是一分钟。 最后一刻到来时，爸爸跪在妈妈的床边。他知道。她知道。她的手被温柔地握在他的手中。 看到妈妈的离去让人很伤心。但这也让我看到了她从爸爸那里得到的奉献、爱和非凡的关怀。安宁疗护所的员工也全都看到了。 “你爸爸的奉献真伟大，”一位护士渴望地说。 “我这一生从未见过，”一位医生说。 后来发生了一件事，改变了我对爱情和人生的看法。一位照顾了妈妈很长时间的护士走到我身边。我仍能清楚地记得她的相貌。 “丽丝，”她说，“我有件事要说。我在开始照顾你妈妈的时候已经订婚了。” “现在已经解除了，”她接着说。 当我表示同情的时候，她打断了我的话。 “丽丝，不要感到遗憾。我不感到遗憾。这是我的选择。我的男人没法比得上你爸爸，拉尔夫。 “我以前不知道世上还有这样的奉献。我已经决定了，我要等到我找到一个像你爸爸那样的男人为止。 “我想要一位拉尔夫。” （译自《父亲改变了我的人生》） 您若认为此文对教育有益，敬 请 传 阅、推 荐、转 载。 原文如下，若有问题，可留言，我将尽量回答。 Finding a Ralph contributed by Lise Johnson They were married 48 years. Mom became terminally ill. The road to the end was brutal and long. Dad stopped work and stayed home. Caring for Mom was a fulltime job. His business folded. We lived off savings. Mom loved it at home. She wanted to spend her last days surrounded by family, memories, and the things she knew. Dad would have it no other way. Friends pitched in to help, but Dad was “on duty” ’round the clock. In the final two weeks, we moved her to hospice. She needed professional care. Dad slept there. Ate there. Ensured Mom was warm. He held her hand while she slept. I’d urge Dad, “Go home. Take a break.” I had to kick him out just to go home and clean up. Dad did not want Mom to spend one single minute alone. When the final moment arrived, Dad knelt next to Mom’s bed. He knew. She knew. Her hand was cupped gently in his. It hurt badly to see Mom go. But it helped to see the devotion, the love, and the remarkable care she received from my dad. Others throughout the hospice saw it, as well. “Your dad’s devotion,” said one nurse wistfully. “Never in all my years,” a doctor shared. And then something happened that changed my perspective on love, on life. A nurse who had spent considerable time with Mom approached me. I can still see her face clearly. “Lise,” she said, “I have something to share. I was engaged when I started your mom’s care.” “No longer,” she continued. When I expressed sympathy, she interrupted. “Lise, don’t be sorry. I’m not. This was my choice. My man was no match for your dad, Ralph. “I didn’t know devotion like that existed in this world. I decided I would wait until I could find a man like your dad. “I want a Ralph.” |
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