Forever in Their Eyes
Early one morning, I witnessed romance at one of the least-expected places in the world - a long-term care facility. At the time, my father shared a room with three other gentlemen. While it wasn"t an ideal situation, it was the best the administrator could do at the time.
A few days before this particular visit, an elderly couple was admitted to the facility. Since there wasn"t a double room available, they were forced to separate the couple. The gentleman, Mr. West (name has been changed) was placed in the bed beside Daddy. His wife, Mrs. West, shared a room with several other ladies down the hall.
When I went to see Daddy that morning, I met Mr. West. Three employees were working with him. He hadn"t eaten a bite of food since he was admitted several days earlier. I could tell by the expression on the nurses" faces that they were worried about him. While one nurse was trying to get him to open his mouth with spoonfuls of gelatin, another nurse was trying to coax him to drink a health shake from a straw. The third nurse was standing nearby with a cup of water. Mr. West refused to open his mouth for any of them.
"Let"s try this," one of the nurses said. She pulled out a lollipop, tore off the paper and offered it to Mr. West. His lips were clamped together tightly. He refused to listen to reason. Finally, he uttered something about his sweetheart, who was resting down the hall.
"Go get Mrs. West," the nurse instructed her helper, while handing her the lollipop. "Maybe Mr. West will eat for her."
In a few minutes a kind-looking lady was wheeled into the room. She held the lollipop in her hand. Her smile was contagious and Mr. West smiled brightly. I felt as though I was intruding on a private moment, but I couldn"t take my eyes off the couple. The love between them was obvious, as Mrs. West patted Mr. West"s hand and then caressed his forehead.
With a soft voice, Mrs. West convinced Mr. West to eat. To everyone"s surprise Mr. West opened his mouth and began to enjoy the lollipop and his wife"s company. While the nurses fed him, he stared at his sweetheart with a smile on his face. Mrs. West began humming a tune to him. The expression on his once solemn face became even brighter.
Tears filled my eyes. The nurse then pulled the curtain around the couple to give them some quality time alone to visit. I discovered that romance doesn"t only exist when we"re young and in love. Romance lasts a lifetime and grows stronger with age. Before long I heard snores of contentment coming from the bed beside me.
Today, Mr. and Mrs. West reside together in a place where there are no limitations, nursing homes or wheelchairs. There are no tears in their eyes or rooms dividing them. I am convinced that the West marriage went well beyond "till death us do part" and will last throughout eternity. Not only did I witness a memorable romance that day, I saw a glimpse of forever in a loving couple"s tired and worn-out eyes.
一天早晨,我在一个世界上人们最不愿意呆的地方-长期看护所-目睹了一段浪漫故事.当时,我父亲在哪里和另外三位先生共处一室.尽管条件不是很理想,但在那时,这已经是管理员所能做到的最好了.
在那次特殊拜访之前几天,一对老年夫妻被送进这家看护所. 由于没有空余的双人间, 他们不得不被分开. 那位老先生, 维斯特先生(假名),被安排到我父亲的旁边. 他的妻子, 维斯特太太, 则在大楼的另一侧和其他几位女士住一间房.
那天上午,当我去看我父亲的时候,我遇见了维斯特先生. 当时有三个护理人员正在护理他. 自从几天前进入看护所以来,他没有吃过一口食物. 我从护理员脸上的表情可以看出她们正为他的健康担心. 当其中一个护理员正拿着一勺胶状食品并尝试让他张嘴的时候,另一个护理员也在哄他用吸管喝一种营养汁.第三个护理员则拿着一杯水站在旁边. 维斯特先生拒绝为他们任何一个人张嘴.
"我们试试这个."其中一个护理员说. 她取出一只棒棒糖,撕掉糖纸然后递给维斯特先生. 他的双唇紧闭着. 他拒绝听任何人的劝说. 最后,他念叨着什么关于他甜心的话,当然就是指在大楼另一侧休息的妻子.
"去把维斯特太太找来,"护理员吩咐她的助手,并将棒棒糖给了助手."也许维斯特先生会为她而吃东西."
几分钟后,一位慈祥的老太太被推了近来. 她手上拿着刚才的那只棒棒糖. 她的微笑是那么富有感染力,维斯特先生也灿烂地笑了.我突然觉得我正在侵犯一段属于私人的时间,但是我却无法将目光从那对夫妻身上移开. 当维斯特太太轻拍维斯特先生的手并轻抚他的额头时,你可以清晰地看到他们之间的那份爱.
维斯特太太用一种温和的声音劝说维斯特先生吃点东西. 在我们惊讶的目光中, 维斯特先生开始张嘴吃那只棒棒糖, 与此同时也享受着他妻子的陪伴. 当护理员喂他食物的时候, 他一直微笑着注视着他的甜心. 维斯特太太则开始为他轻声哼着什么. 他曾经严肃的.脸看起来更加明亮.
泪水盈满我的双眼. 护理员为他们拉上了围帘, 以便给他们一段单独的时间. 我发现浪漫不单是在我们年轻恋爱时才存在. 浪漫会陪伴我们一生,并随年龄增长而更富内涵. 不一会儿, 我听到了从旁边的床上传来的惬意的鼾声.
现在,维斯特先生和维斯特太太住在一个没有限制,看护室和轮椅的地方. 不再有房间将他们分开, 他们眼中也不再泪水. 我深信他们的婚姻远远超出了"直到死亡将我们分开"而将持续成为永恒. 在那天, 我不仅是目睹了一段难忘的浪漫, 我从一对相爱的夫妇的疲倦而憔悴的眼睛中,看见了永恒的瞬间.(：夏根建)
