贝尔阿姨的鲜花
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〔美〕卡罗尔・麦卡杜・瑞荷米／原著
秋暮寒／编译
Meg glanced out the window when she heard the screen door creak next door. She saw Belle heading toward the circus-bright blossoms in her flowerbeds. “Aunt” Belle was no one’s aunt in particular, but she was claimed as such by everyone in this new neighborhood. Especially the kids―they all adored her.
Speaking of kids... Meg sighed. She needed to apologize for the way her own had acted. What an embarrassing first introduction to a neighbor, she thought. She headed out the door, praying that her apology would be accepted.
“Are your flowers this abundant every year?” Meg frowned at the dandelions freckling her own back lawn.
“Oh my, yes,” answered Aunt Belle as she plucked a spindly weed and pinched a spent bloom. “They are my pride and joy.”
“I can see that. You spend a great deal of time working with them and it shows. Your yard is beautiful! Obviously, my kids think so, too,” Meg rushed to add. “I’m sorry my daughter picked your new bedding petunias, Belle. It won’t happen again.”
“Don’t let it worry you, dear. Children are more important than flowers. The petunias will come back.” Aunt Belle adjusted her frayed straw hat.
But it did worry Meg. As the weeks wore on, her kids quickly made new friends up and down the block. Now an entire army of children stormed the house and yard in summertime abandon. No matter how much she cautioned―and threatened―they overflowed into Belle’s yard next door. Meg paid another visit to Aunt Belle.
“I noticed that our basketball knocked the blossoms off your prized peonies. I’m so sorry.”
Yet, it didn’t seem to frazzle Aunt Belle, however. “Children are more important than flowers,” she said again. “The peonies will come back.”
As the weeks wore on, her yard took a backseat when it came to the kids. In fact, she championed them, all the while encouraging their visits, laughing at their antics, plying them with homegrown nosegays and homemade treats.
One hot month melted into another. Meg’s temper got shorter while her apologies grew longer.
“I see the kids have worn a path through the corner of your lawn. It’s their latest ‘shortcut.’ I can’t believe I didn’t catch them at it sooner.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Belle. I saw tracks crisscrossing your violets, and I’m personally acquainted with the guilty party. I’ll remind him to keep his bicycle on the sidewalk where it belongs.”
“Sorry again, Aunt Belle. Honestly, you must be a saint to put up with all these kids tearing through your beautiful yard. What were they thinking to let the dog roll and dig in your marigold bed? Your beautiful flowers are ruined!”
But, no matter what, Aunt Belle’s angelic smile never wavered and neither did her reply. “It’s fine, dear. Don’t worry so. Children are more important than flowers. The flowers will come back.”
Meg thanked God for a neighbor as forgiving as He was. Meg tried not to worry. After all, the children didn’t seem to. They knew Aunt Belle was always available to listen to both sides of a disagreement, kiss a skinned elbow, and praise a slam-dunk. Her broom swept aside their capers along with her raining rose petals. In her patient way, Aunt Belle nourished both her garden and the blossoming children.
And so the summer passed, as did many summers after that. The pattern never changed: Aunt Belle serenely nursed bruised blossoms; Meg begged pardon for more “problems.” By ones and by twos, all the kids grew up.
Today, Meg grinned as she walked into Room 33 at Four Seasons Manor. There sat her elderly friend, parked in a wheel chair, puttering with a row of posies.
“I can tell that it’s summertime again, Aunt Belle, just by glancing at your windowsill. Why, look at all the flowers!”
An impressive collection lined the wall. Vases of fresh-cut roses and peonies, flanked by crocks of marigolds and jars of pansies, haloed Aunt Belle’s angel-white hair. Her delicate fingers tamped the rich, damp soil that molded a clay pot of nodding violets.
“Yes, aren’t they lovely, Dear?” Aunt Belle glowed. “I’ve had so many visitors lately, mostly children from the old neighborhood. My, my, how they’ve grown. And each one who visits brings me flowers.” Delphinium-blue eyes watered. “What a beautiful surprise.”
Inhaling the earthy, garden blend of fragrance and friend, Meg slipped an arm around fragile shoulders.
“Why, that shouldn’t surprise you, Aunt Belle. Don’t you remember? You always promised, ‘They’ll come back.’ And you were right. They have.”
当听到隔壁家的纱门吱嘎吱嘎作响时，梅格向窗外瞥了一眼，看到贝尔正向她花圃里鲜花盛开的花坛走去。其实，贝尔“阿姨”并不是谁的阿姨，但是在这个新居住区里每个人都这么称呼她。尤其是那些小孩子们――他们都非常喜欢她。
说起小孩子们，梅格不禁叹了口气。她必须要为自己孩子的行为去向贝尔阿姨道歉。和新邻居的第一次接触就是向她道歉，这是多么令人尴尬啊。梅格一边向外走一边祈祷着自己的道歉能够被贝尔阿姨所接受。
“您每年都种这么多的花儿吗？”梅格看着斑驳点缀在自己家后院草坪上的蒲公英，皱着眉头问道。
“喔！是的，”贝尔阿姨一边拔着花圃里细长的杂草，掐掉已经枯萎的花朵，一边答道，“它们是我的骄傲和欢乐！”
“看得出来，您是花了大量的时间来侍弄它们的。您的院子真漂亮！很显然，我的孩子们也是这么认为的。”梅格突然补充说，“我很抱歉，贝尔，我女儿摘走了您刚种上的牵牛花。今后不会再发生这样的事了。”
“哦，亲爱的，你千万别为这件事感到烦恼。孩子比花可要重要得多啊！牵牛花还会再长出来的。”贝尔阿姨整理着她那顶已经被磨破的草帽说道。
但是，梅格仍旧为这件事感到不安。几个星期过去了，她的孩子们很快就在这个街区里各处交了许多新朋友。这不，夏天没人管的日子一到，她的孩子们就带着他们的那一帮“童子军”席卷而至，在她家的屋子里和院子里大闹天宫起来。不管她怎样劝阻甚至威吓，他们仍旧挤到了隔壁贝尔阿姨家的院子里去。梅格只好又一次来到了贝尔阿姨家。
“我看到我们家的篮球砸到了你那非常珍贵的牡丹花。我感到非常抱歉。”
然而，贝尔阿姨好像并不在意，“孩子比花可要重要得多啊！”她再一次说道，“那些牡丹花还会再长出来的。”
几个星期又过去了，孩子们对贝尔阿姨的花园已经不再像以往那样热衷了。事实上，贝尔阿姨非常喜欢那些孩子，总是鼓励他们来玩，看着他们滑稽古怪的姿态捧腹大笑，热情地送给他们自己亲自栽种制作的花束，还做东西给他们吃。
就这样，炎热的季节一个月一个月地过去了。梅格每次去向贝尔阿姨道歉的时间越来越长，她的脾气也变得越来越暴躁。
“我看到那些孩子在您家草坪的拐角处踩出了一条路。那是他们最近以来走的‘捷径’。我居然没能早些逮住他们，真让我难以想象。”
“非常抱歉，贝尔阿姨。我看到您的紫罗兰花圃里有来来往往的车辙，而我与这个作案者又是认识的，今后，我会提醒他要在规定的人行道上骑自行车的。”
“再次感到抱歉，贝尔阿姨。您一定是一位虔诚的圣徒，真的，虽然孩子们在您美丽的花园到处乱窜，但您对他们却是这么宽容。他们的脑子里到底装的是什么，居然让狗到您的万寿圃里去打滚、挖坑！您那些美丽的花儿都被毁坏了！”
但是，不论发生什么事，贝尔阿姨的脸上总是挂着天使一样迷人的微笑，而且，她的回答也总是：“哦，亲爱的，没关系的。孩子比花可要重要得多啊！花儿还会再长出来的。”
看着这位像上帝一样宽容仁慈的邻居，梅格的内心对上帝充满了感激。梅格于是尝试着不再为这件事烦恼。毕竟，孩子们好像从不为此烦恼。他们知道贝尔阿姨总会在他们吵架时耐心聆听双方不同的意见，也会亲吻他们擦破皮的胳膊肘，还会鼓励赞扬他们的扣篮。当他们把玫瑰花瓣到处乱撒玩恶作剧时，贝尔阿姨却总是毫不在意地帮他们收拾。在贝尔阿姨耐心的培育下，她的花圃里的花儿和孩子们一起茁壮地成长着。
就这样，一个夏天过去了……许多个夏天过去了。但这样的情景却不停地重复着：贝尔阿姨平静地呵护着那些被打伤的花儿；而梅格则为不断出现的“问题”去请求贝尔阿姨的原谅。逐渐地，孩子们一个个都长大了。
今天，当梅格走进四季庄园第33号房间的时候，她快乐地笑着。房间里，她那已经上了年纪的老朋友正坐在轮椅里，摆弄着一排鲜花。
“贝尔阿姨，看到您的窗台，我就知道夏天又到了。哎呀！看看这些花儿！”
只见墙边显眼地整齐摆放着各种各样的鲜花，花瓶里插着刚剪下来的玫瑰和牡丹，还有两旁摆放着的一坛坛万寿菊和一瓶瓶的三色紫罗兰，映衬着贝尔阿姨那一头天使一样的白发。她用她那灵巧的手指夯实那栽植着垂首紫罗兰的陶制花盆里的肥沃潮湿的土壤。
“是啊，亲爱的，它们多漂亮多可爱啊！”贝尔阿姨的脸上焕发着容光，高兴地答道，“最近，有很多人来看望我，主要还是原来老邻居的那些孩子们。哎呀，他们可都长大了。他们来看我的时候都带着鲜花呢！”说着说着，她那双靛蓝色的眼睛湿润了，“哦，这是多么美好的意外惊喜啊！”
呼吸着花园里泥土的芳香，感悟着朋友之间的情谊，梅格不禁伸出胳膊环抱着贝尔阿姨那虚弱的双肩。
“哦，贝尔阿姨，您不应该感到惊讶的。您还记得吗？以前，您总是预言说‘那些花儿还会再长出来的。’您是多么正确啊，瞧，它们果然又长出来了！”
（责编：王莉娟）