How Lily and David Got Together

Some years ago, a good family moved into the third floor apartment of the tenement where we lived in the Bronx. 多年前，我们住在布朗克斯时，三楼搬来一家新租户。David was the son and he was going to medical school.大卫是那家人的儿子，即将入读医科学院。 He was also an avid reader so he spent most of his free time in the library.他还非常热衷于阅读，大部分空余时间都消耗在图书馆里。 The librarian there was a pretty, soft-spoken young woman named Lilly. 图书管理员叫莉莉，她是个说话柔声细语的漂亮姑娘。The kids all loved her. 孩子们都很喜欢她。If we couldn't find a book she would stop whatever she was doing, smile at us warmly and launch a search to find it for us.如果我们找不到书，她总会停下手上的活，亲切地微笑着为我们找书。 She was a hard worker. 她工作相当勤恳。 She also secretly admired our new neighbor David. 她还暗恋着我们的新邻居大卫。Whenever he entered the small neighborhood library, Lilly's eyes lit up and observed his wandering path through the stacks of books.只要他走进这间小街区图书馆，莉莉的眼睛就奕奕闪亮，注视着他在书架间走动。 She never struck up a conversation with him though. She was much too shy, and in those days a woman didn’t talk to a stranger without a formal introduction.可她从没和他说上话。她太害羞了，再说那个年代里女孩子没经正式介绍是不会与陌生人交谈的。 One evening, as Lilly was closing up the library, 一天晚上，正当莉莉要闭馆的时候，her assistant bent down near the desk to retrieve an unopened envelope off the floor. She showed it to Lilly and they noted that it was sent from a major city hospital. 她的助理从桌旁的地面上拾起一个未开启的信封。她递给莉莉瞧，两人注意到信是从一家大城市医院发出的。 "It looked so important," the assistant said. "Some poor person is probably looking for it frantically. “信似乎很重要，”助理说，“或许别人正找它找得火急火燎呢。It must have fallen out of his pocket or book." 一定是从口袋里或书里掉出来的。Lilly glanced at the address of the recipient and was surprised to see it was for the building right next to hers.莉莉看了一眼收信人的地址，惊讶地发现就是她住的隔壁楼。 She took the letter so she could drop it by the man's apartment on her way home.她拿了信，打算回家的时候顺便带给那家人。 She turned out the lights, finished locking the library and hurried home, where she quickly set down her bags.她关了灯，锁好图书馆的门，急忙回家放下袋子。 Clutching the envelope, she ran across the way, entered the front lobby next store and scanned the mailboxes.然后她拿着信穿过马路，一路跑到旁边大楼的前厅，打量着信箱。 She found a Gordon, the same last name listed on the envelope.她找到了戈登的名字，和信封上写的姓名一样。 Lilly walked up the three flights of stairs and was greeted at the door by a sweet older woman who was leaning on a crutch.莉莉走上三楼，一位和蔼可亲的老太太支着根拐杖在门口迎接了她。 "Oh, thank you so much, she said. "Well, here's the letter.“哦，太感谢你了，”老太太说。“信在这儿。 Is David Gordon your husband" "Oh no,"大卫·戈登是你的先生吗？”“噢，不是，” she answered. "That's my son. We were wondering where the letter went. "“那是我的儿子。我们还在奇怪信上哪儿去了呢。” She looked Lilly up and down. "Well, look at us, standing here like strangers, " the woman said smiling brightly. "Come and sit for a moment and have some tea.她上下打量着莉莉，灿烂地笑着说道：“瞧我们，站在这儿像陌生人似的，进来坐一会儿喝喝茶吧。请进。” Please. " As she motioned Lilly to a chair, the lady talked about the letter. 老太太边让莉莉坐下，边谈起了那封信。"When I get mail for my son, I always put it on the kitchen table so he can find it when he comes home. 我收到给儿子的信后，总是放在厨房的桌上，好让他一回家就能看到。This letter was important so I stuck it in his book.但这封信太重要了，所以我放在他的书里。 You see, he is going to medical school to be a specialist, 你瞧，他要念医科学院成为一名医生呢" she said proudly. Just then, the door opened and in walked her son, David.她自豪地说。就在这时，门开了，她的儿子大卫走了进来。 Upon seeing that he was the young man she had admired so long, Lilly felt her heart beat faster. 看到大卫就是她长久以来暗恋着的那个年轻人，莉莉感到心砰砰直跳。His mother excitedly explained to him what had happened to the letter.大卫的妈妈兴高采烈地向他解释那封信的事情。 David looked at Lilly in astonishment. "Gosh, you're from the library? Thank you. 大卫惊讶地看着莉莉。“啊，你从图书馆过来的吗？谢谢。I was looking high and low for that letter. " 我正四处找着那封信呢。He turned to his mother. "You see, I was accepted to the hospital's medical program. " 他转身对他妈妈说∶“瞧，我已经被录取去念医院的医学课程了。”Then he turned back to Lilly and smiled shyly, "Thanks again, Miss Uh… I didn't get your name?"然后他回过身对莉莉腼腆地笑着说：“再次感谢你，唔……我还不知道你叫什么名字呢？” "Lilly, " she said, smiling her warmest smile. And so began Lilly and David's life together.“莉莉，”她说，绽出她那亲切的笑容。两人的生活便由此开始了。 But now for the whole story. After they had been married 25 years,现在我们来听听整个故事。大卫在婚后25年告诉了我们关于那封信的真相。 he told us the truth about the letter. David was a cardiovascular specialist by then and his dear Lilly, the mother of their three children was sitting by his side as he told us.那时大卫已是心血管医生，而他亲爱的莉莉已是他们三个孩子的母亲，大卫给我们讲故事的时候她就坐在一旁。 You see, David wasn't that avid a reader as it turns out. He just wanted to see that pretty young librarian.原来大卫并非什么热情的读者。他上图书馆去只是为了能看到这位漂亮的图书管理员。 He told his mother about the girl at his local library,他和母亲讲述了当地图书馆的女孩事， but he was shy and didn't know how to approach her. His mother devised a scheme.但他太腼腆了，不知如何才能接近她。于是他妈妈想出了这个主意。 Every time David went to the library, he was to drop an envelope addressed to himself on the floor.每次大卫上图书馆去时，他就把写给自己的信掉到地上。 David's mother hoped Lilly would retrieve it for him, call him over to the desk and give him a chance to strike up a conversation.大卫的妈妈希望莉莉捡到这封信后会把大卫叫过桌子那头，然后大卫就有机会与她说上话了。 So David dutifully dropped a letter each time he visited the library, but each time someone would see the envelope fluttering to the floor and rush to reclaim it for him.大卫于是每次去图书馆都不断地掉信，可每回信封飞到地上总给人看到，并急忙还给他。 "Oh sir," he'd hear someone cry out. “噢，先生，”他听到别人叫他。But when he turned, it was never Lilly. 可他转过身一看，总也不是莉莉。On the day he finally met Lilly, David waited till no one was left in the building but Lilly and her assistant.终于见到莉莉的那天，大卫等到房子里的人只剩下莉莉和她的助理。 Once again he dropped his letter by the desk.他再次把信掉在桌旁。 The next day he hoped he could come back and ask Lilly if she had found an envelope with his name on it.他希望次日回去时可以问莉莉是否看到一个写着他名字的信封。 The plan worked far better than he imagined when Lilly showed up in person to deliver the letter.不过计划进行得比他设想的要好得多，莉莉竟然亲自来送信。 While David was telling the story, his beautiful wife Lilly began laughing hysterically.当大卫在讲述这个故事时，他美丽的妻子莉莉笑得上气不接下气。 "David," she said, when she caught her breath.“大卫，”等她缓过一口气后，说道， "You didn't seal that envelope very well. We opened it at the library.你的信封封得不是很好。我们当时在图书馆里就打开了。 I saw that there was nothing but a blank piece of paper inside.我看到里面除了一张白纸什么也没有。But I was dying to figure out what you were up to so I played along.