手紙

前陣子，看見Art House Coop有個交換信件的活動。 以手寫的方式，將進信封裡頭並附上回郵地址等等的，寄給不具名的收件者。 集中到了art house之後，再由Art House將不具名的人寫好的信件，放進回郵信封裡頭，投遞給你（妳）。 當時看見，覺得挺有趣的，而手邊恰好以手抄的方式有一封這樣的信件：

We all have the potential to fall in love a thousand times in our lifetime. It's easy. The first girl I ever loved was someone I knew in sixth grade. Her name was Missy; we talked about horses. The last girl I love will be someone I haven't even met yet, probably. They all count. But there are certain people you love who do something else; they define how you classify what love is supposed to feel like.  

These are the most important people in your life, and you’ll meet maybe four or five of these people over the span of 80 years. But there’s still one more tier to all this; There is always one person you love who becomes that definition. It usually happens retrospectively, but it happens eventually.  

This is the person who unknowingly sets the template for what you will always love about other people, even if some of these lovable qualities are self-destructive and unreasonable.
The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they’re often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really, want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else.” ---Chuck Klosterman

眼尖的人，又有在臉書上follow沈意卿的人應該不難發現，她曾在她的粉絲團上翻譯過這篇。 大意是，我們每個人都會遇到很多個這樣的人。 他（她）們在無意之中為你（妳）設下你（妳）愛人的方式。 她們使你懂得愛人與被愛。 無論他們在你眼前出現的時間長短，她們始終贏得了最後的勝利，在你未來的生命之中展現出無以計量的影響力。 而那樣的影響，決定了你將如何的愛人和被愛。

嗯，就是這段文字。 我以手抄的方式，裝進了信封裡面，投遞給在這世界上某一處不具名的陌生人。 信封裡頭還包含了另外一封當時的心境。

幾天前呢，我收到了別人交換過來的信件。 很巧的是，也是一封手抄寫的情書。 情書的主人是一位名叫Helen的老太太，她的孫子有天在她的閣樓裡發現了一盒信件。 其中藏有這位老太太過去與情人們的書信往返記錄。 我收到的這封來自於她早年時的情人George。 信件的內容是這樣的：

Mailed Sept. 7 1928 to
Wheeland Haven, Riverton, Illnois via Air Mail 

Thursday Night
My Own Sweet Love,
I don’t know whether you will think the post-mark rather queer but there it is anyway. The reason for it is that Pete and I took a big trip in his Sea Sled. We were going to Phila but as we have to be back Sunday I’m afraid we can’t make it.
We landed at Cape May this afternoon in a driving rainstorm, soaking wet and very much discouraged. We came up to this girls house and there appeared to be nobody home so we just walked in and took off our wet clothes in the kitchen. Pete had told me that her mother did a little light and fancy drinking once in a while and when we got here we heard these queer voices upstairs and it seems the old lade was cock eyed up in her room. Just about then the girls older sister walks in and says that Pete’s girl has gone down to Virginia, so she gets us supper and then she digs up some old hen and we play bridge while her mother sings and whistles upstairs.
She then goes to sleep and we decide to go out and get a few beers. Having gotten 12 up time to go come and see if the Ma has come too yet. Pete is now on the floor writing a drunken scrawl to Mimie (which I hope this is not) while yours truly is lying on a nice soft bed writing to the darlingiest girl in all this wide world. When I get home on Sunday there had better be a letter from you or George will be the most disappointed boy in this section of the United States. I hope you got out to Riverton all right and also got my last epistle, if I remembered the address right.
Now Helen darling, I’ve come to the conclusion that I miss you more than I thought I possibly could which must be beacuse I love you terribly, awfully and I’m very much afraid infinitely which is I think, as it should be.
I love you so,
George  

很特別，是不？ 老實說，自己究竟寫了些什麼寄了出去，內容我完全想不起來了。 或者，更多的時候，寫信這件事情，不過是想給自己的情緒找一個適當的出口。 若不是那樣迫不及待的把藏在內心的情感說給另一個人聽，總以為會因此毀滅掉自己。 可是仔細想想，你不覺得嗎？ 這個世界，之所以會如此的運轉，肯定有它背後極深，極遠的意義。 每當你（妳）深愛著別人的同時，有一些別人也同時的深愛著你（妳）。  又比方說情書，永永遠遠的會是愛的證據！

雖然Helen和George顯然在多年之後並沒有結婚，也沒有在一起！ 噗滋～ ：）
人生有愛，真是美好ね？！