A few days later my dad was back, this time to stay. We never talked about the letter, my dad and I. I guess I always figured that it was something that was a secret between us.
几天后，父亲回家了，这次他不走了。父亲和我之后再没提起过这封信。我想我一直把这封信当作了我们两人之间的秘密。
My parents went on to be married a total of thirty six years before my dad’s early death at the age of fifty three cut short their lives together. In the last sixteen years of my parent’s marriage, I and all those who knew my mom and dad, witnessed one of the truly “great” marriages. Their love grew stronger every day, and my heart swelled with pride as I saw them grow closer together.
父母亲的婚姻维持了整整36年，直到父亲在53岁时早逝，才结束了他们在一起的时光。在父母亲婚姻的最后16年里，所有认识我父母亲的人以及我，都见证了这段非常美满的婚姻。他们的爱日渐牢固，而当我看到他们越来越亲密的时候，我的心里就会充满自豪。
When Mom and Dad received the news from the doctor that his heart was deteriorating rapidly, they took it hand in hand, side by side, all the way.
当父母亲从医生那里得知父亲的心脏正在快速衰竭的时候，他们始终手牵手，肩并肩地一起面对疾病。
After Dad’s death, we had the most unpleasant task of going through his things. I have never liked this task and opted to 9)run errands so I did not have to be there while most of the things were divided and boxed up.
父亲逝世后，我们开始整理他的遗物，这是最为难受的任务。我从来不喜欢做这活儿，而选择了做跑腿，因此大部分遗物被分类和装箱的时候，我都不必在场。
When I got back from my errand, my brother said, “Kristi, Mom said to give this to you. She said you would know what it meant.”
当我办完事回家的时候，我的哥哥说：“克莉丝汀，这是妈妈让我给你的。她说你会明白其中的含义。”
As I looked down into his outstretched hand, it was then that I knew the impact of my letter that day so long ago. In my brother’s hand was my picture that I had given my dad that day. My unsentimental dad, who never let his emotions get the best of him; my dad, who almost never outwardly showed his love for me, had kept the one thing that meant so much to him and me. I sat down and the tears began to flow, tears that I thought had dried up from the grief of his death but that had now found new life as I realized what I had meant to him. Mom told me that Dad kept both the picture and that letter his whole life. I have a box in my home that I call the “Dad box”. In it are so many things that remind me of my dad. I pull that picture out every once in a while and remember. I remember a promise that was made many years ago between a young man and his bride on their wedding day, and I remember the unspoken promise that was made between a father and his daughter.
我低头看他伸出的手，那时我才明白到我那封信在多年前那天所产生的影响。我哥哥手中拿的是那天我给父亲的那张照片。我那不善表露感情的父亲，从来不让内心的情绪左右自己；我的父亲，几乎从来没有大方地表达对我的爱，却一直保存着这张对他和我都极为重要的照片。我坐下来，眼泪开始滴落，我曾以为我的眼泪在他去世的时候就流干了，而现在当我意识到我对他是多么重要的时候，眼泪又开始“复苏”。母亲告诉我说，父亲始终珍藏着这张照片和那封信。我家里有一个我称之为“爸爸盒子”的盒子。里面放了许多可以让我回忆起父亲的东西。我不时从这个盒子里拿出这张照片，回忆往日。我记得许多年前一名年轻男子与他的新娘在结婚那天许下的誓言，我记得一个父亲和他女儿之间无言的承诺。
A promise kept.
一个恪守一生的承诺。
