父親的吻

尚未懂事的弗蘭克與其他許多孩子一樣，內心深處有一種虛榮心。所以，他拒絕了父親的吻。他眼中的父親，夾雜著大海和魚腥氣息，歲月的痕跡已經悄悄爬上他蒼老的臉。

縱使失望無比，樸實的父親寬容依舊，他答應小弗蘭克了——這也是弗蘭克一生中無法追悔的遺憾的起點。

好好珍惜，并且盡情享受有雙親陪伴的每一時刻吧！

The board meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and jostled the table， spilling his coffee over his notes. 揌ow embarrassing I am getting so clumsy in my old age.?Everyone had a good laugh， and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said， 揅ome on， Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment.?Frank began， 揑 grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman， and he loved the sea. He had his own boat， but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed he family. Not just enough for our family， but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still and home. ?He looked at us and said，揑 wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man， and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him， he smelled the ocean.?

董事會議已經結束了。鮑勃站起身時不小心碰了下桌子，咖啡濺在了筆記本上。“真尷尬。我老了，變得笨手笨腳了。”每個人都大笑起來。接著我們開始講述自己最尷尬的時刻。弗蘭克正靜靜地聽著別人的故事時，有人說道：“到你了，弗蘭克，說說你最尷尬的時刻！”

弗蘭克笑了笑便開始說起他小時候的事情。“我在桑河邊長大。父親是個熱愛大海的漁民。雖然他有自己的漁船，但僅靠捕魚來維持生計是非常艱辛的。他拼命地工作，每次出海，他都要捕到足夠多的魚才回來。他不僅要養活我們一家三口，還要養活祖父祖母和家里的其他孩子們。”

他看了看我們接著說：“真希望你們能見一見我父親本人。他十分高大，由于要拉網和跟海浪作斗爭，他練就了一副健壯的身軀。靠近他，你會聞到海的味道。他總是穿著又舊又臟的粗帆布外套和有圍兜的罩衫。他的雨帽壓得很低，遮住了眉毛。無論我母親把這些行頭搓洗多少遍，還是會有一股海水和魚腥味。”

Frank抯 voice dropped a bit. 揥hen the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school， I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear.?

揌alf the time， he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front， and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here， I was twelve years old and my dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!?He paused and then went on， 揑 remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop， he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me， but I put my hand up and said， 慛o， Dad.挃

揑t was the first time I had ever talked to him that way， and he had this surprised look on his face.?揑 said， 慏ad， I抦 too old for a goodbye kiss. I抦 too old for any kind of kiss.挃

弗蘭克的聲音小了一些：“天氣不好的時候，他就會開車送我去學校。那是一輛比父親更老的載魚的舊卡車，行駛在路上還會發出咯吱咯吱的響聲，隔幾個街區你都能聽到。他每次送我去學校時，我都是縮著身子坐在車座上，希望沒有人看到我。”

“通常，他會砰的一聲把車門關上，而老卡車也隨之噴出一股濃煙。他會‘恰好’把車停在校門前，我只覺得周圍每個人都在看著我們。接著他總會彎下腰在我臉頰上重重親一下，叮囑我要乖。這太讓我感到難堪了。那時我已經十二歲了，而我的父親還要在道別前彎下腰親我！”

他停了一下又繼續說：“我一直記得那一天，我決定不再讓父親親我了，因為我已是個大小伙子了。當車子在學校門口停下后，父親仍然帶著燦爛的笑容向我靠過來。但這次我舉起了手攔住了他，說：‘爸，不要。’那是我第一次那樣跟他說話，他滿臉驚訝。我說：‘爸爸，我已經長大了，道別時不要再親我了。任何時候都不要再親我了。’”

揗y dad looked at me for the longest time， and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him crying. He turned and looked out of the windshield. 慪ou are right，?he said. 慪ou are a big boy-a man. I won抰 kiss you any more.挃

Frank got a funny look on his face， and the tears began to well up in his eyes， as he spoke. 揑t wasn抰 long after that when my dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet stayed in， but not dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a gale and was trying to save the nets and the floats.?I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. 揋uys， you don抰 know what I would give to have my dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek...to feel his rough old face...to smell the ocean on him...to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man， I would never have told my dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.?

父親久久地看著我，雙眼開始變得潮濕。我從來沒見他哭過。他轉過身對著擋風玻璃：“你說得對，你長大了，是個男子漢了。我以后不會再親你了。”

弗蘭克臉上的表情開始變得怪怪的，接著便淚如泉涌。“不久之后，父親出海捕魚，卻再也沒回來。那天除了我父親外，其他大多數漁船都沒出海，因為還有那么多人等著父親養活，他不得不去。事后人們發現父親的漁船正隨波漂浮著，漁船半沉半浮。他肯定是遇到了大風，為了保護魚網和漁船而喪命的。”

我看著弗蘭克的淚水緩緩流過他的臉頰。他繼續說：“朋友們，你們不知道我多么希望父親能夠再親一下我的臉頰……讓我再次觸摸他那飽經風霜的老臉……聞一聞他身上大海的味道……重溫他雙手繞在我脖子上的感覺。多么希望當時我真的是個男子漢，如果是這樣的話，我就不會告訴父親，我已長大了，不再需要他離別時的吻了。”

小雨摘自《英文美文100篇》