许世懿

每个女孩的成长岁月里，总会有那么两三个亲密无间的女生朋友。在日子的荏苒里，你们一起上课放学、一起玩耍逛街、一起温书闲聊、一起偷看邻班的男生，事事都要一起分享。但终于有一天，你们将难再日日同行，面临分别。

好莱坞系列电影The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (《牛仔裤的夏天》)就是关于这样四个从小玩到大、情同姐妹的女孩之间的故事。影片中的四位女孩鲜活地诠释了那些成长的喜悦与忧伤。

在Lena、Tibby、Carmen、Bridget16岁那年的暑假，四个女孩面临第一次分离。尽管只是一个月的短暂分别，但也难免让人有些怅然若失。依依不舍的她们在一家二手店里，无意中买到了一条神奇的牛仔裤，她们四个人无论高矮胖瘦，谁穿上都恰恰合适。晚上，四个女孩来到了她们的母亲们相识的地方——健身教室，一起为这条神奇的牛仔裤制定了十条规则，并立下了牛仔裤誓言。

于是，这条牛仔裤成了四人分离时期的联系物，每人穿一周然后寄送给另一个人，希望这条神奇的牛仔裤能给每个人都带来好运。

爱琴海畔，收获爱情

第一个穿这条牛仔裤的是Lena，她要去位于希腊圣托里尼岛的祖父母家度过这个暑假。圣托里尼岛到处是醉人的旖旎风光：碧海蓝天犹如画布，一幢幢雪白的房子错落在山峦之上。蓝与白交相辉映，绘出最纯正的希腊风情。这样的景致，对酷爱绘画的Lena再适合不过了。

Lena穿着白衬衣和神奇牛仔裤，捧着速写本，尽情地勾勒着这浪漫小岛的一隅——爱琴海的一个海湾。古老的希腊血统给了她深邃的眼窝，海风拂动她深褐色的头发，白皙的肌肤在阳光下闪着光。这样一个美丽的女孩，在这样一个美丽的地方，注定会邂逅爱情。

Lena不小心跌入爱琴海中，一个名叫Kostos的希腊男孩救了她。Kostos显露了希腊人特有的热情，他让Lena试着用手抓活鱼，并约她周末一起跳舞。但当Lena和她的祖母提起Kostos，祖母的表情却马上僵硬了，她要Lena发誓不再见他，不再和这个家族的人来往。

Kostos: They told you, didn't they?

Lena: You think this is funny? Our grandparents hate each other. You knew my name. Why didn't you say something the other day?

Kostos: Well, because the arguments of old men have nothing to do with us.

Lena: Well, they're not arguing about nothing. What is... what was the fight about?

Kostos: What everything here is about: money and fish. My grandfather says your grandfather cheated him.Your grandfather says my grandfather sold him fish that made his whole restaurant sick.

Lena: So, what's the truth?

Kostos: The truth is that it's a beautiful day and why should the rest of it matter?

Lena: Because it does.

羞涩的Lena还是被Kostos的热情与直率所打动。他们开始约会，一起乘船出海捕鱼，一起在凉风阵阵的露台写生。Lena找到了可以倾诉内心的人，而Kostos也读懂了她的心。

Kostos: Some people show off their beauty because they want the world to see it. Others try to hide their beauty because they want the world to see something else.

Lena: And what do you see?

Kostos: Everything.

但家族间的纠葛与仇恨阻挠了他们的交往，祖父母强烈的反对让Lena非常矛盾。最终，Lena鼓起勇气，向祖父说出了内心最真挚的想法。

Lena: Papou (希腊语，意为“爷爷”), I need to say something to you. You can pretend that you don't understand me, but I know you do. People have always said to me that I...that I take after Yia Yia (希腊语，意为“奶奶”), that I have her face and her smile, but what no one ever sees is that there's this whole other part of me—that is just like you—quiet and... and stubborn and afraid of showing too much. And then I met someone who changed everything and he showed me that I can take a chance, even if it's only for a moment. You had that same moment once when you met Yia Yia, and you risked everything for it. That was your chance, Papou. And I'm asking now to have mine.

Grandfather: Go.

Lena的真诚和执着打动了祖父。可当Lena可以放心与Kostos交往时，Kostos要回雅典继续大学学业，Lena也将结束希腊之旅，两人刻骨铭心的爱情面临分离的考验。几年之后，已经分手的两人在Lena祖父的葬礼上再次相见，Lena却得知Kostos已经订婚的消息。这让Lena深深地受了伤，即使她有了新的恋情，依然无法忘怀对Kostos的感情。当Kostos的婚姻宣告无效，他第一时间跑到Lena的校园来告诉她时，她嘴上强硬，但内心却百转千回。

姐妹们知道这个消息后决定一起出发，去希腊小岛帮助Lena和Kostos解开心结。在小小的圣托里尼岛，她们找到了Kostos，并把Lena带到了他面前。

生命的离别

Tibby是一个特别的女孩子。在很多人眼中，她的鼻环、她的朋克风挑染都是坏孩子的标志，但其实叛逆的Tibby是一个充满理想的女孩：她决心利用暑假自己拍纪录片。

这个暑假，Tibby在一家超市打工，为拍片挣钱。在超市，她救了一个昏倒在地的小女孩，从而让这个假期变得非同寻常。这个12岁的金发女孩名叫Belly，她有着早熟的“小大人”气质，口齿伶俐，能言善辩。Belly经常打断Tibby的话，这让Tibby满腹怨言。但她对Tibby的纪录片拍摄很感兴趣，主动要求担任助手角色，还找来了采访对象。在采访过程中，Belly比Tibby问问题更多更犀利，更知道如何引导受访者敞开心扉。

但Tibby后来得知，Belly两年前患了白血病。回想起Belly每次都微笑出现，她的坚强和对生命的态度让Tibby心中百感交集。Belly并不害怕死亡，她只是害怕时间的逝去。

Belly: You know what I like most about the stars? You look at them, at all of them up there and you just know there's gotta be something more than...

Tibby: Life?

Belly: There has to be.

Tibby: Are you scared?

Belly: Not of dying, really. It's more that I'm afraid of... time. And not having enough of time to figure out who I'm supposed to be, to find my place in the world before I have to leave it. I'm afraid of what I'll miss.

这一刻，Tibby哭了，Belly也哭了。Belly住院了，即将走到生命的尽头。Tibby似乎缺乏勇气面对这一切，不敢去看望她。但最终，她还是来到了Belly的病床前，带着神奇的牛仔裤，希望它能给Belly带来奇迹。

Tibby: I brought something for you.

Belly: The traveling pants？

Tibby: I was thinking, maybe you could have them for a while.

Belly: They didn't fit me, remember?

Tibby: Yeah, I know. But that doesn't really matter. None of it really matters. Listen, you have to take them, Belly. Okay? You have to let them help you. Please. I know that you're tired, okay, but you can't give up. These pants will give you a miracle. You just... you have to believe.

Belly: But, Tibby...the pants have already worked their magic on me. They brought me to you.

Belly还是离开了，Tibby因此而变得更加珍惜生活、敬畏生命。

自信就会美丽

Carmen承袭了母亲拉美血统中的热情和小麦肤色。即使父亲在她童年时离家而去，她依然成长为一个乐天的女生，但身材过度的丰腴始终让她缺乏足够的自信。

这个暑假Carmen要去南卡罗来纳州与父亲一起度过。Carmen本以为这将是她和父亲重聚的愉快假期，但她没有想到家中除了父亲，还有父亲将要再婚的对象Lydia和她的两个孩子，有了新家庭的父亲变得陌生起来。虽然大家对她都很友好，但Carmen还是觉得被忽略了。更重要的是，父亲将在不久后和Lydia举行婚礼，地点就选在家中的后花园。这一点让Carmen无法接受。在试穿婚礼礼服的时候，不合身的礼服让她的自尊再度受挫。

Carmen: Just forget about the dress, okay? We can tell everybody that Carmen's Puerto Rican, and it never occurred to you that she might be built differently. Or better yet, just tell everyone there is no Carmen. Carmen doesn't exist.

Carmen一气之下，跑回了自己的家。她找到Tibby，向她倾诉了自己的不快与苦闷。Tibby鼓励她向父亲说出感受，并轻轻地把电话推向她。Carmen终于拿起了电话，跟父亲说了内心最深处的想法。

Carmen: I'm angry with you, dad. This entire thing, about you and Lydia. Yeah, you should've warned me, but it's more than that. It's the fact that you've found yourself this new family and I feel like some outsider who doesn't even belong to you anymore. I wanna know why? Are you ashamed of me? Are you embarrassed? Just tell me, dad, what did I do wrong? Why did you leave? Why did you have to go? And then tell me that we were gonna be closer?

敞开心扉永远是最好的关系软化剂。Carmen在朋友们的鼓励下，最终还是选择了出席父亲的婚礼，身穿那条神奇的牛仔裤。她站在新娘和新郎的身后，开心地笑了。

天真的笑容也为Carmen赢得了爱情以及话剧舞台上的成功。上大学后的她开始独立生活，并等待着生活中熟悉和真实的相遇。大一暑假，她和话剧团的同事一起去佛蒙特州参加当地的艺术节。

一直在剧团做着幕后工作的Carmen从没有想过，有一天她会走上舞台，走到聚光灯下。艺术节正在排演莎士比亚的《冬天的故事》。选角试演会上一次莽撞的错失，让她和Ian相识了。Ian一眼看到Carmen身上的话剧天赋，建议Carmen也参加选角试演。

Ian: Have you thought about auditioning?

Carmen: No. No. I'm pretty sure I'm right where I belong.

Ian: Belong? According to...?

Carmen: Right. Um, okay, bye.

Ian: Sorry, I don't even know your name.

Carmen: Carmen.

Ian: That's definitely not a backstage name.

虽然Carmen自己不够自信，但Ian还是把她推向了舞台，使她成功获得了出演女主角的机会。Carmen在舞台上充分发挥了她的天赋，绽放出自信的光芒，显得无比美丽动人。

和悲伤说再见

Bridget是四个女孩中最早出生的，也是常常冲在最前面的一个。她留着一头金色长发，是个高挑瘦削的标准美女，还是足球队的前锋。

Bridget的母亲早早离开人世，Bridget在葬礼上却没有哭，她甚至笑了笑，脱了高跟鞋就跑回家。跑步一直是她宣泄情感的方式，暑假参加足球训练营的时候，她和她心仪的帅哥教练Eric也分享了这种感觉。面对喜欢的人，她大胆、无拘无束，如她跑步般一路向前。但这样的阵势似乎让Eric招架不来。

Bridget: Saw you watch me play today. What did you think?

Eric: I don't know if I've ever seen anyone with that much intensity, ever.

Bridget: Well, I think I might've been showing off for you just a little bit.

Eric: Just a little bit?

Bridget: Yeah.

Eric: No. You know, it's... it's more than that. You scare the hell out of me.

Bridget: "Single-minded to the point of recklessness."

Eric: What?

Bridget: It's what the school shrink called me. After my mom died, a few of the teachers thought that, I don't know, I needed to be evaluated or something. So I met with a guy. I talked and he wrote. I've never told anyone that before.

牛仔裤的魔力或许在于，它让你相信穿着它就会有好运。但Bridget的内心却是空洞洞的，她似乎没有真正获得快乐。她一直没能从妈妈去世的伤痛中走出来，朋友们都努力开导她。

Bridget: I remember thinking that maybe there won't be any more bad spells. Maybe she'll just be happy like this forever.

Carmen: It's okay to miss her, Bee, I mean, as hard as it is to be sad about it. Don't you think maybe it's harder not to be?

Bridget: You don't understand. It hurts too much. I just want to feel good and happy and alive. Because if I feel alive then it doesn't seem like she's dead. And if I'm not sad then it proves that I'm not like her.

Carmen: Bee, you don't have to prove that to anybody. I mean, you have a strength in you that your mom never had. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't find it.

Tibby: Yeah, and you have something else, too. You have us. And we're not gonna let you go anywhere, okay?

不过，朋友的劝导似乎没有让Bridget真正走出悲伤，或许这一切需要她自己去领悟。

这就是四个女孩的青春与成长故事，和许多青春期孩子所要经历的事情大同小异。但不同的是，她们拥有一条神奇的牛仔裤。这条牛仔裤就像一位魔法师：它给人以自信，让她们相信自己是世上最美丽动人的女孩；它给人以信念，当她们信任的一切都悄然变化时，是这条牛仔裤赋予她们信念去坚持；它给人以勇气，让她们战胜胆怯的自己。

这条牛仔裤也是一本交换日记。缝在它上面的小图案，记载着四个女孩发生的一切：爱情、收获和改变。当大家一起看着这条牛仔裤，回忆那些相关的往事，一定会觉得收获的永远比失去的多。正如Belly所说，快乐并非万事美好，只要在这琐碎的生活点滴里找到属于你的快乐源泉，你便将拥有幸福的感觉。

Maybe the truth is there's a little bit of loser in all of us, you know. Being happy isn't having everything in your life be perfect. Maybe it's about stringing together all the little things there. Make those notes count for more than the bad stuff. Maybe we just get through it, and that's all we can ask for.

更重要的是，这条牛仔裤是这四个女孩之间的纽带。在邮件包裹的一次次传递中，她们关心着彼此，爱着彼此。故事的结局，这条神奇牛仔裤不见了，但换来了四个人的重逢。牛仔裤已化作她们之间隐形的线，见证着她们的情谊，见证着她们的青春，见证着她们的勇气。