The Wallet 錢(qián)夾

緣分到底是什么?一個(gè)路人的拾金不昧竟是月老設(shè)下的紅線?多年后終究重逢的苦命鴛鴦是否能再續(xù)前緣?

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline -- 1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years earlier. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting, on powder-blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John"letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed Hannah.

一個(gè)寒冷的日子，我在回家的路上偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)遺失的錢(qián)夾。我拾起它并試圖找到一些可聯(lián)系失主的身份證明。但是皮夾中只有3元錢(qián)和一封被弄皺的信，這封信看來(lái)好像已經(jīng)放在錢(qián)夾里很多年了。信封已磨損，惟有寄信人的住址還清晰可辨。我打開(kāi)信，希望找到一些線索。信的落款日期是1924年，差不多寫(xiě)于60年前。信的雋秀筆跡出自女性之手，在淡藍(lán)色信箋的左側(cè)角落有一朵小花。這是一封"絕情信"，寫(xiě)給邁克爾的，發(fā)信人因她母親的阻攔再不能見(jiàn)他。即便如此，她寫(xiě)道她仍會(huì)一直愛(ài)他。署名是漢娜。

It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way, except for the name Michael, to identify the owner. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. The operator suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can’t give you the number. " She said as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and ask whoever answered if the person wanted her to connect me.

這是一封精美的信，但是除了邁克爾的名字以外，沒(méi)有其他辦法確定皮夾的主人。或許詢問(wèn)信息臺(tái)，話務(wù)員可以通過(guò)信封上的住址查到電話。話務(wù)員建議我和她的負(fù)責(zé)人說(shuō)，那位負(fù)責(zé)人猶豫了一會(huì)兒，然后說(shuō)："嗯，有那個(gè)住址的電話號(hào)碼，但我不能給你。"她說(shuō)出于禮貌，她可以打那個(gè)電話，說(shuō)明我的情況后，看接電話的人是否愿意讓她再與我聯(lián)系。

I waited a few minutes and then the super-visor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you. " I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped. " Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was thirty years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago, "the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them, they might be able to track down the daughter. "She gave me the name of the nursing home, and I called the number. The woman on the phone told me the old lady had passed away some years ago, but the nursing home did have a phone number for where the daughter might be living. I thanked the person at the nursing home and phoned the number she gave me. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home. This whole thing is stupid, I thought to myself. Why am I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that has only three dollars and a letter that is almost sixty years old?

我等候了幾分鐘，然后那位負(fù)責(zé)人回到線上："有一位女士將會(huì)和你說(shuō)。"我問(wèn)電話另一端的女士，她是否認(rèn)識(shí)一個(gè)叫漢娜的人。她吃驚地說(shuō)："哦!我們從一戶人家買(mǎi)來(lái)這棟房子，他們家的女兒叫漢娜。但已經(jīng)是30年前的事了!""你知道那戶人家現(xiàn)在可能住在哪里嗎?"我追問(wèn)。"我記得漢娜數(shù)年以前將她的母親送到一家養(yǎng)老院，"女人說(shuō)，"如果你和他們聯(lián)系，他們可能會(huì)找到她女兒。"她給了我養(yǎng)老院的名字，我撥通了電話。電話中的女人告訴我老婦人數(shù)年前就已經(jīng)過(guò)世，但是養(yǎng)老院確實(shí)有個(gè)電話號(hào)碼，老婦人的女兒可能住在那里。我謝過(guò)養(yǎng)老院的人并按她給我的號(hào)碼去了電話。接電話的女人解釋說(shuō)現(xiàn)在漢娜自己也是住在一家養(yǎng)老院內(nèi)。我想這整件事真是太傻了，為什么我費(fèi)這么大的勁去找只有3美元和一封信的錢(qián)夾主人，而那封信差不多已有60年了?

Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living, and the man who answered the phone told me , "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "Even though it was already 10 P. M. , I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well, "he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television. "

然而不管怎么樣，我還是打電話給漢娜所在的養(yǎng)老院，接電話的男人告訴我，"是的，漢娜是和我們?cè)谝黄稹?即使已經(jīng)是晚上10點(diǎn)了，我還是問(wèn)是否可以前去看她，那人猶豫地說(shuō)："好吧，你可以試試運(yùn)氣，她可能在客廳里看電視。"

I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silverhaired old-timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder-blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael. "She looked away for a moment, deep in thought, and then said softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only sixteen at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor. "

我謝過(guò)了他并開(kāi)車(chē)到養(yǎng)老院。值夜班的護(hù)士和一個(gè)守衛(wèi)在門(mén)口接待了我。我們上了大樓的三層。在客廳中，護(hù)士向漢娜介紹了我。她是一個(gè)和藹的老人，滿頭銀發(fā)，面帶微笑，神采奕奕。我告訴她關(guān)于拾到錢(qián)夾的事并給她看了信。她看見(jiàn)左邊有花的淡藍(lán)色信封的一刻，深深地吸了一口氣并說(shuō)："年輕人，這封信是我和邁克爾的最后聯(lián)系。"她把視線轉(zhuǎn)向別處，陷入沉思，然后柔和地說(shuō)："我非常愛(ài)他，但是我那時(shí)只有16歲，我母親覺(jué)得我年齡太小了。哦，他是如此英俊，看起來(lái)像演員肖恩·康納利一樣。"