My American FatherBob,

Text by Sheng Lin

Translation by Li Li

My American Father
Bob,

Text by Sheng Lin

Translation by Li Li

Four hours later, the big tree was chopped into segments and moved to the roadside.icleaned the brokenbranches and twigs. Our clean driveway was back again. Bob smiled and said to me before leaving, “Lin, It’s our secret. Don’t tell Philip on the phone. Give him a surprise. He’ll think it was aliens… E.T.’s work!”

Philip was shocked when he came home, but he knew it was Bob and called to thank him. Bob praised me on the phone and said, “Lin helped me a lot! Sweet girl!”

We now had a huge pile of wood in the yard, plus what we had chopped before. Philip always said that he would clear the branches, otherwise snakes would make nests inside. Unfortunately, Philip was admitted to hospital before he started the work. When he came home from hospital, all the branches were cut into firewood and piled up neatly. This time, Bob did this with Philip’s future son-in-law Alan. They rented a log splitter and cut all the branches.

Looking at the woodpile, Philip cried. He talked to me about how his father’s health was so weak, and how Bob suffered so much from cancer and failing muscles. Phillip thought he should be at home and be looked after by others.isaid, “Honey.iknow him. He just wants to do more for us. If it were you, you would do the same and enjoy doing it.”

Bob’s health worsened last autumn and he couldn’t even walk with sticks. He had to use a wheelchair. Even though he couldn’t move freely, he still had a lot of plans. He said to Philip, “It’s embarrassing, butineed your help.” He just wanted to do the trivialities in daily life. For example, he filled a small pit in case Anne, his wife, might slip; he cut down a small tree so that Anne wouldn’t worry about another potential fallen tree; he moved the woodpile near the house so that it was easier for Anne to fetch wood, because Anne likes to use the fireplace in winter; he changed the old electric wires, so Anne wouldn’t get hurt; and he replaced the broken light bulbs because Anne is afraid of the dark. All these trivialities were important things for him. He was anxious to do them all.

Bob left us, and even though the time he shared his love with us is short, the love would be with us forever.

(FromMarry America, Yilin Press)

● Portraits of Young Bob 鲍伯年轻时照片

我公公鲍伯走了。

嫁到美国后，我常对丈夫菲里普说，公公鲍伯是我在美国最喜欢的人，是我的美国父亲。

70岁的鲍伯，身患癌症和帕金森病五年，癌细胞扩散到全身骨头、脑、血液之中。由于患帕金森病，他行走需要拐杖，发音困难，口齿不清。医生说，他已无药可治，还有差不多两年时间。

是的，我公公鲍伯，当你看到他微笑时，你根本不能相信，他是个病入膏肓的人。每次去他家，我总是看到他戴着一顶太阳帽，穿一条背心工装裤，开着割草机割草，或是开着翻土车开荒造花园，或是在房顶上修理东西。看见我们来，远远招招手。

休斯敦飓风多，每刮一次，院子里就有大树倒掉，我来了才两年，家里就倒过十来棵大树。鲍伯经常忙着把倒下的树砍成段，再劈成柴，冬天烧火炉，这样的柴火，超市里一美元一磅，非常贵。

砍树的活非常累，鲍伯从来不叫子女帮忙。有一次，我们去他家时，看到他一手撑着拐杖，一手叉着腰，肩膀上扛着巨大的树干，脸色铁青，大汗直流。菲里普对我说：“你看，这个男人，他有这么倔强。”

但是，菲里普不会马上帮忙，而是站一边看一会儿，然后搓搓手，对父亲说：“突然很享受干活，想和你一起干，你不介意吧？”鲍伯一点头，菲里普便和父亲并肩劳动。他这样做，是不想让鲍伯觉得需要帮忙。一个老人的自尊、一个男人的自尊、一个病人的自尊，就这么重要。

有一次，飓风刮倒我家一棵大树，横倒在车道上，一片狼藉。菲里普那几天正在加班，起早摸黑，根本没时间处理。那天一早，我还在床上睡懒觉，就听见院子里有响声，心里一惊，不知谁私闯民宅。跑出去一看，一个老人手握电锯，正在锯那棵树。

是鲍伯。我跑过去，想帮点忙，鲍伯向我喊：“危险，别碰电锯，这不是女孩的活儿。”我只好跑回家，泡了一壶很香的绿茶，煮了几只茶叶蛋拿过去，一边看他汗流浃背地锯树，一边递茶，剥蛋。

四个小时后，这棵大树被鲍伯锯成段，移到路边。我拿了扫把，把树叶和碎枝扫干净，车道被漂漂亮亮地清理出来。鲍伯离开前，笑着对我说：“林，这是我们的秘密，别打电话给菲里普，让他回来吓一跳，以为是外星人来过了。”

菲里普下班回来，果然大吃一惊，但是，他一想就知道，是鲍伯干的，连忙打电话去感谢。鲍伯却在电话里直夸我：“林给了我很大的帮助，她真是个甜女孩。”

加上以前的树段，我家院子里的树段已堆成山，菲里普老是念叨，要把它们劈成柴，不然各种各样的蛇会在里面睡觉。菲里普还没动手，却生病住院。等他出院回到家，发现全部树段被劈成柴火，整整齐齐堆成了垛。这次，是鲍伯带着菲里普的准女婿安伦，租了一台劈柴机一起上阵，合力劈完所有树段。

菲里普看着高高的柴堆，哭了。他说，爸爸的病不知比我重多少，他浑身都是癌，肌肉每天在萎缩，他应该坐在家里让人伺候。我说，亲爱的，我理解他，他现在想的是为我们多做点事，换了你，你也会这样做，你会很高兴这样做。

去年秋天，鲍伯病情加重，拐杖已撑不起病体，他开始了轮椅生活。事情做不动，但是，很多事在他的计划中，必须完成。他对菲里普说：“我感到很难为情，要请你帮助做一些事。”他要做的事很小，比如把一个小坑填平些，别让妻子安妮滑倒；把房后一棵小树砍掉，以免几年后长大被风刮倒伤了房子，安妮会有麻烦；把远处那堆柴移到屋檐下来，安妮冬天喜欢用壁炉，出去拿柴方便些；有些电线旧了，要换新，不然出意外会伤了安妮；每一只不亮的灯都要修好，因为安妮怕黑。这些很小的事，在他心中是一个个巨大的结，他很着急，要把它们做完。

鲍伯走了，他爱我们的时间虽然短，但这份爱够我们用一生回味。

（摘自《嫁给美国》译林出版社）

我的美国父亲鲍伯

文 | 盛林
译 | 李莉