A Legend of Love “不，我愛的人是你!”
If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions,it is not love,but a transaction. ― Emma Goldman
如果愛不是自然而然地付出與獲得，那它就不是愛，而只是一種交易。 ――艾瑪•高曼
Edward Wellman bade good-bye to his family in the old country headed for a better life in America. Papa handed him the family’s savings hidden in a leather satchel. “Times are desperate here,” he said, hugging his son goodbye. “You are our hope.”
Edward boarded the Atlantic freighter offering free transport to young men willing to shovel coal in return for the month-long journey. If Edward struck gold in the Colorado Rockies, the rest of the family could eventually join him.
For months, Edward worked his claim tirelessly, and the small vein of gold provided a moderate but steady income. At the end of each day, as he walked through the door of his two-room cabin, he yearned for the woman he loved to greet him. Leaving Ingrid behind before he could officially court her had been his only regret in accepting this American adventure. Their families had been friends for years and for as long as he could remember; he had secretly hoped to make Ingrid his wife. Her long, flowing hair and radiant smile made her the most beautiful of the Henderson sisters. He had just begun sitting by her at church picnics and making up silly reasons to stop by her house, just so he could see her. As he went to sleep in his cabin each night, Edward longed to stroke her auburn hair and hold her in his arms. Finally, he wrote to Papa, asking him to help make this dream come true.
After nearly a year, a telegraph came with a plan to make his life complete. Mr. Henderson had agreed to send his daughter to Edward in America. Because she was a hardworking young woman with a good mind for business, she would work alongside Edward for a year to help the mining business grow. By then both families could afford to come to America for their wedding.
Edward’s heart soared with joy as he spent the next month trying to make the cabin into a home. He bought a cot for him to sleep on in the living area and tried to make his former bedroom suitable for a woman. Floral cloth from flour sacks replaced the burlap-bag curtains covering the grimy window. He arranged dried sage from the meadow into a tincan vase on the nightstand.
At last, the day he had been waiting for his whole life arrived. With a bouquet of fresh-picked daisies in hand, he left for the train depot. Steam billowed and wheels screeched as the train crawled to a stop. Edward scanned every window looking for Ingrid’s glowing hair and smile.
His heart beat with eager anticipation, then stopped with a sinking thud. Not Ingrid, but her older sister Marta, stepped down from the train. She stood shyly before him, her eyes cast down.
Edward only stared - dumbfounded. Then with shaking hands he offered Marta the bouquet. “Welcome,” he whispered, his eyes burning. A smile etched across her plain face.
“I was pleased when Papa said you sent for me,” Marta said, looking into his eyes briefly, before dropping her head again.
“I’ll get your bags, “Edward said with a fake smile. Together they headed for the buggy.
Mr. Henderson and Papa were right. Marta did have a great grasp of business. While Edward worked the mine, she worked the office. From her makeshift desk in one corner of the living area, she kept detailed records of all claim activity. Within six months, their assets doubled.
Her delicious meals and quiet smile graced the cabin with a wonderful woman’s touch. But the wrong woman, Edward mourned as he collapsed onto his cot each night. Why did they send Marta? Would he ever see Ingrid again? Was his lifelong dream to have her as his wife forsaken?
For a year, Marta and Edward worked and played and laughed, but never loved. Once, Marta had kissed Edward on the cheek before retiring to her room. He only smiled awkwardly. From then on, she seemed content with their exhilarating hikes in the mountains and long talks on the porch after suppers.
One spring afternoon, torrential rains washed down the hillside, eroding the entrance to their mine. Furiously, Edward filled sand bags and stacked them in the water’s path. Soaked and exhausted, his frantic efforts seemed futile. Suddenly there was Marta at his side holding the next burlap bag open. Edward shoveled sand inside, then with the strength of any man, Marta hurled it onto the pile and opened another bag… For hours they worked, knee-deep in mud, until the rains diminished.
Hand in hand, they walked back to the cabin. Over warm soup Edward sighed, “I never could have saved the mine without you. Thank you, Marta.”
“You’re welcome,” she answered with her usual smile, then went quietly to her room.
A few days later, a telegraph came announcing the arrival of the Henderson and Wellman families next week. As much as he tried to stifle it, the thought of seeing Ingrid again started Edward’s heart beating in the old familiar way.
Together, he and Marta went to the train station. They watched as their families exited the train at the far end of the platform. When Ingrid appeared, Marta turned to Edward. “Go to her,” she said.
Astonished, Edward stammered, “What do you mean?”
“Edward, I have always known I was not the Henderson girl you intended to send for. I had watched you flirt with Ingrid at the church picnics.” She nodded toward her sister descending the train steps. “I know it is she, not me, you desire for your wife.” “But ...”
Marta placed her fingers over his lips. “Shhh,” she hushed him. “I do love you, Edward. I always have. And because of that, all I really want is your happiness. Go to her.”
He took her hand from his face and held it. As she gazed up at him, he saw for the first time how very beautiful she was. He recalled their walks in the meadows, their quiet evenings before the fire, her working beside him with the sandbags. It was then he realized what he had known for months.
“No, Marta. It is you I want.” Sweeping her into his arms, he kissed her with all the love bursting inside him. Their families gathered around them chorusing, “We are here for the wedding!”
漢德森先生和爸爸說的沒錯，瑪塔的確具有很強的商業(yè)頭腦。當愛德華在金礦工作的時候，她則在辦公室里料理各方面的事務。在起居室的一個角落里，她臨時找了一張代用的辦公桌，并把所有顧客提出的要求都逐條記錄了下來。在半年的時間里，他們的資產翻了一番。
不僅如此，她還有一手精湛的廚藝，每天都能讓愛德華吃上可口的飯菜，還有她每天在門口迎接他歸來時那恬靜的微笑，這一切都使他的小木屋里有了一絲美好的女人的氣息。“但是，她并不是我想要的女人啊，”每天晚上，當他拖著疲憊不堪的身體倒在他的輕便小床上時，他總是會憂傷難過地想，“他們?yōu)槭裁醋尙斔?我是不是再也見不到英格里德了?我要娶英格里德為妻的終生的夢想是不是實現不了了?”
轉眼，一年過去了。在這一年里，瑪塔和愛德華一起生活，一起工作，一起玩樂，一起歡笑，但是，他們之間卻從來不曾有過愛情。有一次，在回自己的房間之前，瑪塔在愛德華的臉頰上輕輕地吻了一下。雖然，愛德華只是很笨拙地笑了笑，然而，就是從那時起，他們之間的任何一次愉快的爬山、旅行，或者是晚飯后坐在走廊里的促膝長談，似乎都讓瑪塔感到非常滿足。
一個春日的午后，天空中突然下起了傾盆大雨，雨水形成的山洪猛烈地沖下山坡，把他們的金礦的入口沖垮了。眼看著自己的金礦即將毀于一旦，愛德華心里非常焦急，非常惱怒。他把沙袋堆積在一起，企圖阻擋住水流。盡管他已經渾身濕透，且筋疲力盡，但是，他的努力好像沒有起到一點兒作用。就在這時，突然，瑪塔來到了他的身邊，打開了一個粗麻布袋，示意愛德華向里面裝沙子。愛德華先是一愣，繼而奮力揮動鐵锨，把沙子裝進了粗麻布袋。然后，瑪塔竟像一個男人一樣，用力扛起沙袋，把它扔進那一堆沙袋之中，接著，她又拿起了另一只粗麻布袋……他們一起在雨中奮戰(zhàn)了好幾個小時，直到雨停。其實，他們的膝蓋都已經深陷淤泥之中了……
然后，他們拖著疲憊的身體，手拉著手回到了小木屋。喝過一碗熱湯之后，愛德華感慨地說：“如果沒有你，我根本保不住金礦。謝謝你，瑪塔。”
“不用謝，”她答道，臉上依舊蕩漾著與往常一樣的笑容，然后，她默默地走進自己的房間里。
幾天之后，一封來自家鄉(xiāng)的電報又飛到了愛德華的手上。電報給他帶來了一個驚人的好消息：漢德森和威爾曼兩家將于下星期抵達美國。盡管，愛德華竭力控制著自己的喜悅與激動，但是，再次見到英格里德的喜悅使他的心又像以往那樣劇烈地跳動起來……
轉眼，那一天到來了。愛德華和瑪塔早早來到了火車站，翹首盼望著。終于，他們看到了自己的家人走下火車，沿著遠處的月臺向這邊走來。英格里德仍像以前一樣秀發(fā)飄逸，笑靨如花。這時，瑪塔轉過身，看著愛德華，說：“去吧，愛德華。”
愛德華驚訝地看著瑪塔，結結巴巴地問：“你這是什么意思?”
“愛德華，其實我早就知道我并不是你所希望的來這里的女孩。我曾經看到過你和英格里德在教堂野餐時坐在一起談情說愛。”瑪塔一邊說著，一邊向正走下臺階的妹妹點點頭，“我知道你想娶的人是她，不是我。”
“但是……”
“噓――”瑪塔把她的手指壓在愛德華的嘴唇上，示意他保持安靜。然后，她深情地說：“我愛你，愛德華，永遠都是。正因為如此，所以，我真誠地希望你能幸福。快去迎接她吧。”
這時，愛德華猛地抬起雙臂，雙手抓住了瑪塔壓在他嘴唇上的手，并緊緊地握著，握著。瑪塔抬起頭，癡癡地凝視著他。直到此時，愛德華才第一次發(fā)現瑪塔竟是如此的美麗!昔日他們在一起相處的那些情景此刻又一幕一幕地在他的眼前閃回：清晨的牧場里，他們并肩漫步;火紅的篝火旁，他們促膝談心;滂沱的大雨中，他們攜手奮戰(zhàn)……哦，其實，早在幾個月以前，他就已經意識到他愛的歸宿了!
“不，瑪塔。我愛的人是你。”說著，愛德華將她擁入懷中。此刻，他那積聚在胸中的愛仿佛火山噴發(fā)一樣，恣意地、盡情地宣泄出來，他用他全部的愛，忘情地、狂熱地親吻著她。這時，他們的家人已經聚攏到了他們的身旁，齊聲歡呼道：“哦，真是太好了，我們就是來參加婚禮的!”
