情書

三十九歲生日的早上，收到了老公寄來的情書。

「Dear wife:

As if it was yesterday when I picked you up from JFK and celebrated your birthday with that silly baseball ice cake.  But I made it, come on.

Fast forward nine years and with a bigger family, and now I am away, I am still as enthused to make you a cake and celebrate your birthday from the bottom of my heart.

Your birth is a very blessed birth for being the lovely person you are and for being the anchor, the companion and the friend of my life.  God bless you and give your parents health for that great fruit and gift of life they gave to humanity.

From the moment I met you and spent some time with you, I felt we are going to be together and as time passes I am more asserted that we are going to grow old together, or at least I am going to grow old with you while enjoying your youth, determination, great sense of responsibility, and passion towards your family.

I love you and will see you soon.  Enjoy your birthday without me this year, and God willing we will make it up.」

九年前的今天，阿里和我一起慶祝了我的三十歲生日。當天我從台灣搭飛機抵達甘迺迪機場，阿里捧著一束紐約街頭小雜貨店買來，用白報紙隨便亂包一通的菊花，笑嘻嘻地等在出關處迎接我。當我看到那廉價又沒有質感的花束，心裡的失望不言可喻，完全忘了他站在機場大廳等了我將近一個小時。

他開車載我回到他在 Sunnyside 的小公寓，一踏進家門，他像個小孩子一樣興奮地衝進廚房，從冰箱裡捧出一個棒球形狀的巧克力蛋糕。我從沒看過那麼搞笑的蛋糕，一整個圓球型，刀子一切，裡面竟然還有冰淇淋夾心。只不過他太晚做蛋糕，烤完外層的蛋糕後還沒時間等它冷卻，就慌亂地把冰淇淋塞進去，結果冰淇淋幾乎都融光了。我很勉強地吃下那既不漂亮又不怎麼好吃的蛋糕，又忘了他興致勃勃地上電視購物頻道購買奇怪造型的蛋糕模型，然後花了一整個下午烤蛋糕等著我回來的事實。

後來我還是嫁給了這個當初我認為一點也不浪漫的老公，每年生日從來都沒有收到過昂貴的禮物，有了孩子之後，有幾年更是連出外吃頓大餐也省了，就這柴米油鹽醬醋茶的過了九個年頭。

這九年之中，我慢慢領悟到真正的浪漫不在於買昂貴的包包或首飾當禮物，不一定要大肆鋪張地呼朋引伴用美食和蛋糕慶生。九年前不怕麻煩地親手做高難度的冰淇淋蛋糕，然後千里迢迢地買了鮮花，像個傻子一樣站在機場迎接女朋友的阿里；九年後從遙遠的黎巴嫩傳來情書，讓我在生日的一大早就讀得淚流滿面的阿里；這是我親愛的老公，和他那始終如一的浪漫。

不懂得浪漫的人，原來是我。