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那一刻，我突然体会到及时说出“我爱你”有多么重要，与那些我们深爱的人分享他们应得的时光是多么美好......

昨天是支票，已经付讫。

明天是本票，还未到期。

今天是现金......用心去花。

The Other Woman in My Life

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love.

A little while ago I had started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea.

"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise.

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

She had been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well?" she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you,"

I responded, "just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment then said, "I would like that very much."

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.

She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"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 can't wait to hear about our meeting."

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entree, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation, nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's lives. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you."

I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" my wife asked when I got home.

"Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't 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 was almost sure that I couldn't be there, but nevertheless I 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."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying, in time: "I LOVE YOU" and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve ...

Yesterday is a canceled check.

Tomorrow is a promissory note.

Today is cash … Spend it wisely.

参考译文

我生命中的另一个女人

结婚21年后，我发现了一个可以使爱的火花常燃不熄的方法。

不久前我开始和另一个女人外出约会，其实那是我妻子的主意。一天，她对我说：“我知道，你很爱他。”把我弄得目瞪口呆。

妻子让我去见的那个人就是我目前，她已守寡19年。但由于我工作繁忙，还要照顾三个孩子，我们见面的时间少之又少。

那天晚上我打电话给她，邀请她出来与我共进晚餐，共赏电影。

“怎么了？你没事吧？”我问。我母亲就是这样的女人，在她看来，深夜来电或意外邀请都是不祥之兆。

“没什么，只是想和您共度一段美好时光，”我解释道，“就咱两。”

她想了想说：“好啊，我很乐意。”

周五下班后，我开车去接她，路上有点紧张。到她家时，她已经披着外套等在门口了。我注意到她好像也对我们的约会相当紧张，她烫了头发，还穿上了她最后一次庆祝结婚纪念日时的连衣裙。她笑容满面，容光焕发，宛如天使。

“我跟朋友说要和儿子出去约会，她们都很激动。”她说着，钻进车内，“她们迫不及待地想要知道我们见面的事。”

我们去的那家餐馆虽说不上格调高雅，但环境非常舒适宜人。她挽着我的手臂，俨然第一夫人。她视力不好，只看得清大号字，入座后点菜的任务就自然落到我头上。点菜时，我抬头看见妈妈坐在那儿目不转睛地盯着我，嘴角挂着一抹微笑，她沉浸在回忆中呢！

“你小时候，点菜的可总是我啊。”她说。

“那么现在您就休息一下，轮到我来为您效劳了。”我回答道。

席间我们相谈甚欢，也没说什么了不起的大事，只是一些平日里没空交流的各自的生活近况。我们谈兴甚浓，滔滔不绝，甚至于错过了电影。

后来，送她到家时，她说：“下次我还会和你出去的，但只能让我来请你。”我同意了。

“晚餐怎么样，玩得开心吗？”一到家，妻子就问我。

“太棒了，出乎我的意料！”我回答。

没想到几天后，母亲突发严重心脏病，撒手人间。由于太过突然，我都没来得及为她做任何事。

又过了一段时间，我收到一封信，信封里有一张餐馆收据的复件，就是上次我和母亲去的那家餐馆寄来的。还有一张纸条，上面写着：“我已预先付了帐，我觉得自己去不了了，但还是订了两个位置--为你和你妻子。你不会明白那一晚就我的意义。我爱你！”

那一刻，我突然体会到及时说出“我爱你”有多么重要，与那些我们深爱的人分享他们应得的时光是多么美好......

昨天是支票，已经付讫。

明天是本票，还未到期。

今天是现金......用心去花。