另类古董Jenny’s Anigue（1/2）

佚名/Anonyo

My six-year-old granddaughter stares atas if she is seegfor the first ti.“Granda, you are an antique,”she says.“You are old.Antiques are old.You are y antique.”

I a not satisfied to let the atter rest there.I take out the Webster’s Diary ahe defition to Jenny.I exp,“An antique is not only jt old, it’s an object existg sce or belongg to earlier tis...a work of art...piece of furniture.”“Antiques are treasured,”I tell Jenny as I put away the diary.“They have to be handled carefully becae they sotis are very vaable.In order to quality as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old.”

“I’ only 67,”I red Jenny.

We look around the hoe for other antiques, besides .There is a bureau that was handed down fro one aunt to another and fally to our faily.“It’s very old.”I tell Jenny.I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I .You do that with antiques.“When Jens older and uands such thgs, I ight also tell her that whenever I look at the bureau or touch it, I a reded of the aunt so dear towho gavethe bureau as a gift.I see her face aga though she is no longer with .I even hear her voice, and recall her sile.I reber yself as a little girl leang agast this antique, listeng to one of her stories.The bureau does that for .

There is a picture on the urchased at a garage sale.It is dated 1867.“Now that’s an antique,”I boast.“Over 100 years old.”Of urse it is arked and scratched and notvery good ndition.“Sotis age does that,”I tell Jenny.“But the arks are good arks.They show livg, beg around.That’s sothg to dispy with pride.In fact, sotis, the ore an object shows age, the ore vaable itbee.”It is iportant that I believe this for y own self-estee.

Our tour of antiques here is a vase on the floor.It has beeny hoe for a long ti.I’ not certa where it ca fro, but I didn’t buy it new.And then there is the four poster bed, sent to40 years ago by an uncle who sleptit for fifty years.

Ohg about antiques, I exp to Jenny, is that they ually have a story.They’ve beenone ho and then another, handed down fro one faily to aravelg all over the pce.They’ve sted through years and years.

They uld have been tossed away, nored, or destroyed, or lost.But stead, they survived.

For a ont Jenny looks thoughtful.“I don’t have any antiques but you.”she says.Then her face brightens.

“Could I take you to school for show and tell?”

“Only if I fit to your backpack.”I answer.

And then Jenny’s antique lifted her up and ebraced hera hug that would st through the years.

六岁大的孙女好像第一次见到我似的，盯着我看了许久，然后说：“奶奶，你是件古董。你老，古董也老。你是我的古董。”

于是，我找出一本《韦氏字典》，把这个词的定义读给小孙女珍妮听，以免她再误解下去。我解释道：“古董不仅是古老的，它还是从很久以前流传下来的物品，例如一件艺术品，或是一件家具。”我边合上字典，边对珍妮说：“古董是人们珍藏的宝物。有时对于很贵重的古董，人们一定要小心谨慎地收藏。一件物品至少要有一百年的历史，才有资格称为古董。”

我提醒她说：“我只有67岁。”

我们环顾四周，在屋内寻找除了我以外的古董。那里有个柜子，它是从一位姑妈那里一代代传下来，最终传到我们家的。我告诉珍妮：“这是个很古老的柜子，我尽量把它保养得美丽无瑕，只要有机会就会展示给人们看。对待古董就应该这样。”也许等珍妮长大了，能懂得一些事情时，我还会告诉她，每当我看到这个柜子或是抚摸它时，就会想起送我们柜子的那位可亲的姑妈。虽然她早已离开人世，但我对她的微笑依然记忆犹新。还记得当我还是个小女孩时，常常靠在这个柜子旁边听她讲故事。这个柜子总让我想起当年的时光。

墙上有一幅在旧货市场上买的，它上面所标的日期是1867年。“它的历史已经超过了一百年，现在也算是一件古董了。”我自夸道。当然它的保养状况不是很好，已经有了明显的刮痕。“岁月有时会让一切都留下痕迹。”我对珍妮说，“然而这些痕迹都是曾经生活和存在的象征，是值得自豪地展示给世人的，因此它们都是美好的。事实上，有时，一件物品的年代越久，它的价值也就越高。”我之所以相信，是因为这些对于维护我个人的自尊心很重要。

搜寻古董的旅程还在继续。地板上的花瓶，摆放在我的房子里已经很久了。我肯定当时买的是旧货，但从哪儿买的，我已经不记得了。再就是40年前一位叔叔送给我的那张床，它有四根帷杆。之前，叔叔在这张**已经睡了50年。

我向珍妮解释，古董通常都有一段故事，这是它们的特点之一。它们曾被收藏在不同的家庭，从一家传到另一家，甚至走遍了全国各地，年复一年，最终流传了下来。

也许它们曾被抛弃，或被遗忘，或曾遭破坏，又或是曾被遗失，但最终它们幸存了下来。“除了你之外，我不要其他古董。”珍妮沉思了好一会儿说，然后开心地笑了。

“我能把你带到学校给同学们看，给他们讲你的故事吗？”

我回答说：“可是你的书包要装得下我才行啊。”

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