年 月 日 tray instead, explaining firmly: ―No tip!‖ She tossed her head back with a triumphant smile. And while my mother used the restroom, I slipped the waiter a five-dollar bill. He nodded to me with deep understanding. While she was gone, I devised another plan. When she returned, I said, ―But before I drop you off, let‘s stop at my place real quick. There‘s something I want to show you.‖ My mother had not been to my apartment in months. When I was first married, she used to drop by unannounced, until one day I suggested she 背着母亲给侍者小费 母亲和我关should call ahead of time. Ever since then, she has refused to come unless I 系的改变 issue an official invitation. And so I watched her, seeing her reaction to the changes in my apartment — from the pristine habitat I maintained after the divorce, when all of a sudden I had too much time to keep my life in order to this present chaos, a home full of life and love. The hallway floor was littered with Shoshana‘s toys, all bright plastic things with scattered parts. There was a set of Rich‘s barbells in the living room, two dirty snifters on the coffee table, the 离婚后的生disemboweled remains of a phone that Shoshana and Rich had taken apart the 活，乱糟糟的公other day to see where the voices came from. “It‘s back here,‖ I said. We kept walking, all the way to the back bedroom. The bed was unmade, dresser drawers were hanging out with socks and ties spilling over. My mother stepped over running shoes, more of Shoshana‘s toys, Rich‘s black loafers, my scarves, a stack of white shirts just back from 寓 母亲来到我脏乱的公寓 湖南涉外经济学院备课纸
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the cleaner‘s. 年 月 日 母亲难过的表情 母亲避免谈论我的生活 穿上利奇买给我的衣服 对我服装的批判 Her look was one of painful denial, reminding me of a time long ago when she took my brothers and me down to a clinic to get our polio booster shots. As the needle went into my brother‘s arm and he screamed, my mother looked at me with agony written all over her face and assured me, ―Next one doesn‘t hurt.‖ But now, how could my mother not notice that we were living together, that this was serious and would not go away even if she didn‘t talk about it? She had to say something. I went to the closet and then came back with a mink jacket that Rich had given me for Christmas. It was the most extravant gift I had ever received. I put the jacket on. ―It‘s sort of a silly present, ― I said nervously. ―It‘s hardly ever cold enough in San Francisco to wear mink. But it seems to be a fad, what people are buying their wives and girlfriends these days.‖ My mother was quiet. She was looking toward my open closet, bulging with racks of shoes, ties, my dresses, and Rich‘s suits. She ran her fingers over the mink. “This is not so good,‖ she said at last. ―It is just leftover strips. And the fur is too short, no long hairs.‖ “How can you criticize a gift!‖ I protested. I was deeply wounded. ―He gave me this from his heart.‖ “That is why I worry,‖ she said. And looking at the coat in the mirror, I couldn‘t fend off the strength of 湖南涉外经济学院备课纸
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年 月 日 her will anymore, her ability to make me see black where there was once white, white where there was once black. The coat looked shabby, an imitation of romance. “Aren‘t you going to say anything else?‖ I asked softly. “What should I say?‖ 爱屋及乌 我想要提及“About the apartment? About this?‖ I gestured to all the signs of Rich 利奇的事情 lying about. She looked around the room, toward the hail, and finally she said., ―You have career. You are busy. You want to live like mess, what can I say?‖ After much thought, I came up with a brilliant plan. I concocted way for Rich to meet my mother and Win her over. In fact, I arranged it so my mother would want to cook a meal especially for him. I had some help from Auntie Suyuan. Auntie Su was my mother‘s friend from way back. They were very 母亲回避提及利奇 计划安排利close, which meant they were ceaselessly tormenting each other with boasts 奇和母亲的一次and secrets. And I gave Auntie Su a secret to boast about. After walking through North Beach one Sunday, I suggested to Rich that we stop by for a surprise visit to my Auntie Su and Uncle Canning. They lived on Leavenworth, just a few blocks west of my mother‘s apartment. It was late afternoon, just in time to catch Auntie Su preparing Sunday dinner. “Stay! Stay!‖ she insisted. “No, no. It‘s just that we were walking by,‖ I said. “Already cooked enough for you. See? One soup, four dishes. You don‘t eat it, only have to throw it away. Wasted!‖ 见面 拜访苏姨 湖南涉外经济学院备课纸
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年 月 日 How could we refuse? Three days later, Auntie Suyua had a thank- you letter from Rich and me. ―Rich said it was the best Chinese food he has ever tasted,‖ I wrote. And the next day, my mother called me, to invite me to a belated 我和弟弟各birthday dinner for my father. My brother Vincent was bringing his girlfriend, 邀朋友出席爸爸Lisa Lum. I could bring a friend, too. I knew she would do this, because cooking was how my mother expressed her love, her pride, her power, her proof that she knew more than Auntie Su. ―Just be sure to tell her later that her cooking was the best you evr tasted, that it was far better than Auntie Su‘s,‖ I told Rich. ―Believ1e me.‖ The night of the dinner, I sat in the kitchen watching her cook, waiting for the right moment to tell her about our marriage plans, that we had decided to get married nextJuly, about seven months away. She was chop ping eggplant into wedges, chattering at the same time about Auntie Suyuan: ―She can only cook looking at a recipe. My instructions are in my fingers. I know what secret ingredients to put in just by using my nose!‖ and she was slicing with such a ferocity, seemingly inattentive to her sharp cleaver, that I was afraid her 的生日聚会 妈妈对自己fingertips would become one of the ingredients of the red-cooked eggplant 厨艺术的自豪 and shredded pork dish. I was hoping she would say something about Rich first. I had seen her expression when she opened the door, her forced smile as she scrutinized him from head to toe, checking her appraisal of him against that already given to her by Auntie Suyuan. I tried to anticipate what criticisms she would have. 母亲和利奇的一次见面 湖南涉外经济学院备课纸
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年 月 日 Rich was not only not Chinese, he was a few years younger than I was. And unfortunately, he looked much younger with his curly red hair, smooth pale skin, and the splash of orange freckles across his nose. He was a bit on the short side, compactly built. In his dark business suits, he looked nice but easily forgettable, like somebody‘s nephew at a funeral. Which was why I didn‘t notice him the first year we worked together at the firm. But my mother noticed everything. “So what do you think of Rich?‖ I finally asked, holding my breath. She tossed the eggplant in the hot oil and it made a loud, angry hissing sound. ―So many spots on his face,‖ she said. I could feel the pinpricks on my back. ―They‘re freckles Freckles are good luck, you know,‖ I said a bit too heatedly in trying to raise my voice above the din of the kitchen. “Oh?‖ she said innocent ly. “Yes, the more spots the better. Everybody knows that.‖ She considered this a moment and then smiled and spoke in Chinese:“Maybe this is true. When you were young, you got the chicken pox. So many spots, you had to stay home for ten days. So lucky, you thought.‖ 利奇印象 关于利奇雀I couldn‘t save Rich in the kitchen. And I couldn‘t save him later at the 斑的评论和对话 dinner table. He had brought a bottle of French wine, something he did not know my parents could not appreciate. My parents did not even own wineglasses. And then‘ he also made the mistake of drinking not one but two full glasses, while 利奇不合心意的礼物 湖南涉外经济学院备课纸
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