卢·奥格斯顿

我生命中最為幸福的时光，就是在家中享受天伦之乐，这样的日子并不多。

——托马斯·杰斐逊

On the first day of school， as I introduced myself to my new class， one little girl named Patricia caught my attention. She looked so much like my own daughter， Darcie， I had to give my head a shake. As the months went by I noticed how her mannerisms and even certain behaviors were similar to Darcies， even though she was only eight and Darcie was now nineteen. She even wore her hair the same way Darcie had in grade school.

At the parent-teacher meeting in November， I enjoyed meeting Patricias mom， Jenny. I shared with her how much her daughter resembled mine， and wished I had brought a picture along to show her the similarity. I then mentioned that Darcie was adopted， even wondering about the possibility of the two girls being related somehow—the resemblance was so uncanny. As Jenny was leaving， I said， “Yes， Darcie was born on July 19， 1975， so if you had a relative who gave up a baby for adoption， maybe it was Darcie.” Being a family private person， I was startled at myself at this sudden confidence. I attributed it to my nervousness about the interviews and put it out of my mind.

I forgot about this episode until the March interview rolled around. This time Patricias father， Garth， was also present. Again， I had forgotten to bring a picture of Darcie to show Jenny. Oh， well， I will， one of these days， I thought.

Then， at the end of June， on the last day of school， my phone rang. To my surprise， it was Jenny. In a strange voice， she said， “Ive been struggling with whether or not to make this call all year. But today， it was now or never.” And then， out of the blue， she said， “I think Im your daughters natural mother.”

I was stunned. This possibility had honestly never entered my head. Its a good thing there was a chair by the phone because my legs felt like rubber. I thought back to our first interview last November. Poor Jenny—what a shock she must have had that night！

Over the phone， Jenny and I exchanged the information we had both been given at the time of adoption. It was emotionally draining， and we were both choking back tears as we spoke. I learned that day that Jennys husband， Garth， was Darcies natural father as well. Patricia and Darcie were truly full genetic sisters. No wonder they looked and behaved so much alike.

Afterwards， I sat down and had a good cry. I wasnt feeling insecure or threatened， but rather totally drained and somewhat relieved. As an adoptive mom， I always knew that someday my children might want to find their natural parents. I had just hoped that they wouldnt find out that their mother had died of overdose， or that their dad was in jail. Jenny and Garth seemed to be fine people， and I was as pleased as could be. Patricia had been in my class for a whole year， and I knew a fair bit about her life. Had Darcie been raised in their family， her life might have been quite similar to the life she had in ours. All in all， I thought， Darcie could feel very proud.

Jenny had asked me to tell Darcie if I wanted to. She and Garth would put no pressure on her. If she wanted to contact them—great！ If not， they would respect that.

On a Tuesday when Darcie got home from work， I called her upstairs to talk. After reassuring her that nothing was wrong， I put my arms around her and said， “Darcie， I spoke to your birth mother on Friday.” She was shocked and totally speechless. When I asked her if she thought she might like to meet her， she replied， “I dont know， this feels weird.” When I explained that Id actually met Jenny on several occasions， she wondered if she looked like her.

As the week passed， she asked for more information as she was ready. She found it easier to absorb small pieces of information， and she couldnt decide whether or not she wanted to meet Jenny and Garth， I said： “Look Darcie， it took Jenny almost a whole year to decide to call me. Please take all the time you want. There is no pressure to make a decision.”

A few months later， she felt ready， but definitely wanted me with her. I was glad about this—adoption doesnt just happen to the baby， it happens to the parents， too. I needed to be a part of this.

Darcie was feeling a bit insecure. With us she knew unconditional love， but with Jenny and Garth she felt shed have to gain acceptance by some accomplishment or look or both. Over the next few months， she lost some weight， found a new job， dyed her hair three times， and had it permed， straightened and cut.

My adopted son， Dale， wondered why she was in such a flap. “These people are just strangers，” he said， “why does she even want to meet them？” I replied， “It must be meant to be， Dale. Look at the odds here. This city has a population of over 600，000！ We adopted Darcie when we lived in the west end， Jenny and Garth lived centrally， and now we all live in the east end！” I was truly in awe of the strange trail of unlikely coincidences that all these years later had brought us to the same neighborhood， and placed Patricia in my classroom.

By June 1997， Darcie asked me to arrange a meeting with her birth family. Jenny was pleased but cautious， wanting to be sure that Darcie was ready. She also wasnt sure she was prepared for Patricia and her son， Jordan， to know about Darcie.

When the day finally arrived， Darcie was so nervous that I had to greet Jenny and Garth， and bring them into the kitchen. After my introduction， Jenny walked towards Darcie and wrapped her arms around her. They both began to cry as Jenny held the daughter she had given up so many years ago.

When we had all calmed down， we settled in the family room and the conversation flowed easily. Darcie showed them her baby album and school pictures， and asked lots of questions. She learned that Garth had been sixteen， and Jenny only fourteen， when she was born. They had given her up out of love， knowing they were not ready to be parents. Six years later they were married and had always longed to know her. When they learned from me she had grown up close by in a good family， it seemed like a miracle， and they were overjoyed. When Jenny and Garth finally left late that night， there were lots of hugs all around.

Jenny and Garth had told their children they had given up a child for adoption， but they hadnt shared the recent contact or my involvement. A week later， they did， and Jenny asked Darcie if she would like to meet Jordan and Patricia， who were her full brother and sister.

Darcie excitedly agreed， and this time， I was excited， too！ Everyone had lots to say， and it felt a lot like a family party！ When Patricia entered our home and saw Darcie for the first time， she was over the moon with excitement and exclaimed： “Oh mom， she looks like you！” She was so excited to have an older sister， she was like a kid in a candy store. She wanted to see Darcies room， her shoes， the rest of the house， our back yard. She couldnt sit still！

Darcie and Jenny keep in touch by phone from time to time and exchange birthday cards.

Darcie is married now， with a baby of her own. Patricia loves to baby-sit for Darcie and her husband， and Jenny and Garth are thrilled to know their first grandchild. The sad loss of their youth has been replaced with joy and healing， and I can honestly say it is a feeling of contentment and peace that we all share.

開学第一天，在向新班级作自我介绍时，一个名叫帕特里夏的小女孩引起了我的注意。她的长相酷似我女儿达茜，让我恍惚间不得不摇了摇头。几个月过去，我留意到她的言谈举止乃至某些行为都与达茜极为相似，尽管她只有8岁而达茜已经19岁。甚至她的发型都和达茜上小学时的发型一模一样。

11月的家长会上，我很高兴见到了帕特里夏的妈妈珍妮。我告诉她，帕特里夏和我女儿是如何地相像，真希望身边有张照片让她亲眼瞧瞧。然后我提到达茜是收养的，甚至琢磨两个女孩儿会不会有血缘关系，因为她们实在像得不可思议。珍妮临走时，我说：“达茜出生在1975年7月19日，假如你有一位亲戚当年曾把孩子送人收养，说不定就是达茜。”我是个注重家庭隐私的人，当时突然信心满满地说出这番话，我自己都吃惊不已。我把这归咎于家长—老师见面会的紧张，继而抛之脑后。

我全然忘却这个小插曲，直到3月份的家长会来临。这次，帕特里夏的父亲加思也在。然而，我又忘记带达茜的照片给珍妮看了。好吧，总有哪天我会记得的，我想。

随后在6月末，学期最后一天，我的电话铃响了。出乎意料，竟是珍妮打来的。电话那头的声音有点儿奇怪，她说：“一整年来，我一直纠结着要不要打这个电话。如果今天不说，我可能永远不会说了。”然后，毫无预兆地，她说：“我想，我应该是你女儿的亲生母亲。”

我一时惊呆了。说实话，我从没想过会有这种可能性。我的两腿发软跟橡皮似的，幸好电话旁边有一把椅子。我回想起去年11月的第一次会面，可怜的珍妮，那天晚上她该有多么震惊！

在电话里，珍妮和我交换了当年领养时各自所知道的信息。这个过程让人心力交瘁，我们说话时都强忍泪水。那天我得知，珍妮的丈夫加思也是达茜的亲生父亲。帕特里夏和达茜是真正的亲生姐妹，难怪她们的相貌和举止如此相似。

接完电话，我坐下来痛痛快快地哭了一场。并不是因为感到不安或感觉受到威胁，而是完全精疲力竭，某种程度上也算松了一口气。作为养母，我一直都明白，可能有一天孩子们会想要寻找亲生父母。我只是希望，最后他们不会发现自己的母亲死于吸毒过量，或者自己的父亲在蹲监狱。珍妮和加思看起来都是好人，我感到非常高兴。帕特里夏在我的班级里整整一年，我对她的生活有一定了解。如果达茜在他们家庭中长大，她所过的生活应该跟在我家十分相似。总之，达茜会感到非常自豪吧，我想。

珍妮表示，如果我愿意的话，可以把实情告诉达茜。她和加思不会给达茜任何压力。如果达茜想联系他们，那再好不过！如果不愿意，他们尊重她的决定。

一个周二，达茜下班回家后，我喊她到楼上谈一谈。我安慰她没什么坏事情，然后搂着她说：“达茜，周五的时候，我和你的亲生母亲谈过了。”她震惊得说不出话来。我问她是否愿意见面时，她回答道：“我不知道，这感觉怪怪的。”当我坦承曾经见过珍妮几次时，她好奇自己和珍妮长得像不像。

一周过去，达茜逐渐做好心理准备，便询问了更多事情。她发现，一点一点地了解会更容易接受。她还是不确定要不要与珍妮和加思见面，我告诉她：“达茜，你看，珍妮用了快一年时间才下定决心给我打电话。你可以慢慢来，做决定时不要有任何压力。”

几个月后，她觉得准备好了，但很肯定需要我陪着她。对此我很开心，因为领养不仅是孩子的事，也是养父母的事。我需要参与其中。

达茜表现出些许不安。她知道我们给予的是无条件的爱，但对于珍妮和加思，她觉得自己需要通过一些成就或外表甚或两者兼备来获得认可。接下来几个月，她减了些体重，换了份新工作，染了三次头发，烫了发，然后又拉直，又剪短。

我的养子戴尔不明白为什么她这么紧张。“他们不过是陌生人，”他说，“为什么她竟然想见他们？”我回答道：“这是命中注定的，戴尔。看看这个巧合！这座城市有60多万人口，收养达茜时我们住在城市西边，珍妮和加思住在市中心。现在，我們都住到了城市东边！”我深感惊叹，是多么不可思议的机缘，才让我们多年之后聚到同一社区，又让帕特里夏进了我教的班级。

1997年6月，达茜请我安排与她亲生家庭的会面。珍妮很开心，但还是很谨慎，想确定达茜是否真的准备好了。她也不确定，自己是否准备好让帕特里夏和儿子乔丹知道达茜的事情。

那一天终于到来，达茜非常紧张，只好由我迎接珍妮和加思，带他们进了厨房。在我作了介绍之后，珍妮走向达茜环抱住她。珍妮抱着自己多年前放弃的女儿，她们都哭了。

等大家都平静下来，我们在客厅坐下，自然而然地开始攀谈。达茜给他们看自己儿时的相册和在校时的照片，又问了很多问题。她知道了自己出生时，加思16岁，而珍妮才14岁。他们是出于爱才放弃她的，他们知道自己没有做好为人父母的准备。6年后他们结婚了，一直渴望能再见到她。当他们从我这里得知，她已经在邻近的一个好家庭里安然长大，简直就像个奇迹，这让他们喜出望外。那天珍妮和加思待到很晚才走，大家纷纷拥抱告别。

珍妮和加思告诉过他们的孩子，他们曾经把一个孩子送人领养，但没有说最近重新取得联系以及还涉及我的事情。一周后，他们对孩子说了事情始末。珍妮问达茜，是否愿意见见亲弟弟乔丹和妹妹帕特里夏。

达茜兴奋地同意了，这一次我也很兴奋！每个人都有很多话想说，感觉就像一次家庭聚会！走进我家第一眼看到达茜时，帕特里夏便欣喜若狂地喊道：“啊！妈妈，她和你长得好像！”她很兴奋自己有了一个姐姐，开心极了。她想看看达茜的房间、鞋子，家里的其他房间以及我们的后院，她一刻也坐不住了！

后来，达茜和珍妮时不时通过电话联系，也互相寄送生日贺卡。

现在达茜已经结婚了，有了一个自己的孩子。帕特里夏很乐意帮达茜夫妇照看孩子，珍妮和加思特别激动自己有了第一个外孙。他们青春时代的骨肉分离之痛，已被欢乐和治愈所代替。坦诚地说，我们都感受到了那份满足与祥和。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者，供稿/王善武）