Location： USA
Interests： I love kickboxing and aerobics~I teach both~along with my poetry~they are my passions
Extra Info： I love making new friends…… Come dream with me~ The words written on these pages are words from my mind， soul， heart， they are me， I am them…… we are one， no one can take who I have become， nor take what I write， and make it the same thought…… I can
''She Was His Greatest Gift''
by LynnDakota
She slept beside him， quietly breathing a soft sigh followed by a little whimper. 'She must be in pain，' he thought. 'She tries so hard to hide it from me.' How peaceful she looks， then just as suddenly her face would tighten， and a small little tear would fall from the corner of her eye. Six months ago， a year， this was unreal…… a doctor's visit for a knawing stomach ache. She hid it well for months， and then couldn't hide it any longer after passing out on the kitchen floor while making his favorite dinner. They were celebrating a two-year anniversary of cohabitating together. Their romance was such a beautiful stroke of luck. They'd both signed up for a literature course， an evening class at the near by college. Both with a yearning desire to write， and a way to polish up on their writing skills. Her name was Colleen； she was 5'5 tall， long brown hair， dark brown eyes that sparkled when she smiled， she wasn‘t beautiful， just pretty in a plain， simple way. She was always five minutes late for class， thus he noticed her right away. Loved the way she bounced into the room as if the professor was her father， and he would forgive her anything. He loved the way she nodded her head at the class， saying she was sorry she was late， ………again， then almost laughing at herself. The professor was always allowing it， which was strange because he was a crass man， very blunt， very dignified. Yet when she smiled at him， he too seemed to melt. He guessed her to be about 32 to 38 years of age， sharp， always a quick study in class.
One night the professor had them break into groups， they were to write an interview of a famous poet. One person would play the poet， trying to keep in mind the poets background， and answer questions as he or she would， or as they already had information on. The other student would do the interviewing. They were to number off 1 …… 2…… 1…… 2 and that would be their partner. They would have two weeks to turn in their interviews， and the one that played the poet was to grade the interviewer for thoroughness， and the professionalism of it‘s content. Tapping the person in front of him， he managed to get himself situated to be her number one. Just as he wanted to do， in every sense of the word. 'Now students，' the professor spoke loudly， 'You should make arrangements tonight， for getting together with your partner.' Turning around to look at her， he smiled， extended his hand out， and spoke， 'Hi， my name is Andrew， Andrew Brooks.“
'Yes， I know，' she answered back， 'My name is Colleen Collins.' Giving his hand a hard squeeze. Surprised he paused in the middle of a sentence， then continued， 'Hello， Colleen， when could we get together？' 'How about coffee at the Chalet Coffee House； say tomorrow night at eight？' 'Wonderful， shall I pick you up somewhere？' he asked. Hoping to find out where she lived. 'I'll meet you there， Andrew.' She stood to leave， and he wanted to grab her， keep her there， but before he could react， she was bouncing out the door. He smiled inside out； this lady was such a breath of fresh air！
He thought about her face， her neck…… dreamed about making love to her. He was completely captivated by her voice， loved the way her jeans seem to make her look so feminine and the way she dressed so simply. He closed his eyes， remembering her fragrance， like a clean， delicate， vanilla lace. Much like smelling mother's cookies baking on a Saturday afternoon， in a warm， cozy kitchen， when he was young. His heart raced， as he thought of tomorrow night's meeting. Andrew arrived early to get a table towards the back， where they could have a little more privacy. Asking the waiter for a small appetizer plate of cheese， and crackers， some fresh shrimp， and cocktail sauce， and a touch of fresh fruit to give the plate color. Then thinking wine would be nice， but maybe she didn't drink…… no better stick to coffee， and see where this goes.
True to her nature， Colleen was ten minutes late. 'I'm so sorry， Andrew…… I'm always late， I just can't seem to finish things I start and then I loose track of time， and I'm late！' 'No problem…… I hope you don't mind， I ordered a appetizer platter？' 'Oh how lovely.' she said with a sweet sexy grin. They worked on the interview for three hours， in between laughing about his mis-pronouncing words， and her constant questions about his life. He was amazed how she drew things out of him， so easily without trying hard at all！ No woman had ever made him feel so comfortable， so relaxed. She talked of her family， her mother's death a year ago， and a failed marriage. She explained she was a kindergarten teacher， and that her ex-husband traveled， and eventually found someone else. No children though so at least there wasn't that to deal with， but still she was devastated， she hadn‘t even thought about dating again， it was just too painful of an experience， and it had been two years since her divorce. She grew quiet with that confession， seeing the pain on her face， Andrew fought back the urge to hold her hand.
After about two hours， they finally picked a poet to interview. Both discovering they loved poetry， they picked Emily Dickinson， Colleen of course would be Emily. Discovering the lateness of the hour， and wanting to extend the assignment so as to get to know Colleen better， Andrew looked at his watch， and claimed an early meeting at work in the morning， and could they please meet again this week？
Colleen pulled out her pocket calendar， and smiling asked if Friday night would be out of the question？ Andrew jumped at the chance， and then feeling a little foolish， he declared，“I guess my life hasn‘t been so great in the last few years either.” They both laughed， and she grabbed his hand， jolting him with the element of surprise. He jumped， but luckily didn’t pull away. For a few brief seconds they looked into each other‘s eyes. Then as Colleen stood to leave. Andrew stood up， asking to walk her to her car. Saying their good nights there， under a dim-glowing street light， Andrew fought back the urge to kiss her.
They had six more meetings after that first night. Each time Colleen was at least ten minutes late， till the seventh night， when she was fifteen minutes early， and he was late. Andrew arrived to her sitting at a small table in the coffee house， looking at her watch.“Well hello，” he said， “What‘s wrong？”
“Wrong， nothings wrong…。why？” she asked.“Your early…” he explained.“oh yeah… well today was weird… I…… I… I missed you.” She said blushing. Andrew smiled.“Really？” he replied. “How wonderful， taking her hand and kissing it lightly. From that night on， they were inseparable， till finally they moved in together. Love seemed to find them at last， and they took it and ran.
He‘d grown to love her like no other woman he had ever known. She was so different， so sweet， and she made him feel like a real man， made him glad to come home at night once again. Married and divorced when he was twenty years old， he’d found his wife cheating on him， since then he had been in and out of relationships for years. Never seeming to find that one woman， that he could be loyal to， that one woman that could keep him satisfied. She did that and more. This last month they‘d been together for three years！ The night she passed out， he was going to ask her to marry him， but instead they ended up in the emergency room， and then spending the night in the hospital. He never got to ask her then， she was just too stressed， too sick. After two weeks of tests， the doctors finally told her… ovarian cancer. Their lives went from happy， ecstatic， euphoria… to hellish days of chemo， and radiation therapy. To days of throwing up， Andrew holding her hair， as she lost the contents of her stomach yet again. Putting cool washrags on her forehead， and rubbing her back. Till finally one day things seem to improve， and they had hope again！
Colleen was like her old self she smiled again！
One evening as he was preparing dinner； （he had come to take over many things he‘d once taken for granted，） he noticed her staring out into the night skies with a look of a heavy burden on her face. Suddenly she turned to him and said， “Andrew， I’ve decided to move out.”
Andrew dropped the spoon he was stirring the rice with. “What？” he asked.“I can‘t expect you to live like this， can’t make you happy when I‘m so sick I can’t even make love to you.” She was crying now， wringing her hands as she spoke. He tried to speak， but she put her hand up to stop him. “Please Andrew hear me out…。 I‘ve applied for an assisted living apartment， and I’ve been accepted， I move tomorrow.”
Andrew flew to the table， and down on his knees. “No way！” he shouted. “No way are you leaving me… to live alone in a strange place！” she looked at him with love， and a look of pleading in her dark， dull eyes. “Andrew… she started， stopping her with his fingers across her lips he said， ”Colleen， in the last two years， I have realized I have always been meant for you， that I never knew what love was all about till you… I have grown as a man， as a person， and it is all because of you… I won‘t give you up， I can’t give you up！“ he was shaking， holding her hands tightly. ”You woman are my life， you are the reason I go on， I love you… the night you passed out… I was going to ask you to marry me， and now lovely， beautiful woman… I‘m asking… Colleen Collins， will you do me the honor of marrying me？“
She looked at him， tears falling in soft， gentle puddles on her hands， and his.“Andrew… oh Andrew… I love you， but， she stopped； taking a deep breath， then continuing I can‘t ask you to live like this， I’m in remission now， but we both know， I know， I won‘t live beyond a year… we both know it.”
Andrew pulled her from the chair， took her into his arms， and carried her to the bedroom. They made love very slowly， twice that night， each time she whimpered， and he asked if he was hurting her， she answered， “No…oh no， you could never hurt me Andrew， it‘s just that I want to remember this wonderful feeling， keep it forever… and no one has ever made me feel so alive as you have.”
Falling asleep in each others arms， Andrew didn‘t notice when she slipped from their bed at three A.M.， going to the bathroom， taking a bottle of sleeping pills from the medicine cabinet， （ones that she had since her divorce，） swallowing them down all at once， then returning to their bed， she kissed his lips lightly， as he turned over. She lie there staring at him， stroking his arm， tracing his face， as he half awake， smiled at her， pulling her into his arms， kissing her gently on the cheek as she told him she loved him. He held her till she moved away， thinking she was in pain he stroked her hair， her cheeks， noticed her face tighten and release…。 till he thought at last she looked at peace， sleeping…… now， he remembered she never answered his marriage proposal， but then he thought， they would have tomorrow， and tomorrow… till there were no more tomorrows， and he would be left alone once again… but he would never forget this lady， this woman… he loved so much， and he was given over to tears of sadness， yet still he wasn’t bitter he knew in his heart， God had some how given him the greatest gift， he would ever have，and he would cherish her memory till he too went home， and they could be together once more.~
本文作者：林恩-達(dá)科他 （Lynn Dakota美國(guó)）
作者自述：我熱愛(ài)并且傳教跆拳道和增氧健身，同時(shí)寫(xiě)詩(shī)，
詩(shī)篇就是我的激情。
我喜歡結(jié)識(shí)新朋友與我共進(jìn)夢(mèng)境，這些詩(shī)篇的文字都出自我的內(nèi)心和靈魂，詩(shī)句就是我。我和詩(shī)融為一體。任何人也不可能帶走現(xiàn)在的我，也不可能帶走我寫(xiě)的一切。
金玉良緣
作者：林恩-達(dá)科他（Lynn Dakota，美國(guó)）
翻譯：應(yīng)中革
她睡在他的身邊，輕輕地嘆一聲，接著是一陣抽泣聲?！八隙ǚ浅Ｍ纯唷彼耄八胙陲?，瞞著我?！笨瓷先ニ浅０苍敚?，本來(lái)好好的，轉(zhuǎn)眼她就繃緊臉孔，眼淚就從她的眼角滾下來(lái)。6 個(gè)月以前，一年前，這不是真的…醫(yī)生來(lái)查胃痛病情。她隱瞞了好幾個(gè)月。一天他們慶祝同居十周年，她為他做他喜歡吃的晚餐時(shí)昏倒在廚房地板上。從此，她再也無(wú)法隱瞞下去了。
他們的浪漫史是極其幸運(yùn)的美事。他倆都在大學(xué)附近的夜校報(bào)名選修文學(xué)課，都有一個(gè)強(qiáng)烈的寫(xiě)作愿望和提高寫(xiě)作能力。
她叫科莉，身高5‘5吋，一頭棕色長(zhǎng)發(fā)，深棕色的雙眼在微笑時(shí)光彩照人。她算不上美麗，只是一般的漂亮。她上課總是遲到5 分鐘，所以他很快就注意到她。
她總是蹦蹦跳跳沖進(jìn)教室，仿佛講課的教授是他的父親，會(huì)原諒她的一切過(guò)錯(cuò)。他喜歡她這種樣子。
她向全班點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，說(shuō)一聲對(duì)不起又遲到了，接著象是在笑自己。他喜歡這種樣子。
很怪，教授一向非常粗魯，生硬和威嚴(yán)，卻一直都允許她遲到。而且，當(dāng)她向他微笑時(shí)，教授顯得非常寬容。他推測(cè)，她32-38 歲。他認(rèn)為她思維敏捷，在班上學(xué)得很快的一員。
一天晚上，教授把他們分成小組，要大家采訪(fǎng)一位詩(shī)人。一人扮演詩(shī)人，熟記詩(shī)人的背景，要能回答別人提出的各種問(wèn)題。其它學(xué)生已經(jīng)掌握了一些信息資料，并且將進(jìn)行采訪(fǎng)。學(xué)生按照?qǐng)?bào)數(shù)1—— 2 ；以1—— 2 倆人組成一對(duì)搭檔。學(xué)生要在兩星期內(nèi)上交采訪(fǎng)報(bào)告，扮演詩(shī)人的學(xué)生要按照內(nèi)容的完整性和專(zhuān)業(yè)性給采訪(fǎng)者打分。
他將排在他前面的人擠了出去，于是占領(lǐng)了她的1號(hào)數(shù)的位置。不管怎么說(shuō)他一定要這樣做。
這時(shí)教授大聲地吩咐，“同學(xué)們，你們要在今天晚上做出安排，與你的搭檔約定進(jìn)行采訪(fǎng)準(zhǔn)備?！?BR> 他轉(zhuǎn)身朝她一笑，把手伸過(guò)去，說(shuō)，“你好，我叫安德魯，安德魯-布魯克斯?！?BR> “我知道，”她回答說(shuō)，“我叫科莉-康麗?！蓖瑫r(shí)使勁握了一下他的手。
一陣驚喜，他話(huà)說(shuō)了一半，停了一下又說(shuō)，“你好，科莉，什么時(shí)間我們可以聚一下？”
“在葜萊館喝咖啡吧，明天8 點(diǎn)行嗎？”
“好極了，我開(kāi)車(chē)到什么地方接你？”他有心要知道她的住處。
“我在葜萊咖啡館等你，安德魯。”她起身要走，而他想攔住她。但是，說(shuō)時(shí)遲，那時(shí)快，他還來(lái)不及反應(yīng)，她已連蹦帶跳到了門(mén)外。這個(gè)女人就是這樣一陣清風(fēng)。
他在回想她的臉蛋，脖子，?；孟肱c她相愛(ài)。他完全被她的聲音迷住了，喜歡看她穿著牛仔褲的身段，喜歡看她那樸素的打扮。他閉上眼睛，回味她的芬芳，就像欣賞一朵潔白，優(yōu)美的香花，就像在他年輕時(shí)，在星期六下午，在暖和愜意的廚房里聞到母親焙烤甜餅的香味一樣。
當(dāng)他想到明天下午的約會(huì)時(shí)，心跳加快。
安德魯很早到，找了一張桌子，靠后朝向后墻，這里可以私下多做點(diǎn)隱私的事。他叫服務(wù)員拿來(lái)一小盤(pán)乳酪，一些脆餅、海鮮、開(kāi)胃沙司和一點(diǎn)兒水果以點(diǎn)綴盤(pán)菜的色美。接著，考慮選什么美酒，又擔(dān)心她不喝酒，還是只選咖啡為好，到時(shí)候見(jiàn)機(jī)行事。
出于她的秉性，科莉遲到十分鐘?！皩?duì)不起，安德魯，我老遲到。一著手干活，我就好象怎么也沒(méi)法結(jié)束，時(shí)間抓不緊，遲到了！”
“沒(méi)事…，請(qǐng)不要介意，我已經(jīng)叫了開(kāi)胃菜。”
“哦，真好吃！”她說(shuō)著，臉上露出迷人的笑容。
他們就采訪(fǎng)方案研討了三個(gè)小時(shí)，期間他倆為他失誤的措辭而發(fā)笑，她則對(duì)他生活不斷地提問(wèn)。她竟然能夠不費(fèi)吹灰之力就從他嘴里掏出大量的材料。為此，他大為驚奇。 以前，沒(méi)有任何女人會(huì)使他感到如此隨意和放松。
她談了自己的家庭，她母親一年之前的死，她的不幸婚姻。她說(shuō)自己原是幼兒園老師，她的前夫出走了，后又找了另外一個(gè)女人。盡管沒(méi)有生過(guò)孩子，沒(méi)有什么瓜葛，但是，她被毀了。她根本不想約會(huì)交友。經(jīng)歷太痛苦，離婚已經(jīng)兩年。說(shuō)完往事，她沉默了?？吹剿樕系年幊恋耐纯啵驳卖斂酥谱∫ダ氖值挠?。
兩個(gè)小時(shí)后，他們終于選了一位要采訪(fǎng)的詩(shī)人。雙方都發(fā)現(xiàn)自己熱衷于做詩(shī)，他們選的是埃米莉-迪肯森?？评蜃匀话缪莅Ｃ桌?。
安德魯發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)候不早了，又想延伸這個(gè)課后作業(yè)，于是聲稱(chēng)明天一早上班就要開(kāi)會(huì)，問(wèn)科莉是否本周可以再聚。
科莉從口袋里取出日歷一看，微笑地問(wèn)，星期五晚上是否合適。安德魯一聽(tīng)，樂(lè)得跳了起來(lái)。感覺(jué)一到自己有點(diǎn)傻，他表白，近年來(lái)我的生活從來(lái)都沒(méi)有像現(xiàn)在這樣快活過(guò)。倆人都笑了，當(dāng)她握住他的手的時(shí)候，他象像被觸電一樣震驚。他從椅子上跳躍起來(lái)，還好沒(méi)將她的手推開(kāi)。此時(shí)，兩個(gè)人目光正對(duì)凝視一陣?？评蚱鹕硪撸驳卖斦酒饋?lái)，要求送她上車(chē)。在她的小車(chē)邊，他們說(shuō)晚安告別時(shí)，在昏暗的路燈下，安德魯強(qiáng)忍上前吻她的欲望。
以后，他們又有六次約會(huì)。每次，科莉都遲到十分鐘以上。到第七次，科莉提早15分鐘到，安德魯晚到。
“你好，”他說(shuō)，“出事啦？”
“出事？沒(méi)有啊，怎么啦？”
“你早到…”他想解釋。
“哦，是的，今天有點(diǎn)怪。我…我想你了。” 她忸怩地說(shuō)。
安德魯喜出望外。
“是嗎？”他回答說(shuō)，“太好了。”一邊拉住她的手，在手上輕輕地吻了一下。
從那個(gè)晚上起，兩個(gè)人形影不離，后搬到一起住了。他們找到了愛(ài)，接受了愛(ài)，跳進(jìn)愛(ài)河。他對(duì)她的愛(ài)勝過(guò)對(duì)任何別的女人。她與眾不同，楚楚動(dòng)人，使他感到自己是一個(gè)真正男人，每天晚上高高興興回家來(lái)。
他20歲結(jié)婚便離婚，他發(fā)現(xiàn)妻子背叛。此后，他戀愛(ài)幾年，沒(méi)有找到他可以一心一意去愛(ài)的女人，沒(méi)有使他感到滿(mǎn)意的女人。只有她做到了，并且比他心目中想象的更好。到上個(gè)月他們生活在一起3年整了。她昏倒的那個(gè)晚上，他本來(lái)要提出與她結(jié)婚，就在這個(gè)發(fā)病的房間里，金玉良緣終成泡影。當(dāng)天晚上他們?cè)卺t(yī)院過(guò)夜。他再也不能提婚事，她太緊張，病情很重。經(jīng)過(guò)二個(gè)星期的檢查，醫(yī)生后下結(jié)論，卵巢癌。
幸福，美滿(mǎn)，歡快的日子毀于一旦，他們就像掉到地獄里一樣，又是化療，又是理療，過(guò)著受煎熬的日子。在嘔吐的那幾天，她又地將胃里食物翻出來(lái)，安德魯托著她的頭發(fā)，將濕毛巾放在她的前額，為她擦背。
科莉又開(kāi)始笑了。
一天晚上，他正在做晚餐時(shí)（他答應(yīng)過(guò)并且已經(jīng)承擔(dān)起大量的家務(wù)），發(fā)現(xiàn)她凝視著夜空，臉上流露出深沉的陰影。
忽然，她轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)他說(shuō)，“安德魯，我決定搬出去?！?BR> 安德魯，扔下粥勺問(wèn)，“你怎么啦？”
“我不愿意看到你這樣受苦，我病重不能讓你幸福，甚至不能給你愛(ài)。”她邊哭邊說(shuō)，淚流滿(mǎn)面。安德魯正想說(shuō)，她舉手阻止他，“請(qǐng)聽(tīng)我說(shuō)完，我申請(qǐng)了一個(gè)護(hù)理居住房，已經(jīng)同意了，我明天搬過(guò)去?！?BR> 安德魯沖到桌前，雙膝跪地?！安荒馨。彼舐暯泻??！澳悴荒茈x開(kāi)我…一個(gè)人去陌生的地方?！彼蒙钋榈膼?ài)，以深色呆板的眼睛懇求地看著安德魯，“安德魯，…”她哭了。安德魯，用手指從嘴唇邊拭去她的眼淚，說(shuō)，“科莉，兩年來(lái)，我已經(jīng)認(rèn)識(shí)到我是永遠(yuǎn)屬于你，有了你我才知道什么叫愛(ài)，我才成為一個(gè)真正的男人，一切多虧有了你…我不會(huì)放棄你，我不能沒(méi)有你?！彼o緊地抓住她的手，全身顫動(dòng)。你是我的女人，我的生命，我的依靠。我愛(ài)你…在你昏倒的那天，我本來(lái)要求你與我結(jié)婚?，F(xiàn)在，我的可愛(ài)的，美麗的女人…我請(qǐng)求…科莉，行行好，嫁給我嗎？“
她面對(duì)安德魯，淚水淌到柔軟而溫柔的手上，她的手和他的手上。
“安德魯，哦，我的安德魯，我愛(ài)你，但是”她停了一會(huì)，深深地嘆了一口氣，繼續(xù)說(shuō)，“我不能讓你如此愛(ài)我。我現(xiàn)在病情緩和。但是，我們倆都知道，我自己知道，我活不到明年了…你我都知道的?！?BR> 安德魯將她從椅子上拉起來(lái)，抱在懷里，抱到臥室。
他們做愛(ài)非常緩和，當(dāng)晚二次，每次她都低聲哼叫。他問(wèn)有沒(méi)有刺痛她，她回答，“不，安德魯，沒(méi)有痛，永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)。這正是我要記住的極樂(lè)的快感。除你以外，沒(méi)人能讓我體驗(yàn)這種敏感。
相互擁抱入睡。凌晨3點(diǎn)，她從床上下來(lái)，安德魯沒(méi)有發(fā)覺(jué)。她從藥盒里拿了一瓶安眠藥（她離婚后曾經(jīng)服用過(guò)的），走進(jìn)了衛(wèi)生間，全部呑了下去，然后回到床上。他翻身時(shí)，她輕輕地吻他雙唇。她靜靜地躺，看著安德魯，撫摩他的手臂，審視他的臉龐。他在半醒半睡中向她笑笑，把她抱在懷里。她又說(shuō)愛(ài)他時(shí)，他溫柔地吻了一下她的臉頰。她移開(kāi)時(shí)，他才松開(kāi)雙臂，以為她身上痛。他撫摸她的頭發(fā)和臉頰，發(fā)現(xiàn)她的臉綁緊而又松脫…后覺(jué)得她又很安祥地睡著了。此時(shí)，他想起她還沒(méi)有答復(fù)他的結(jié)婚請(qǐng)求，但是他還認(rèn)為他們有明天，再明天，直至沒(méi)有明天時(shí)，他愿意又回到單身王囯。但他永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記這個(gè)女人，這個(gè)心愛(ài)的女人。他被遺棄了，留下的是傷心的眼淚。然而，他心里知道，他無(wú)怨無(wú)悔。上帝已經(jīng)賜給他好禮物金玉良緣。他將把留在記憶中的科莉永遠(yuǎn)懷抱直到死為止，直到他們能再次聚首。
Interests： I love kickboxing and aerobics~I teach both~along with my poetry~they are my passions
Extra Info： I love making new friends…… Come dream with me~ The words written on these pages are words from my mind， soul， heart， they are me， I am them…… we are one， no one can take who I have become， nor take what I write， and make it the same thought…… I can
''She Was His Greatest Gift''
by LynnDakota
She slept beside him， quietly breathing a soft sigh followed by a little whimper. 'She must be in pain，' he thought. 'She tries so hard to hide it from me.' How peaceful she looks， then just as suddenly her face would tighten， and a small little tear would fall from the corner of her eye. Six months ago， a year， this was unreal…… a doctor's visit for a knawing stomach ache. She hid it well for months， and then couldn't hide it any longer after passing out on the kitchen floor while making his favorite dinner. They were celebrating a two-year anniversary of cohabitating together. Their romance was such a beautiful stroke of luck. They'd both signed up for a literature course， an evening class at the near by college. Both with a yearning desire to write， and a way to polish up on their writing skills. Her name was Colleen； she was 5'5 tall， long brown hair， dark brown eyes that sparkled when she smiled， she wasn‘t beautiful， just pretty in a plain， simple way. She was always five minutes late for class， thus he noticed her right away. Loved the way she bounced into the room as if the professor was her father， and he would forgive her anything. He loved the way she nodded her head at the class， saying she was sorry she was late， ………again， then almost laughing at herself. The professor was always allowing it， which was strange because he was a crass man， very blunt， very dignified. Yet when she smiled at him， he too seemed to melt. He guessed her to be about 32 to 38 years of age， sharp， always a quick study in class.
One night the professor had them break into groups， they were to write an interview of a famous poet. One person would play the poet， trying to keep in mind the poets background， and answer questions as he or she would， or as they already had information on. The other student would do the interviewing. They were to number off 1 …… 2…… 1…… 2 and that would be their partner. They would have two weeks to turn in their interviews， and the one that played the poet was to grade the interviewer for thoroughness， and the professionalism of it‘s content. Tapping the person in front of him， he managed to get himself situated to be her number one. Just as he wanted to do， in every sense of the word. 'Now students，' the professor spoke loudly， 'You should make arrangements tonight， for getting together with your partner.' Turning around to look at her， he smiled， extended his hand out， and spoke， 'Hi， my name is Andrew， Andrew Brooks.“
'Yes， I know，' she answered back， 'My name is Colleen Collins.' Giving his hand a hard squeeze. Surprised he paused in the middle of a sentence， then continued， 'Hello， Colleen， when could we get together？' 'How about coffee at the Chalet Coffee House； say tomorrow night at eight？' 'Wonderful， shall I pick you up somewhere？' he asked. Hoping to find out where she lived. 'I'll meet you there， Andrew.' She stood to leave， and he wanted to grab her， keep her there， but before he could react， she was bouncing out the door. He smiled inside out； this lady was such a breath of fresh air！
He thought about her face， her neck…… dreamed about making love to her. He was completely captivated by her voice， loved the way her jeans seem to make her look so feminine and the way she dressed so simply. He closed his eyes， remembering her fragrance， like a clean， delicate， vanilla lace. Much like smelling mother's cookies baking on a Saturday afternoon， in a warm， cozy kitchen， when he was young. His heart raced， as he thought of tomorrow night's meeting. Andrew arrived early to get a table towards the back， where they could have a little more privacy. Asking the waiter for a small appetizer plate of cheese， and crackers， some fresh shrimp， and cocktail sauce， and a touch of fresh fruit to give the plate color. Then thinking wine would be nice， but maybe she didn't drink…… no better stick to coffee， and see where this goes.
True to her nature， Colleen was ten minutes late. 'I'm so sorry， Andrew…… I'm always late， I just can't seem to finish things I start and then I loose track of time， and I'm late！' 'No problem…… I hope you don't mind， I ordered a appetizer platter？' 'Oh how lovely.' she said with a sweet sexy grin. They worked on the interview for three hours， in between laughing about his mis-pronouncing words， and her constant questions about his life. He was amazed how she drew things out of him， so easily without trying hard at all！ No woman had ever made him feel so comfortable， so relaxed. She talked of her family， her mother's death a year ago， and a failed marriage. She explained she was a kindergarten teacher， and that her ex-husband traveled， and eventually found someone else. No children though so at least there wasn't that to deal with， but still she was devastated， she hadn‘t even thought about dating again， it was just too painful of an experience， and it had been two years since her divorce. She grew quiet with that confession， seeing the pain on her face， Andrew fought back the urge to hold her hand.
After about two hours， they finally picked a poet to interview. Both discovering they loved poetry， they picked Emily Dickinson， Colleen of course would be Emily. Discovering the lateness of the hour， and wanting to extend the assignment so as to get to know Colleen better， Andrew looked at his watch， and claimed an early meeting at work in the morning， and could they please meet again this week？
Colleen pulled out her pocket calendar， and smiling asked if Friday night would be out of the question？ Andrew jumped at the chance， and then feeling a little foolish， he declared，“I guess my life hasn‘t been so great in the last few years either.” They both laughed， and she grabbed his hand， jolting him with the element of surprise. He jumped， but luckily didn’t pull away. For a few brief seconds they looked into each other‘s eyes. Then as Colleen stood to leave. Andrew stood up， asking to walk her to her car. Saying their good nights there， under a dim-glowing street light， Andrew fought back the urge to kiss her.
They had six more meetings after that first night. Each time Colleen was at least ten minutes late， till the seventh night， when she was fifteen minutes early， and he was late. Andrew arrived to her sitting at a small table in the coffee house， looking at her watch.“Well hello，” he said， “What‘s wrong？”
“Wrong， nothings wrong…。why？” she asked.“Your early…” he explained.“oh yeah… well today was weird… I…… I… I missed you.” She said blushing. Andrew smiled.“Really？” he replied. “How wonderful， taking her hand and kissing it lightly. From that night on， they were inseparable， till finally they moved in together. Love seemed to find them at last， and they took it and ran.
He‘d grown to love her like no other woman he had ever known. She was so different， so sweet， and she made him feel like a real man， made him glad to come home at night once again. Married and divorced when he was twenty years old， he’d found his wife cheating on him， since then he had been in and out of relationships for years. Never seeming to find that one woman， that he could be loyal to， that one woman that could keep him satisfied. She did that and more. This last month they‘d been together for three years！ The night she passed out， he was going to ask her to marry him， but instead they ended up in the emergency room， and then spending the night in the hospital. He never got to ask her then， she was just too stressed， too sick. After two weeks of tests， the doctors finally told her… ovarian cancer. Their lives went from happy， ecstatic， euphoria… to hellish days of chemo， and radiation therapy. To days of throwing up， Andrew holding her hair， as she lost the contents of her stomach yet again. Putting cool washrags on her forehead， and rubbing her back. Till finally one day things seem to improve， and they had hope again！
Colleen was like her old self she smiled again！
One evening as he was preparing dinner； （he had come to take over many things he‘d once taken for granted，） he noticed her staring out into the night skies with a look of a heavy burden on her face. Suddenly she turned to him and said， “Andrew， I’ve decided to move out.”
Andrew dropped the spoon he was stirring the rice with. “What？” he asked.“I can‘t expect you to live like this， can’t make you happy when I‘m so sick I can’t even make love to you.” She was crying now， wringing her hands as she spoke. He tried to speak， but she put her hand up to stop him. “Please Andrew hear me out…。 I‘ve applied for an assisted living apartment， and I’ve been accepted， I move tomorrow.”
Andrew flew to the table， and down on his knees. “No way！” he shouted. “No way are you leaving me… to live alone in a strange place！” she looked at him with love， and a look of pleading in her dark， dull eyes. “Andrew… she started， stopping her with his fingers across her lips he said， ”Colleen， in the last two years， I have realized I have always been meant for you， that I never knew what love was all about till you… I have grown as a man， as a person， and it is all because of you… I won‘t give you up， I can’t give you up！“ he was shaking， holding her hands tightly. ”You woman are my life， you are the reason I go on， I love you… the night you passed out… I was going to ask you to marry me， and now lovely， beautiful woman… I‘m asking… Colleen Collins， will you do me the honor of marrying me？“
She looked at him， tears falling in soft， gentle puddles on her hands， and his.“Andrew… oh Andrew… I love you， but， she stopped； taking a deep breath， then continuing I can‘t ask you to live like this， I’m in remission now， but we both know， I know， I won‘t live beyond a year… we both know it.”
Andrew pulled her from the chair， took her into his arms， and carried her to the bedroom. They made love very slowly， twice that night， each time she whimpered， and he asked if he was hurting her， she answered， “No…oh no， you could never hurt me Andrew， it‘s just that I want to remember this wonderful feeling， keep it forever… and no one has ever made me feel so alive as you have.”
Falling asleep in each others arms， Andrew didn‘t notice when she slipped from their bed at three A.M.， going to the bathroom， taking a bottle of sleeping pills from the medicine cabinet， （ones that she had since her divorce，） swallowing them down all at once， then returning to their bed， she kissed his lips lightly， as he turned over. She lie there staring at him， stroking his arm， tracing his face， as he half awake， smiled at her， pulling her into his arms， kissing her gently on the cheek as she told him she loved him. He held her till she moved away， thinking she was in pain he stroked her hair， her cheeks， noticed her face tighten and release…。 till he thought at last she looked at peace， sleeping…… now， he remembered she never answered his marriage proposal， but then he thought， they would have tomorrow， and tomorrow… till there were no more tomorrows， and he would be left alone once again… but he would never forget this lady， this woman… he loved so much， and he was given over to tears of sadness， yet still he wasn’t bitter he knew in his heart， God had some how given him the greatest gift， he would ever have，and he would cherish her memory till he too went home， and they could be together once more.~
本文作者：林恩-達(dá)科他 （Lynn Dakota美國(guó)）
作者自述：我熱愛(ài)并且傳教跆拳道和增氧健身，同時(shí)寫(xiě)詩(shī)，
詩(shī)篇就是我的激情。
我喜歡結(jié)識(shí)新朋友與我共進(jìn)夢(mèng)境，這些詩(shī)篇的文字都出自我的內(nèi)心和靈魂，詩(shī)句就是我。我和詩(shī)融為一體。任何人也不可能帶走現(xiàn)在的我，也不可能帶走我寫(xiě)的一切。
金玉良緣
作者：林恩-達(dá)科他（Lynn Dakota，美國(guó)）
翻譯：應(yīng)中革
她睡在他的身邊，輕輕地嘆一聲，接著是一陣抽泣聲?！八隙ǚ浅Ｍ纯唷彼耄八胙陲?，瞞著我?！笨瓷先ニ浅０苍敚?，本來(lái)好好的，轉(zhuǎn)眼她就繃緊臉孔，眼淚就從她的眼角滾下來(lái)。6 個(gè)月以前，一年前，這不是真的…醫(yī)生來(lái)查胃痛病情。她隱瞞了好幾個(gè)月。一天他們慶祝同居十周年，她為他做他喜歡吃的晚餐時(shí)昏倒在廚房地板上。從此，她再也無(wú)法隱瞞下去了。
他們的浪漫史是極其幸運(yùn)的美事。他倆都在大學(xué)附近的夜校報(bào)名選修文學(xué)課，都有一個(gè)強(qiáng)烈的寫(xiě)作愿望和提高寫(xiě)作能力。
她叫科莉，身高5‘5吋，一頭棕色長(zhǎng)發(fā)，深棕色的雙眼在微笑時(shí)光彩照人。她算不上美麗，只是一般的漂亮。她上課總是遲到5 分鐘，所以他很快就注意到她。
她總是蹦蹦跳跳沖進(jìn)教室，仿佛講課的教授是他的父親，會(huì)原諒她的一切過(guò)錯(cuò)。他喜歡她這種樣子。
她向全班點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，說(shuō)一聲對(duì)不起又遲到了，接著象是在笑自己。他喜歡這種樣子。
很怪，教授一向非常粗魯，生硬和威嚴(yán)，卻一直都允許她遲到。而且，當(dāng)她向他微笑時(shí)，教授顯得非常寬容。他推測(cè)，她32-38 歲。他認(rèn)為她思維敏捷，在班上學(xué)得很快的一員。
一天晚上，教授把他們分成小組，要大家采訪(fǎng)一位詩(shī)人。一人扮演詩(shī)人，熟記詩(shī)人的背景，要能回答別人提出的各種問(wèn)題。其它學(xué)生已經(jīng)掌握了一些信息資料，并且將進(jìn)行采訪(fǎng)。學(xué)生按照?qǐng)?bào)數(shù)1—— 2 ；以1—— 2 倆人組成一對(duì)搭檔。學(xué)生要在兩星期內(nèi)上交采訪(fǎng)報(bào)告，扮演詩(shī)人的學(xué)生要按照內(nèi)容的完整性和專(zhuān)業(yè)性給采訪(fǎng)者打分。
他將排在他前面的人擠了出去，于是占領(lǐng)了她的1號(hào)數(shù)的位置。不管怎么說(shuō)他一定要這樣做。
這時(shí)教授大聲地吩咐，“同學(xué)們，你們要在今天晚上做出安排，與你的搭檔約定進(jìn)行采訪(fǎng)準(zhǔn)備?！?BR> 他轉(zhuǎn)身朝她一笑，把手伸過(guò)去，說(shuō)，“你好，我叫安德魯，安德魯-布魯克斯?！?BR> “我知道，”她回答說(shuō)，“我叫科莉-康麗?！蓖瑫r(shí)使勁握了一下他的手。
一陣驚喜，他話(huà)說(shuō)了一半，停了一下又說(shuō)，“你好，科莉，什么時(shí)間我們可以聚一下？”
“在葜萊館喝咖啡吧，明天8 點(diǎn)行嗎？”
“好極了，我開(kāi)車(chē)到什么地方接你？”他有心要知道她的住處。
“我在葜萊咖啡館等你，安德魯。”她起身要走，而他想攔住她。但是，說(shuō)時(shí)遲，那時(shí)快，他還來(lái)不及反應(yīng)，她已連蹦帶跳到了門(mén)外。這個(gè)女人就是這樣一陣清風(fēng)。
他在回想她的臉蛋，脖子，?；孟肱c她相愛(ài)。他完全被她的聲音迷住了，喜歡看她穿著牛仔褲的身段，喜歡看她那樸素的打扮。他閉上眼睛，回味她的芬芳，就像欣賞一朵潔白，優(yōu)美的香花，就像在他年輕時(shí)，在星期六下午，在暖和愜意的廚房里聞到母親焙烤甜餅的香味一樣。
當(dāng)他想到明天下午的約會(huì)時(shí)，心跳加快。
安德魯很早到，找了一張桌子，靠后朝向后墻，這里可以私下多做點(diǎn)隱私的事。他叫服務(wù)員拿來(lái)一小盤(pán)乳酪，一些脆餅、海鮮、開(kāi)胃沙司和一點(diǎn)兒水果以點(diǎn)綴盤(pán)菜的色美。接著，考慮選什么美酒，又擔(dān)心她不喝酒，還是只選咖啡為好，到時(shí)候見(jiàn)機(jī)行事。
出于她的秉性，科莉遲到十分鐘?！皩?duì)不起，安德魯，我老遲到。一著手干活，我就好象怎么也沒(méi)法結(jié)束，時(shí)間抓不緊，遲到了！”
“沒(méi)事…，請(qǐng)不要介意，我已經(jīng)叫了開(kāi)胃菜。”
“哦，真好吃！”她說(shuō)著，臉上露出迷人的笑容。
他們就采訪(fǎng)方案研討了三個(gè)小時(shí)，期間他倆為他失誤的措辭而發(fā)笑，她則對(duì)他生活不斷地提問(wèn)。她竟然能夠不費(fèi)吹灰之力就從他嘴里掏出大量的材料。為此，他大為驚奇。 以前，沒(méi)有任何女人會(huì)使他感到如此隨意和放松。
她談了自己的家庭，她母親一年之前的死，她的不幸婚姻。她說(shuō)自己原是幼兒園老師，她的前夫出走了，后又找了另外一個(gè)女人。盡管沒(méi)有生過(guò)孩子，沒(méi)有什么瓜葛，但是，她被毀了。她根本不想約會(huì)交友。經(jīng)歷太痛苦，離婚已經(jīng)兩年。說(shuō)完往事，她沉默了?？吹剿樕系年幊恋耐纯啵驳卖斂酥谱∫ダ氖值挠?。
兩個(gè)小時(shí)后，他們終于選了一位要采訪(fǎng)的詩(shī)人。雙方都發(fā)現(xiàn)自己熱衷于做詩(shī)，他們選的是埃米莉-迪肯森?？评蜃匀话缪莅Ｃ桌?。
安德魯發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)候不早了，又想延伸這個(gè)課后作業(yè)，于是聲稱(chēng)明天一早上班就要開(kāi)會(huì)，問(wèn)科莉是否本周可以再聚。
科莉從口袋里取出日歷一看，微笑地問(wèn)，星期五晚上是否合適。安德魯一聽(tīng)，樂(lè)得跳了起來(lái)。感覺(jué)一到自己有點(diǎn)傻，他表白，近年來(lái)我的生活從來(lái)都沒(méi)有像現(xiàn)在這樣快活過(guò)。倆人都笑了，當(dāng)她握住他的手的時(shí)候，他象像被觸電一樣震驚。他從椅子上跳躍起來(lái)，還好沒(méi)將她的手推開(kāi)。此時(shí)，兩個(gè)人目光正對(duì)凝視一陣?？评蚱鹕硪撸驳卖斦酒饋?lái)，要求送她上車(chē)。在她的小車(chē)邊，他們說(shuō)晚安告別時(shí)，在昏暗的路燈下，安德魯強(qiáng)忍上前吻她的欲望。
以后，他們又有六次約會(huì)。每次，科莉都遲到十分鐘以上。到第七次，科莉提早15分鐘到，安德魯晚到。
“你好，”他說(shuō)，“出事啦？”
“出事？沒(méi)有啊，怎么啦？”
“你早到…”他想解釋。
“哦，是的，今天有點(diǎn)怪。我…我想你了。” 她忸怩地說(shuō)。
安德魯喜出望外。
“是嗎？”他回答說(shuō)，“太好了。”一邊拉住她的手，在手上輕輕地吻了一下。
從那個(gè)晚上起，兩個(gè)人形影不離，后搬到一起住了。他們找到了愛(ài)，接受了愛(ài)，跳進(jìn)愛(ài)河。他對(duì)她的愛(ài)勝過(guò)對(duì)任何別的女人。她與眾不同，楚楚動(dòng)人，使他感到自己是一個(gè)真正男人，每天晚上高高興興回家來(lái)。
他20歲結(jié)婚便離婚，他發(fā)現(xiàn)妻子背叛。此后，他戀愛(ài)幾年，沒(méi)有找到他可以一心一意去愛(ài)的女人，沒(méi)有使他感到滿(mǎn)意的女人。只有她做到了，并且比他心目中想象的更好。到上個(gè)月他們生活在一起3年整了。她昏倒的那個(gè)晚上，他本來(lái)要提出與她結(jié)婚，就在這個(gè)發(fā)病的房間里，金玉良緣終成泡影。當(dāng)天晚上他們?cè)卺t(yī)院過(guò)夜。他再也不能提婚事，她太緊張，病情很重。經(jīng)過(guò)二個(gè)星期的檢查，醫(yī)生后下結(jié)論，卵巢癌。
幸福，美滿(mǎn)，歡快的日子毀于一旦，他們就像掉到地獄里一樣，又是化療，又是理療，過(guò)著受煎熬的日子。在嘔吐的那幾天，她又地將胃里食物翻出來(lái)，安德魯托著她的頭發(fā)，將濕毛巾放在她的前額，為她擦背。
科莉又開(kāi)始笑了。
一天晚上，他正在做晚餐時(shí)（他答應(yīng)過(guò)并且已經(jīng)承擔(dān)起大量的家務(wù)），發(fā)現(xiàn)她凝視著夜空，臉上流露出深沉的陰影。
忽然，她轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)他說(shuō)，“安德魯，我決定搬出去?！?BR> 安德魯，扔下粥勺問(wèn)，“你怎么啦？”
“我不愿意看到你這樣受苦，我病重不能讓你幸福，甚至不能給你愛(ài)。”她邊哭邊說(shuō)，淚流滿(mǎn)面。安德魯正想說(shuō)，她舉手阻止他，“請(qǐng)聽(tīng)我說(shuō)完，我申請(qǐng)了一個(gè)護(hù)理居住房，已經(jīng)同意了，我明天搬過(guò)去?！?BR> 安德魯沖到桌前，雙膝跪地?！安荒馨。彼舐暯泻??！澳悴荒茈x開(kāi)我…一個(gè)人去陌生的地方?！彼蒙钋榈膼?ài)，以深色呆板的眼睛懇求地看著安德魯，“安德魯，…”她哭了。安德魯，用手指從嘴唇邊拭去她的眼淚，說(shuō)，“科莉，兩年來(lái)，我已經(jīng)認(rèn)識(shí)到我是永遠(yuǎn)屬于你，有了你我才知道什么叫愛(ài)，我才成為一個(gè)真正的男人，一切多虧有了你…我不會(huì)放棄你，我不能沒(méi)有你?！彼o緊地抓住她的手，全身顫動(dòng)。你是我的女人，我的生命，我的依靠。我愛(ài)你…在你昏倒的那天，我本來(lái)要求你與我結(jié)婚?，F(xiàn)在，我的可愛(ài)的，美麗的女人…我請(qǐng)求…科莉，行行好，嫁給我嗎？“
她面對(duì)安德魯，淚水淌到柔軟而溫柔的手上，她的手和他的手上。
“安德魯，哦，我的安德魯，我愛(ài)你，但是”她停了一會(huì)，深深地嘆了一口氣，繼續(xù)說(shuō)，“我不能讓你如此愛(ài)我。我現(xiàn)在病情緩和。但是，我們倆都知道，我自己知道，我活不到明年了…你我都知道的?！?BR> 安德魯將她從椅子上拉起來(lái)，抱在懷里，抱到臥室。
他們做愛(ài)非常緩和，當(dāng)晚二次，每次她都低聲哼叫。他問(wèn)有沒(méi)有刺痛她，她回答，“不，安德魯，沒(méi)有痛，永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)。這正是我要記住的極樂(lè)的快感。除你以外，沒(méi)人能讓我體驗(yàn)這種敏感。
相互擁抱入睡。凌晨3點(diǎn)，她從床上下來(lái)，安德魯沒(méi)有發(fā)覺(jué)。她從藥盒里拿了一瓶安眠藥（她離婚后曾經(jīng)服用過(guò)的），走進(jìn)了衛(wèi)生間，全部呑了下去，然后回到床上。他翻身時(shí)，她輕輕地吻他雙唇。她靜靜地躺，看著安德魯，撫摩他的手臂，審視他的臉龐。他在半醒半睡中向她笑笑，把她抱在懷里。她又說(shuō)愛(ài)他時(shí)，他溫柔地吻了一下她的臉頰。她移開(kāi)時(shí)，他才松開(kāi)雙臂，以為她身上痛。他撫摸她的頭發(fā)和臉頰，發(fā)現(xiàn)她的臉綁緊而又松脫…后覺(jué)得她又很安祥地睡著了。此時(shí)，他想起她還沒(méi)有答復(fù)他的結(jié)婚請(qǐng)求，但是他還認(rèn)為他們有明天，再明天，直至沒(méi)有明天時(shí)，他愿意又回到單身王囯。但他永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記這個(gè)女人，這個(gè)心愛(ài)的女人。他被遺棄了，留下的是傷心的眼淚。然而，他心里知道，他無(wú)怨無(wú)悔。上帝已經(jīng)賜給他好禮物金玉良緣。他將把留在記憶中的科莉永遠(yuǎn)懷抱直到死為止，直到他們能再次聚首。