English Original
After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way to keep the spark of love alive. I started going out with another woman—my wife's idea.
"I know you love her," she said one day, surprising me. "But I love you," I protested. "I know," she replied, "but you also love her."
The "other woman" was my mother, a widow for 19 years. Work and family demands meant I visited her only occasionally. That night, I called to invite her to dinner and a movie. "What's wrong? Are you well?" she asked, suspecting bad news from a late call. "I thought it would be nice to spend time together, just the two of us," I responded. After a moment's thought, she said, "I would like that very much."
That Friday, I was nervous driving to pick her up. She waited by the door, coat on, also seeming nervous. She had curled her hair and wore the dress from her last wedding anniversary. Her face was radiant as an angel's. "I told my friends I was going out with my son," she said, getting into the car. "They were impressed and can't wait to hear about it."
We went to a restaurant that was cozy, if not elegant. My mother took my arm like the First Lady. At the table, I read the menu aloud as her eyes could only manage large print. Midway, I looked up to see her staring at me with a nostalgic smile. "I used to read the menu for you when you were small," she said. "Then it's time you relaxed and let me return the favor," I replied.
Our conversation over dinner was pleasant—catching up on our lives, nothing extraordinary. We talked so much we missed the movie. Dropping her off, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if I can invite you next time." I agreed.
"How was your date?" my wife asked when I got home. "Very nice. Much better than I imagined," I answered.
A few days later, my mother died suddenly of a massive heart attack. I had no chance to do more for her. In that moment, I understood the urgency of saying "I love you" and giving loved ones the time they deserve. Nothing is more important than family. Don't put it off for "some other time."
中文翻译
结婚21年后，我发现了一种让爱火保持活力的新方法。我开始和另一个女人约会——这是我妻子的主意。
“我知道你爱她，”有一天她对我说，让我吃了一惊。“但我爱你啊，”我抗议道。“我知道，”她回答，“但你也爱她。”
这个“另一个女人”是我的母亲，她已寡居19年。工作和家庭的责任使我只能偶尔去看望她。那天晚上，我打电话邀请她共进晚餐并看场电影。“出什么事了？你还好吗？”她问道，深夜来电让她疑心是坏消息。“我只是觉得我们俩一起度过些时光会很好，”我回答。她想了想，说：“我非常愿意。”
那个周五，我开车去接她时有些紧张。她穿着外套等在门口，似乎也有些紧张。她卷了头发，穿着上次结婚纪念日时穿的裙子。她的面容如天使般容光焕发。“我告诉朋友们我要和儿子出去约会，”她上车时说，“她们都很羡慕，迫不及待想听我们的故事。”
我们去了一家虽不奢华但非常舒适温馨的餐厅。母亲挽着我的手臂，仿佛她是第一夫人。落座后，我替她念菜单，因为她的眼睛只能看清大字号。念到一半时，我抬起头，发现她正凝视着我，唇边带着怀旧的微笑。“你小时候，总是我为你念菜单，”她说。“那么现在该你放松，让我来回报这份好意了，”我回答。
晚餐时的谈话很愉快——只是聊聊彼此近况，没什么特别。我们聊得太投入，以至于错过了电影。送她到家时，她说：“我愿意再和你出去，但下次必须让我来邀请你。”我同意了。
“约会怎么样？”我到家时妻子问道。“非常好，比我想象的还要好得多，”我回答。
几天后，母亲因严重的心脏病发作突然去世。我再没有机会为她做更多。那一刻，我明白了及时说出“我爱你”并给予所爱之人应得的时间是多么重要。没有什么比家人更重要。不要把这些事推迟到“改天”。