最后的告白Words from the Heart（1/2）

佚名/Anonyo

Most people o hear those three little words“I love you.”Oncea while, they hear the jtti.

I t ie the day she was aditted to the hospice ward, where I worked as a vonteer.Her hband, Bill, stood nervoly nearby as she was transferred fro the guro the hospital bed.Although ie wasthe fal stages of her fight agast cer, she was alert and cheerful.We got her settled .I fished arkg her na on all the hospital supplies she would be g, then asked if she needed anythg.

“Oh, yes,”she said,“would you please showhow to e the TV? I enjoy the soaps so ud I don’t want to get behd on what’s happeng.”ie was a roantic.She loved soap operas, roanovels and ovies with a good love story.As we beca acquated, she nfided how frtratg it was to be arried 32 years to a an who often called her“a silly woan.”

“Oh, I know Bill loves ,”she said,“but he has never beeo say he loves , or send cards to .”She sighed and looked out the dow at the treesthe urtyard.“I’d give anythg if he’d say’I love you’, but it’s jt nothis nature.”

Bill visited ie every day.In the begng, he sat o the bed while she watched the soaps.Later, when she began sleepg ore, he paced up and down the hallway outside her roo.Soon, when she no longer watched television and had fewer wakg onts, I began spendg ore of y voi with Bill.

He talked about havg worked as a carpenter and how he liked to go fishg.He and ie had no children, but they’d been enjoyg retirent by travelg, until ie got sick.Bill uld not express his feelgs about the fact that his wife was dyg.

One day, over ffeethe cafeteria, I got hi on the subject of won and how we need roanceour lives; how we love to get senttal cards and love letters.

“Do you tell ie you love her?”I asked (knog his answer), and he looked atas if I was crazy.

“I don’t have to,”he said.“She knows I do!”

“I’ sure she knows,”I said, reachg over and touchg his hands rough, carpenter’s hands that were grippg the cup as if it were the only thg he had to hang onto.“But she o hear it, Bill.She o hear what she has ant to you all these years.Please thk about it.”

We walked back to ie’s roo.Bill disappeared side, and I left to visit another patient.Later, I saw Bill sittg by the bed.He was holdg ie’s hand as she slept.The date was February 12.

Two days ter I walked down the hospice ward at noon.There stood Bill, leang up agast the wallthe hallway, starg at the floor.I already knew fro the head hat ie had died at 11 a..?

When Bill saw , he allowed hiself to e to y ars for a long ti.His face ith tears and he was treblg.Fally, he leaned back agast the wall and took a deep breath.

“I have to say sothg,”he said.“I have to say how good I feel about tellg her.”He sped to blow his nose.“I thought a lot about what you said, and thisI told her how uch I loved her? and loved beg arried to her.You should seen her sile!”

I went to the roo to say y own good-bye to ie.There, on the bedside table, was a rge Valente card fro Bill.You know, the senttal kd that says,“To y wonderful wife? I love you.”

多数人都喜欢听“我爱你”这三个小巧可爱的字眼。有时他们会在需要时听到。

我看到康尼的那天，她刚被送到收容所的病房，而我则是那儿的志愿者。她的丈夫比尔不安地站在旁边，看着她从轮床被抬到病**。康尼虽然已到了癌症晚期，但仍神清气爽。安顿好她后，我把收容所发放给她的所有用品都标上她的名字，然后又问她是否还需要别的东西。

“哦，”她说，“那么请您告诉我怎样用电视好吗？我很喜欢看肥皂剧，不想错过任何故事情节。”康尼是个追求浪漫的人。她爱看肥皂剧、浪漫小说和言情电影。我们日渐熟识，她向我抱怨说，她有多么失望，与一个常称她“傻女人”的男人共同生活了32年。

“哦，我知道比尔深爱着我，”她说，“可是他从不说他爱我，也从未给我寄过贺卡。”她叹了口气，把目光投向窗外庭院里的树林。“如果他能对我说’我爱你’，让我付出一切我都在所不惜，可是那根本不是他的作风。”

每天比尔都来看望康尼。开始，康尼看肥皂剧时，他就坐在床边陪她。后来，她睡觉的时候多了，比尔便在病房外的走廊踱来踱去。不久后，康尼不再看电视了，清醒的时候也不多了，于是我有了更多的时间与比尔相处。

他说他是个木匠，非常爱钓鱼。他和康尼没有孩子，他们到处游玩以享受退休后的时光，直至康尼病倒。面对妻子病危的事实，他内心的感受是无以言表的。

本章未完，点击下一页继续阅读。