Perfect Valentine完美情人节
By Jaye Lewis
文字难度3
小云 译
在这世界上，所有拥有爱或者等待爱的人都想明白一件事情：爱情如何才算美满？当爱情逾越了年龄的界限，熬过了疾病的磨练，偿还了生活的遗憾，难道还不是一份极致的完美吗？
When my husband and I first became friends, we had no idea of any age difference between us: he’s younger than me.I had 1)inherited great 2)genes, so at the age of 34 I was still slim and young looking.Louie was fun, with a great sense of play, and yet, unafraid to take on new challenges.
We were married at a friend’s home, with three little 3)bridesmaids breathlely waiting to call Louie “Daddy.”—he adopted our daughters exactly two years after the day we had met.He is faithful and loving, and the best friend I have ever had.
However through the years, I thought that I had mied out on that romantic dinner by candle light, Louie dropping to one knee, holding out an 4)engagement ring and begging me to marry him.
Then began my health problems.Where my body once was slim and strong, it soon became 5)medicated and plump.I walked and walked and walked when I was well; and, yet, no amount of exercise could bring my body back to where it once was.By the time we had been married nearly fifteen years, one look in the mirror was enough to send my self-esteem 6)plummeting.
Louie was always loving and exciting, but I wondered if I was.I’d look at my 7)wedding band as it got tighter and had to be 8)resized.I mused that surely Louie
I 9)slipped a dozen cards into every 10)cubbyhole that day, watching as he could not want me that much anymore.joyously found and read them.But, there was nothing in the house for me, except a dinner later at a restaurant.
We ordered our drinks, and then the meal, and we watched the sun go down in brilliant splendor, and Louie handed me my card.It said all the wonderful things that always make me cry.Then suddenly he moved, and pushed his chair back.Swiftly, out of the bag, came a small 11)velvet pillow and a small box.I was stunned to see my husband kneel on the pillow and hold out the little box.Astonished, I backed my chair up.
“Jaye, I love you!” Louie declared, opening the box to expose a lovely diamond ring.“I know I don’t deserve it, but will you marry me?!”
“Oh 12)my!” I heard from the waitre behind me.All eyes in the room turned their attention to this 13)intensely private, shy, wonderful man.The room 14)exploded
with applause, as I sobbed, “YES!”
No one knew that we were an “old” married couple.No one knew or cared that I was an “older” woman.No one saw anything except our joy and our love.And I will always remember that day as my perfect Valentine!
我跟丈夫刚交往时，根本没想过我们之间的年龄差异问题：他的年纪比我小。由于遗传了优秀的基因，34岁的我依然苗条而且看起来很年轻。路易很有趣，有很强的玩乐感，然而他却毫不畏惧新挑战。
我们的婚礼是在一位朋友家中举行的，三个小女傧相在一旁屏着呼吸等着喊路易“爸爸”——就在我们相识刚好两周年的那天，他确认了与我们的女儿的亲属关系。他可靠、充满爱心，是我认识的最好的朋友。
但是这些年以来，我却觉得自己欠缺了一份经历：在浪漫的烛光晚餐中，路易单膝下跪，掏出一枚订婚戒指，举起向我求婚。
然后我的健康问题来了。我身体以前苗条结实的地方，很快因药物治疗而变得臃肿。身体状况好的时候，我经常去散步，走来走去，然而无论多大的运动量，也不能把我的身体变得跟从前一样。到了我们结婚已经将近15年的时候，就连照一下镜子，也足以把我的自尊心击垮。
路易还总是那么有爱心和充满激情，可我却怀疑自己不是了。我盯着那枚变得越来越紧、要调整大小的结婚戒指。我老是在想，路易一定不可能像以前那么爱我了。
那天，我把十几张卡片分别塞到家里各个小角落里。他不停地找卡片，读卡片，忙得不亦悦乎。可是，房子里没有什么东西是为我准备的，除了稍晚一顿外出的就餐。
我们点好了饮品和菜肴，一起观赏绚烂的日落美景，路易把写给我的卡片递给我。卡片上记录着所有总是让我感动得流泪的美好事情。然后他突然移了移位置，把椅子向后推，迅速从袋子里拿出一个天鹅绒小垫子和一个小盒子。看见丈夫跪在垫子上并举起一个小盒子，我惊呆了。在惊讶中，我将自己的椅子往后面移。
“杰伊，我爱你！”路易一边郑重地宣布，一边把盒子打开，露出一枚漂亮的钻石戒指。“我知道我不配，可是，你愿意嫁给我吗？！”“天哪！”我听到身后的女服务员惊叫。餐馆里所有人的目光都集中在这个旁若无人的、害羞的、了不起的男人身上。当我哽咽着说“我愿意”的时候，全场掌声雷动。
没有人知道我们是一对“老夫老妻”。没有人知道或在意我是个“（比他）更为年长的”女人。大家都只看到我们的快乐和爱情。我将永远不会忘记那天，那是我的完美情人节！
1)inherit v.继承，遗传而得
2)gene n.[遗传]因子，[遗传]基因
3)bridesmaid n.女傧相
4)engagement ring 订婚戒指
5)medicated adj.用药医治的，加有药的
6)plummet v.暴跌
7)wedding band 结婚戒指
8)resize v.调整大小
9)slip v.滑动，塞入
10)cubbyhole n.窄小的地方
11)velvet n.天鹅绒
12)my int.（表示惊奇等的）啊呀！
13)intensely adv.强烈地，激烈地
14)explode v.爆发，激发
日积月累—高考必备
adopt: v.① 采取，采用：adopt an idea 采纳一个意见 ② 收养，继承；承认……为某种关系（亲人、朋友、公民等）的人：adopt a puppy 收养一条小狗 ③ 正式通过，接受：The committee adopted the law.委员会通过了这项法律。 except: 除了……外
[辨异] execpt, except for, excepting 都有“除了……外”的意思，但用法有不同。
① execpt 用于表示同类事物之间的关系，后面所接部分不包括在内，且与前边是同一性质、同一类的东西。如：
Every day Mary does nothing except watch TV.每天玛丽除了看电视以外什么都不干。
② except for 用于表示对主要部分的肯定和对局部的否定。它不表示同类事物之间的关系，所接部分与前边的是不同性质或不同类的事物。如：Smith is a good man, except for his bad temper.史密斯除了脾气不好外，是个好人。 ③ excepting 是由动词转化而来的分词介词，用法较正式，含有较强的动态意味，可用于句首，或用于not, without, always 等词后，而且其后常常用名词或代词。如：
All the people in my family go to work every day, always excepting my youngest sister.我家所有的人每天都上班，除了我那个最小的妹妹以外。
