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第17章 滑向永远的爱情Roller Romance

佚名/Anonymous

1980年春天,我在学校追随一个男孩已经整整一个月了,我只是没有勇气走到他的面前和他交谈。前一年冬天发生了那样令人尴尬的事情,我就更没有勇气接近他了。

当时,他是三年级篮球校队的首发队员,而我是拉拉队的队长,所以我有许多机会观看这个英俊的男孩打球。只是,我得戴上眼镜,要知道,我的视力很差,就像蝙蝠一样瞎,然而我太虚荣了,不愿意佩戴眼镜。

特里在最后一秒投篮命中半场球,我这个视力差到极点的拉拉队队长却把人认错了,并开始为另一个家伙欢呼喝彩。在场的观众都开始低声轻笑,我的脸涨得通红。这时,特里从我身旁走了过去,进了更衣室。过了几个月,他对我的了解仅仅是那个在他投了好球,却把他的名字弄错的糟糕的拉拉队队长。

然而,我最好的朋友常常和特里一起去教堂做礼拜。雪莉决定充当媒人。她不但邀请我去参加教堂组织的一个溜冰派对,而且,她将我推进了特里父母的车里,接着车便向溜冰场开去。尽管溜冰场距离这里有15英里远,然而在路上我们都没说几句话。一路上,我坐在车的后排,真想钻进座位底下去,这真是一个天大的错误。

即使是我们到达溜冰场以后,交往还是没有什么起色。每当有双人滑的时候,我都在心里盼望并祈求特里会过来邀请我。然而,事与愿违!经过了三场双人滑,我已经忍无可忍了!因此,我和他的两个最好的朋友轮流滑着。在溜冰场的喇叭响起最后一轮双人滑的通告时,特里终于动作笨拙地溜到栏杆旁,与我站在了一起。

“我猜,你正在想我为什么没有邀请你和我一起双人滑。”这是他对我说的第

一句话,我竭力试着不去看他的大眼睛,这一刻改变。我从未见过一个会承认自那双可以将我融化的美丽的棕色眼睛。我装得很冷淡,还对他撒了谎:“不,我并没有这么想。”他非但没把我刻薄的回答放在心上,还用下面这些话俘虏了我的心。他用他那双漂亮的眼睛盯着自己的溜冰鞋,很谦虚地说道:“我之所以没有邀请你,是因为我滑得不好。假如你不担心我会让你摔倒在地,你是否愿意和我一起滑呢?”这一回,我看着那双眼睛,真的被他融化了。就在我们手牵手在《直到永远》的歌曲声中滑行的时候,我知道我的生活将从这一刻改变。我从未见过一个会承认自己缺点的男孩,更别说还为一个女孩担心了。最初,我仅仅是着迷于他英俊的外表(哪个人不会注意到那双漂亮的棕色眼睛呢),然而,还是他美丽的心灵让我知道他是多么特别。

最终,我找到了自己的白马王子。

纵然他并未骑着骏马(只是租来的溜冰鞋),然而,在我们绕着溜冰场滑行的时候,他让我觉得我就是舞会上的灰姑娘。我紧紧地拉着他的手——并不是因为对午夜的惧怕——而是为了帮助他,不让他摔倒。

看着我们的结婚照片,我最钟爱的一张是夫妻两人沿着教堂过道朝前走的场景。大多数情况下,都是妻子优雅地用手挽着丈夫的胳膊一起从过道走过。可我们不是这样!在宣布成为夫妻之后,我们走过过道,仿佛七年前我们在溜冰场那样——手牵着手,许下诺言不让对方摔倒。

我们的孩子们喜欢听他们的爸爸不知道怎么滑冰,让我牵着他的手以防两个人摔倒的故事。然而那个时候,对他们的妈妈来讲为时已晚。那双眼睛她只看了一眼,就已经深陷其中,坠入了与白马王子的爱河之中。

In the spring of 1980,I had been following one particular guy around school for a month.I just did not have the nerve to go up and talk to him.An embarrassing situation,from that winter,truly prevented me from approaching him.He had been a starter for the junior varsity basketball team and I was a cheerleader,I had many opportunities to see this gorgeous guy in action.That is,if I wore my glasses.You see,I am as blind as a bat and was too vain to wear them.As Terry sank a half court shot at the last second,this extremely near-sighted cheerleader,misidentified the hero and began cheering for the wrong guy.As the crowd started chuckling,my face turned crimson as Terry walked by me to get to the locker room.Months later,he only knew me as the dingy cheerleader who could not even get his name right when he hit a great shot!However,my best friend attended church with Terry.Shirley decided to play matchmaker.She not only invited me to a church-sponsored skating party,but also literally pushed me in his parent’s car to ride to the skating rink.Although the skating rink was 15 miles away,very few words were spoken.As I sank down in that backseat,I just wanted to keep sinking.This had truly been a huge mistake.After we arrived at the skating rink,things did not get any better.

Each couple skate I hoped and prayed that Terry would ask me.He didn’t!After about 3 couple skates,I decided enough was enough!So I took turns skating with his 2 best friends.As the last call for a couple skate came over the rink’s loud speakers,Terry finally skated somewhat awkwardly and stood beside the rails with me.“I guess you wonder why I have not asked you to couple skate?”were his first words to me.Trying ever so hard not to look in those big beautiful brown eyes that made me melt,I answered nonchalantly and dishonestly,“No,not really.”

This guy not only ignored my tart reply,but would also win my heart with the following reply.Casting those beautiful eyes down at his skates,he humbly remarked,“I didn’t ask because I do not skate very well.If you are not afraid that I will make you fall,would you please skate with me?”This time I did look into those eyes and did melt.As we skated hand in hand to Always and Forever,I knew my life would never be the same.I never knew a guy that actually would admit any of his faults,let alone worry about a girl to boot!I had first been attracted to his beauty on the outside(who wouldn’t notice those beautiful brown eyes),but it would be his beautiful heart that made me realize how truly special he was.I had actually found my Prince Charming.Even though he was not riding on a handsome steed(but rented roller skates),he made me feel like Cinderella at the ball as we skated around the rink.I clung tightly to his hand—not because I was afraid of midnight—but to help keep him from falling.When I look at our wedding pictures,my favorite is walking down the aisle as husband and wife.Most couples walk down the aisle with the bride’s hand tucked neatly in the crook of her husband’s arm.Not us!We walked down the aisle,after being pronounced man and wife,just like we had done 7 years before at that skating rink—hand-in-hand with the promise of helping keep the other one

from falling.Our children love to hear the story of how their dad did not know how to skate and asked me to hold his hand to help us keep from tumbling.But it had already been too late for their mother.Only after one look into those eyes,she had fallen—fallen in love with Prince Charming.