王菊

After 21 years of marriage， my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said， “I love you， but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.”

1. 那位我妻子要我去拜访的女人是我母亲，who has been alone for 19 years， but the demands of my work and my three children had made it impossible for me to visit her often. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “Whats wrong， are you well？” she asked.

That Friday after work， as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house， I noticed that she， too， seemed to be nervous about our date. 2. She waited for me in the door with her coat on. She had curled （弄卷） her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding day. She smiled happily. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son， and they were impressed，” she said， as she got into the car. “They cant wait to hear about our meeting.”

We went to a restaurant that was very nice and cozy. During the dinner， we had an agreeable conversation—nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each others life. 3. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later， she said， “Ill go out with you again， but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

“How was your dinner date？” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined，” I answered.

4. A few days later， my mother died of a sudden heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didnt have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later， I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said， “I paid this bill in advance. I wasnt sure that I could be there； but I still paid for two plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you， son.”

At that moment， I understood the importance of saying in time， “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. 5. 生活中没有什么比家人更重要。Give them the time they deserve， because these things cannot be put off till “some other time”.

句子翻译（将文中标有序号的蓝色句子翻译为中文或英文）：

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答案：

1. The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother，

2. 她穿着上衣在门口等我。

3. 我们谈得那么投入以致错过了看电影。

4. 几天后，我母亲死于心脏突发病。

5. Nothing in life is more important than your family.