短篇小說閱讀:月老牽引的紅線之錢包(1)大綱

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.

一個寒冷的日子，我在回家的路上偶然發現了一個遺失的錢夾。我拾起它並試圖找到一些可聯繫失主的身份證明。但是皮夾中只有３元錢和一封被弄皺的信，這封信看來好像已經放在錢夾裏很多年了。信封已磨損，惟有寄信人的住址還清晰可辨。我打開信，希望找到一些線索。信的落款日期是1924年，差不多寫於60年前。信的雋秀筆跡出自女性之手，在淡藍色信箋的左側角落有一朵小花。這是一封“絕情信”，寫給邁克爾的，發信人因她母親的阻攔再不能見他。即便如此，她寫道她仍會一直愛他。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，沒有其他辦法確定皮夾的主人。或許詢問信息臺，話務員可以通過信封上的住址查到電話。話務員建議我和她的負責人說，那位負責人猶豫了一會兒，然後說：嗯，“有那個住址的電話號碼，但我不能給你。”她說出於禮貌，她可以打那個電話，說明我的情況後，看接電話的人是否願意讓她再與我聯繫。

I waited a few minutes and then the supervisor 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，然後那位負責人回到線上：“有一位女士將會和你說。”我問電話另一端的女士，她是否認識一個叫漢娜的人。她吃驚地說：“哦！我們從一戶人家買來這棟房子，他們家的女兒叫漢娜。但已經是30年前的事了！”“你知道那戶人家現在可能住在哪裏嗎？”我追問。“我記得漢娜數年以前將她的母親送到一家養老院，”女人說，“如果你和他們聯繫，他們可能會找到她女兒。”她給了我養老院的名字，我撥通了電話。電話中的女人告訴我老婦人數年前就已經過世，但是養老院確實有個電話號碼，老婦人的女兒可能住在那裏。我謝過養老院的人並按她給我的號碼去了電話。接電話的女人解釋說現在漢娜自己也是住在一家養老院內。我想這整件事真是太傻了，爲什麼我費這麼大的勁去找只有３美元和一封信的錢夾主人，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. "

然而不管怎麼樣，我還是打電話給漢娜所在的養老院，接電話的男人告訴我，“是的，漢娜是和我們在一起。”即使已經是晚上10點了，我還是問是否可以前去看她，那人猶豫地說：“好吧，你可以試試運氣，她可能在客廳裏看電視。”

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. "

我謝過了他並開車到養老院。值夜班的護士和一個守衛在門口接待了我。我們上了大樓的三層。在客廳中，護士向漢娜介紹了我。她是一個和藹的老人，滿頭銀髮，面帶微笑，神采奕奕。我告訴她關於拾到錢夾的事並給她看了信。她看見左邊有花的淡藍色信封的一刻，深深地吸了一口氣並說：“年輕人，這封信是我和邁克爾的最後聯繫。”她把視線轉向別處，陷入沉思，然後柔和地說：“我非常愛他，但是我那時只有16歲，我母親覺得我年齡太小了。哦，他是如此英俊，看起來像演員肖恩·康納利一樣。”