There's a moment in the Disney classic, Cinderella, when the ragamuffin her oine lays claim to her wayward glass slipper and Prince Charming adoringly sweeps her into his arms and waltzes her away. It 's a scene that draws longing sighs from every woman who watches it.

    Why? Romance. That 's what it's all about.

    迪士尼經典動畫片《仙履奇緣》中有這么個片段：衣衫襤褸的主人公灰姑娘稱那只總滑落的水晶鞋是自己的，王子含情脈脈地將她摟進懷中，步伐輕快地帶著她乘車而去。每個看到這個場景的女人都會發出飽含憧憬的嘆息。

    為什么？因為這就是浪漫。就是這么回事兒。

    真情和摯愛這些無形的情感

    I've often wondered how that intangible sense of true love and devotion makes the leap from celluloid torealit y. I know it happens. I've been around couples who have been married for decades and still glow when they sit side by side,hands lovingly inter twined.

    However as a child of divorce, and a divorcee myself, I also know that the course of true love never runs smooth. In fact, Rocky Road might better entitle the majority of marriages I know.

    我常常思考，真情和摯愛這些無形的情感是如何讓電影升華為現實的。我知道這種升華是會發生的，我身邊就有好幾對結婚幾十年的夫婦，他們相伴而坐、手纏綿地繞在一起時臉上仍會爬上一抹幸福的緋紅。

    不過，作為一名離異家庭的孩子，且身為一名離婚者，我也知道通往真愛的道路并不平坦。事實上，我了解的多數婚姻都可以用個更好的名字來形容-"崎嶇之路".

    相愛時兩個人的責任

    But, last week a friend of mine told me a little secret. Atale of love that brought tears to my eyes and I must admit, alittle envy to my heart.

    Her story wasn't about the latest piece of jewelr y that her husband gave her, or the flowers that he sent. For my friend'shusband passed away t wo years ago, just short of their fif tieth wedding anniversary.

    So now at the age of seventy, she is alone. But, thanks to her loving spouse, not always lonely.

    就在上周，我的一個朋友告訴了我一個小秘密。這是一個愛的故事，它讓我熱淚盈眶，我也必須承認，我的心中也生出一絲嫉妒。

    她的故事說的不是她丈夫最近一次送給她的珠寶，也不是他送給她的鮮花。這位朋友的丈夫在兩年前去世了，就在他們50周年結婚紀念日前不久。

    如今已70 歲的她只剩下自己一個人了。不過感謝她親愛的丈夫，她并不總是孤單。

    For tucked away in drawers and cabinets throughout my friend'shome are love notes scripted by her husband, terms of endearment 7 that he planted 8 as romantic surprises for her during the course of their marriage.

    Over the years, she saved his sweetinscriptions, often leaving them in their original hiding places.His loving sentiments tenderly played anew with eachre-discovery.

    Now that he is gone, her life is a daily challenge of loving memories and sad yearning for this romantic man with whom she shared almost a half century of her life.

    在她家中各處抽屜、柜櫥中藏著的都是由她丈夫寫下的愛的便箋。在幾十年的婚姻生活中，他將這些親昵的話語藏起來給她以浪漫的驚喜。

    這些年來，她把他甜蜜的文字存了下來，而且經常是將這些紙條還留在它們最初被藏起來的位置。她每重新找出來看一次，丈夫的愛意便溫柔再現。

    她和丈夫一同走過了幾乎半個世紀，如今他走了，在對這個浪漫的男人愛的回憶和痛苦的渴望中她每天的生活都變成了挑戰。

    But in her indomitable 9 way, my friend is continuing on with determination and enthusiasm. She is healthy and strong and liveseach day with an interest in the world around her. She issurrounded by family and friends who support her and a communitywhere she is acknowledged and respected. But most of all, she continues on with the inner knowledge that she is loved. Truly and totally.

    And any time she thinks otherwise, all shehas to do is open a kitchen drawer or look in her bedroom nightstand for a little reminder.

    But somehow I think she k nows, even before she opens thatdrawer.

    而利用這種堅強的方式，我的朋友繼續堅定、熱情地生活著。她身體健壯，每天都會懷著對周圍這個世界的一顆好奇心生活下去。她身邊的家人和朋友都支持她，她在社區中也備受尊敬愛戴。但最重要的，她心里一直知道自己是被愛著的，毫無疑問。

    每當她對這個想法產生懷疑，她所要做的就是打開廚房中的一個抽屜或順便搜索一下臥室的床頭柜，在那里找上一張能讓她堅定想法的愛的便箋。

    不過，我似乎覺得她在打開抽屜之前便已經堅定了這個想法。

    1. ragamuffin / n . 衣衫襤褸的人。

    2. lay claim to: 對…提出所有權（或權利）要求。

    3. wayward /a . 任性的；難捉摸的又難以控制的。

    4. Prince Charming: 童話中與灰姑娘結婚的王子，現亦指女性理想中的求婚男子或完美的青年男子。

    5. intangible / a . 觸摸不到的，模糊的，無形的。

    6. celluloid / n .[總稱]電影（原意為制作電影膠片的材料賽璐珞）.

    7. endearment / n . 表示親愛的舉動（或愛意）.

    8. plant /v . 隱藏；藏匿。

    9. indomitable / a . 不屈不撓的；不氣餒的。