祖母的瓷器 Grandmother’s China（1/2）

克里斯蒂娜·朗德奎斯特/Kriste Lundquist

In 1949 y parents ade the big ove fro Rockford, Illois, to Southern California,along with three very ty children and all their hoehold possessions.My other had carefully ed and packed any precio faily heirloos, cdg four cartons of her other’s hand-pated dner cha.Grandother had pated this lovely set herself, choosg a fet--not pattern.

Unfortunately, sothg happened durg the ove.One box of the cha didn’t ake it.It never arrived at our new hoe.So y other had only three-quarters of the set—she had ptes of different sizes and s pieces, but issg were the cups and saucers and the bowls.Often at faily gathergs or when we would all sit down for a Thanksgivg or Christas dner, y other would say sothg about the issg cha and how she wished it had survived the trip.

When y other died1983, I herited Grandother’s cha.I, too, ed the set on any special oasions, and I, too, wondered what had happeo the issg box.

I love to prowl antique shops and flea arkets, huntg for treasures.It’s great fun to walk up and down the aisles earlythe , watchg as the vendors spread their wares on the ground.

I hadn’t been to a flea arketover a year when, one Sunday1993, I got the itch to go.So I crawled out of bed at 5 A.M.and drove an hourthe predawn darko the giant Rose Bowl Flea MarketPasadena.I walked up and dowdoor aisles, and after a uple of hours I was thkg about leavg.I rouhe st rner and took a few steps down the row when I noticed so cha strewn on the acada.I saw that it was hand-pated cha...with fet--nots! I raced over to look at it ore closely and ggerly picked up a cup and saucer...fet--nots! Exactly like Grandother’s cha, with the sa delicate strokes and the sa th gold bands around the ris.I looked at the rest of the ites—there were the cups! The saucers! The bowls! It was Grandother’s cha!

The dealer had noticed y ext, and when she ca over I told her the story of the issg box.She said the cha had e fro ae salePasadena—the own over fro Arcadia, where we had lived when I was a child.When she was gog through the s of the estate, she had found an old unopened carton storedthe garden shed, and the cha wasit.She queshohe heirs about the cha and they said that they knew nothg about it, that the box had beenthe shed“forever.”

I left the Rose Bowl Flea Market that day den with y aazg treasure.Even now, six years ter, I a filled with wohat“all the piecesthe universe”tubled together to letfd the issg cha.What would have happened if I had slept ? What gavethe itch to go to the Rose Bowl on that particur day? What if I hadn’t turhat st rner, choosg stead to leave a y achg feet?

Last week I had a dner party for fifteen friends.We ed Grandother’s cha.And at the end of the al, I proudly served ffeethose beautiful cups and saucers that had been issg for so long.

1949年，父母带着我们3个年幼的孩子，从伊利诺伊州的罗克福德搬到了很远的加州南部。母亲把许多珍贵的传家之物小心翼翼地包裹起来，其中包括祖母留下来的4箱手绘瓷器餐具。祖母选用了“勿忘我”的图案，并亲手绘制在了这些瓷器上。

遗憾的是，在搬家的时候发生了一些意外，其中一箱瓷器没能运到新家，此后也没有再找到。因此，母亲失去了那些茶杯、茶托和碗，只剩下3箱大小不一的盘子和一些其他小餐具。在家庭聚会、感恩节或圣诞节大餐时，母亲就会怀念起丢失的瓷器，并说她是多么希望那箱瓷器能够在搬运时平安到达。

1983年，母亲去世了，我继承了祖母的瓷器。就像母亲一样，我会在许多特别的场合拿出来使用，并一直想搞清楚，那箱丢失的瓷器到底发生了什么事情。

我非常喜欢到古董店和跳蚤市场去搜寻宝贝。清晨，去走道里转转，看着小贩们把瓷器摆出来，那真是一种很大的乐趣。

我已经一年多没去逛跳蚤市场了，1993年的星期天，我忽然想去转转。早上5点，我从**爬了起来，在黎明之前，摸着黑开了一个小时的车，到了位于帕萨迪纳的非常大的“玫瑰碗”跳蚤市场。在市场的走道里，我转了几个小时，然后打算离去，在转过最后的一个拐角往前走了几步后，我注意到了碎石路上摆着的几件瓷器。那些是手绘的瓷器，画着“勿忘我”的图案。于是，我跑上前去，拿起一个茶杯和一个茶托，放在眼前仔细看，那真的是“勿忘我”！精致的手法，还有描绘的金边，与祖母的瓷器一模一样。我又看了看其他瓷器，有茶杯、茶托，还有碗！这就是祖母的瓷器呀！

我的兴奋之情引起了卖主的注意，她走了过来，我把丢失的那箱瓷器的故事讲给她听。卖主说，她在帕萨迪纳购买了一处房产，就是在那里发现了这箱瓷器。帕萨迪纳是与阿卡迪亚相邻的一个小镇，我小时候就住在阿卡迪亚镇。卖主说，她在清理物品时，在花园的一个小屋里发现了这个密封的旧箱子，里面就装着这些瓷器。她向那处房产的继承人询问了此事，他们说那个箱子一直就在小屋里放着，并不知道那个箱子里装了什么、从何而来以及它的主人是谁。

带着这些令人惊异的宝贝，我离开了“玫瑰碗”跳蚤市场。6年后的今天，我对此事仍然感到惊奇，觉得这就是“一切机缘的巧合”才使我找回了丢失的瓷器。如果我那天赖床睡到很晚；如果那天我没有去“玫瑰碗”市场；如果我没有路过那个拐角，而是离开那里找个地方休息，那事情又会是怎样呢？

上个星期，我邀请了15位朋友到家里参加聚会，并把祖母的瓷器拿出来使用。用完餐，我用失去很久的茶杯和茶托为大家送上咖啡时，心中燃起了一种自豪感。

(1) ty?a.everythg that exists anywhere

(2) preciob.soone who purchases and atas aoryof goods to be sold

(3) dealer c.obvioly ntrived to char

(4) universed.very sall

Write

TRUE?if the statent agrees with the ration

FALSEif the statent ntradicts the ration

_______ (1) The writer had four sisters.

_______ (2) The writer had a dner party for fifteen friends.

1.It’s great fun to_________the aisles earlythe , watchg as thevendor s spread their wares on the ground.

清晨，去走道里转转，看着小贩们把瓷器摆出来，那真是一种很大的乐趣。

2.I love to prowl antique shops and flea arkets,_________treasures.

我非常喜欢到古董店和跳蚤市场去搜寻宝贝。 3.The dealer had noticed y ext, and when she_________I told her the

story of the issg box.

我的兴奋之情引起了卖主的注意，她走了过来，我把丢失的那箱瓷器的故事讲给她听。

健忘的奶奶 The Ice Crea Girl

佚名/Anonyo

Eleanor didn’t know what was wrong with Granda.She was always fettg thgs, like where she put the sugar, when to pay her bills, and what ti to be ready to be picked up frocery shoppg.

“What’s wrong with Granda?”Eleanor asked.“She ed to be such ady.Now she looks sad and lost and doesn’t reber thgs.”

“Granda’s jt gettg old,”Mother said.“She needs a lot of lht now, dear.”

“What’s it like to get old?”Eleanor asked.“Does everybody fet thgs? Will I?”“Not everyohgs when they get old, Eleanor.We thk Granda ay have Alzheir’s disease, and that akes her fet ore.We ay have to put hera nursg ho to get the proper care she needs.”

“Oh, Mo! That’s terrible! She’ll iss her own little hoe so uch, won’t she?”

“Maybe, but there isn’t uch else wedo.She’ll get good care there and ake so new friends.”

Eleanor looked sorrowful.She didn’t like the idea at all.

“ we go and see her often?”she asked.“I’ll iss talkg to Granda, even if she does fet thgs.”

“Wego on weekends,”Mother answered.“Wetake her a present.”“Like ice crea? Granda loves strawberry, ice crea!”Eleanor siled.

“Strawberry ice crea it is!”Mother said.

The first ti they visited Grandathe nursg ho, Eleanor wao cry.

“Mo, alost all of the people arewheelchairs,”she said.

“They have to be.Otherwise they’d fall,”Mother exped.“Now when you see Granda, sile and tell her how nice she looks.”

Granda sat all by herselfa er of the roo they called the sun parlor.She sat lookg out at the trees.

Eleanged Granda.“Look,”she said,“we brought you a present—your favorite, strawberry ice crea!”

Granda took the Dixie cup and the spoon and begag without sayg a word.

“I’ sure she’s enjoyg it, dear,”Eleanor’s other assured her.

“But she doesn’t see to know .”Eleanor was disappoted.

“You have to give her ti,”Mother said.“She’snew surroundgs, and she has to ake an adjtnt.”

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