[美文欣賞]

A Faraway Friend is someone you grew up with or went to school with or lived in the same town as until one of you moved away. Without a Faraway Friend, you would never get any mail addressed in handwriting. A Faraway Friend calls late at night, invites you to her wedding, always says she is coming to visit but rarely shows up. An actual visit from a Faraway Friend is a cause for celebration and binges of all kinds. Cigarettes, Chips Ahoy, bottles of tequila.the Former Friend. A sad thing. At best a wistful memory, at worst a dangerous enemy who is in possession of many of your deepest secrets. But what was it that drove you apart? A misunderstanding, a betrayed confidence, an unrepaid loan, an ill-conceived flirtation. A poor choice of spouse can do in a friendship just like that. Going into business together can be a serious mistake. Time, money, distance, cult religions: all noted friendship killers.

A New Friend is a tonic unlike any other. Say you meet her at a party. In your bowling league. At a Japanese conversation class, perhaps.

Wherever, whenever, there's that spark of recognition. The first time you talk, you can't believe how much you have in common. Suddenly, your life story is interesting again, your insights fresh, your opinion valued. Your various shortcomings are as yet completely invisible.

[參考譯文]

遠方的朋友和你一起長大或上同一所學校，直到其中一位搬走。沒有遠方的朋友，你可能永遠也收不到一封手寫的信件。遠方的朋友半夜來訪、邀請你參加她的婚禮，總是說要來看你，但又很少露面。遠方的朋友真的來看你時，那就要慶祝一下，自然要狂歡作樂一番，少不了香煙、土豆片、歡呼聲和一瓶瓶的龍舌蘭酒。

啊，過去的朋友，一件令人傷懷的事。最好的能留給你一個情意綿綿的回憶；最糟糕的擁有你的許多機密從而成為你危險的敵人。但到底是什么使你們分手的？誤解、泄密、未償還的貸款或惡意的調情。對配偶選擇不當也會帶來同樣的后果。合伙經商可能是一個嚴重的錯誤。時間、金錢、距離、邪教都是有名的友誼殺手。

新朋友就像一種與眾不同的補品。比如說你在一個晚會上或保齡球俱樂部聯合會上遇見了她，也許在一個日本會話課上。隨時隨地，都會產生撞擊的火花。剎那間，你的人生經歷再次生動起來，你的見解新穎獨到，你的觀點得到器重，而你的各種缺點卻全然不見了。