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Come on, 1)get a grip, you should be tougher than this.” Louise knew that her break was nearly over and that very soon she would have to be back on the ward. “Better 2)tidy up”, she thought, “wipe away those tears, stop sniffling. For God’s sake woman, you’re a ward 3)sister—shouldn’t get upset like this.” She looked at herself in the mirror, brushed her hair and put the letters back in the drawer before leaving her office.
Dear Albert,
I’m trying to remember the day we first met but it’s so difficult. I can’t recall where it was. I seem to get a picture in my mind and then it disappears. Then everything becomes a bit of a fog. But occasionally something bursts through and my heart skips a beat. Just like the day I first saw you. So long ago now, but even though I’m a 4)daft old woman who’s 5)losing her marbles, my toes still curl up at the thought of you. Please write.
My dearest Alice,
It was so lovely to get your letter. Sorry I haven’t replied to you sooner but I’ve had another one of my bad turns. I just haven’t had the strength. It was at the Palais my love; you’d gone with your sister Clara and I was with my mates from the railway. My pal Bert 6)egged me on and right at the end of the night I 7)summoned up the courage to ask you to dance. Thank God you said yes.
Dear Albert,
The 8)vicar, you know the one from the church, oh this is so frustrating, I can’t remember his name. Anyway he came to see me and said how well you’d done to look after me all that time. He said Alzheimer’s is not an easy condition to cope with and how brave it was for my husband to 9)soldier on caring for me at home without any help. He said looking at you, he wouldn’t have believed you were 90. Lost my temper today with the lovely girl who brings the tea round, don’t for the life of me know why.
Dear Alice,
Why shouldn’t I care for you, my darling? You are the love of my life, you always have been and you always will be. Forever. But the doctor said that when you’d got 10)pneumonia you had to go into hospital. I tried to visit you every day until my heart started 11)playing up. Some days though you didn’t recognize me.
Dear Albert,
Why oh why did they have to put us in different hospitals, why can’t we be together? I miss you so much.
Darling Alice,
Had a bit of a lucky escape today, my sweet. Thought I was a 12)goner for a while, alarm bells going off all over the place, people racing about. But I’m hanging on in there just for you. Oh why couldn’t I be stronger?
Dear Albert,
I’ve spoken to that lovely sister, Louise her name is—see I’ve managed to remember something! I’m very weak now my love, seem to spend so much time sleeping. I told Louise I want to see you again before it’s too late for both of us. I want to have you by my side. I’m starting to feel scared now, love. Sometimes I wake up and don’t know where I am. (PS Louise is writing this letter for me. Isn’t she kind?)
My lovely Alice,
The consultant is coming tomorrow. If he gives the okay, they say, I can move to your hospital and have a bed right next to you. Wouldn’t that be 13)grand, who knows I might even try to 14)scamper across to your side for one last time!
By the time Louise had got back out onto the ward there were new patients where Alice and Albert had been. The beds had been pushed apart now. She’d liked Albert; he had had a happy smiling face and a twinkle in his eye as he held Alice’s hand. They looked such a lovely couple. She wasn’t quite sure which one of them went first, but that didn’t much matter.
好了，把持住，你应该更坚强才是。” 路易丝知道她的休息时间马上就要结束了，她马上得回到看护的岗位上。“该整理一下情绪”，她在心里对自己说，“要把眼泪擦掉，别再抽泣了。求求你了，女人，你可是个病房护士——怎么能如此沮丧呢。”她照了照镜子，把头发理好，将信放回抽屉， 然后离开了办公室。
亲爱的艾伯特：
我努力忆起我们初次见面的那个日子，却实在不容易。我记不起我们是在哪儿见面的。我的脑海里似乎映出一个画面，但又马上消失了。一切变得如同雾里看花。然而不时地，某个东西会在我的脑海里突然显现，我的心跳随之漏了一拍。就如我第一次见到你的那天。那已是很久很久以前的事了，我现在已是一个又老又笨，越来越糊涂的女人，但只要一想到你，我仍会欣喜不已。请给我回信。
我最亲爱的艾丽丝：
收到你的信真是太棒了。抱歉，我没有早一点给你回信，因为我的病情又恶化了。我就是没有力气。亲爱的，我们第一次见面是在帕莱斯。你和妹妹克莱拉一块去那儿，而我是和火车站那群伙伴们一起。在好友伯特的鼓励下，那晚夜将尽时，我鼓起勇气邀你跳舞。谢天谢地，你答应了。
亲爱的艾伯特：
那位教区牧师，你认识的，来自教堂的那位，唉，真无奈，我都想不起他的名字了。总之，他来看过我，他说那阵子你把我照顾得很好。他说阿尔茨海默氏病（老年痴呆症）不是那么容易应付的，而我丈夫在没有任何帮助的情况下，如此勇敢地坚持呆在家里照顾我。他说，看着你，真不敢相信你已经九十岁了。今天，我向那个递茶过来的漂亮女孩发火了，我发誓我真不知道自己是怎么了。
亲爱的艾丽丝：
亲爱的，我为什么不该照顾你？你是我生命中的至爱，过去是，将来也是，永远都是。但医生说你要是得了肺炎就得住院。在我的心脏开始出现问题以前，我尽量每天都去看你。尽管有些日子里，你认不出我了。
亲爱的艾伯特：
噢，他们为什么得把我们俩送进不同的医院？我们俩为什么不能呆在一块？我那么想念你。
亲爱的艾丽丝：
我的爱人，今天我幸运地从死亡线上逃了回来。有那么一会儿，我在想着自己就要死了，这里警铃四响，人们四处奔忙。可是我在那儿一直支撑着，就为了你。噢，我为什么不能更强壮一点？
亲爱的艾伯特：
我和那位漂亮的护士谈过话了，她的名字叫路易丝——瞧，我终于记住点东西了！亲爱的，我现在很虚弱，好像睡了很久。我告诉路易丝，在对我俩来说都太晚了之前，我想再见见你。我想你呆在我身边。我现在开始感觉到恐惧了，亲爱的。有时候，我醒来，不知道自己在哪儿。（补充说一下，路易丝正在帮我写这封信。她很友善，不是吗？）
我亲爱的艾丽丝：
那位会诊医师明天就会过来。他们说，如果他说没问题，我就能搬到你那间医院，就睡在你旁边的那张床上。这真让人高兴。说不定我还可以最后一次偷偷凑到你床上，睡到你身边去！
路易丝回到艾丽丝和艾伯特之前呆过的病房时，已经有新的病人住进来了。他们睡过的床已经被推开了。她喜欢艾伯特。当艾伯特握着艾丽丝的手时，他一脸愉悦地笑，眼里闪烁着一丝光芒。真是一对恩爱夫妇。她不是很清楚谁先走的，但那已不重要了。
Dear Albert,
I’m trying to remember the day we first met but it’s so difficult. I can’t recall where it was. I seem to get a picture in my mind and then it disappears. Then everything becomes a bit of a fog. But occasionally something bursts through and my heart skips a beat. Just like the day I first saw you. So long ago now, but even though I’m a 4)daft old woman who’s 5)losing her marbles, my toes still curl up at the thought of you. Please write.
My dearest Alice,
It was so lovely to get your letter. Sorry I haven’t replied to you sooner but I’ve had another one of my bad turns. I just haven’t had the strength. It was at the Palais my love; you’d gone with your sister Clara and I was with my mates from the railway. My pal Bert 6)egged me on and right at the end of the night I 7)summoned up the courage to ask you to dance. Thank God you said yes.
Dear Albert,
The 8)vicar, you know the one from the church, oh this is so frustrating, I can’t remember his name. Anyway he came to see me and said how well you’d done to look after me all that time. He said Alzheimer’s is not an easy condition to cope with and how brave it was for my husband to 9)soldier on caring for me at home without any help. He said looking at you, he wouldn’t have believed you were 90. Lost my temper today with the lovely girl who brings the tea round, don’t for the life of me know why.
Dear Alice,
Why shouldn’t I care for you, my darling? You are the love of my life, you always have been and you always will be. Forever. But the doctor said that when you’d got 10)pneumonia you had to go into hospital. I tried to visit you every day until my heart started 11)playing up. Some days though you didn’t recognize me.
Dear Albert,
Why oh why did they have to put us in different hospitals, why can’t we be together? I miss you so much.
Darling Alice,
Had a bit of a lucky escape today, my sweet. Thought I was a 12)goner for a while, alarm bells going off all over the place, people racing about. But I’m hanging on in there just for you. Oh why couldn’t I be stronger?
Dear Albert,
I’ve spoken to that lovely sister, Louise her name is—see I’ve managed to remember something! I’m very weak now my love, seem to spend so much time sleeping. I told Louise I want to see you again before it’s too late for both of us. I want to have you by my side. I’m starting to feel scared now, love. Sometimes I wake up and don’t know where I am. (PS Louise is writing this letter for me. Isn’t she kind?)
My lovely Alice,
The consultant is coming tomorrow. If he gives the okay, they say, I can move to your hospital and have a bed right next to you. Wouldn’t that be 13)grand, who knows I might even try to 14)scamper across to your side for one last time!
By the time Louise had got back out onto the ward there were new patients where Alice and Albert had been. The beds had been pushed apart now. She’d liked Albert; he had had a happy smiling face and a twinkle in his eye as he held Alice’s hand. They looked such a lovely couple. She wasn’t quite sure which one of them went first, but that didn’t much matter.
好了，把持住，你应该更坚强才是。” 路易丝知道她的休息时间马上就要结束了，她马上得回到看护的岗位上。“该整理一下情绪”，她在心里对自己说，“要把眼泪擦掉，别再抽泣了。求求你了，女人，你可是个病房护士——怎么能如此沮丧呢。”她照了照镜子，把头发理好，将信放回抽屉， 然后离开了办公室。
亲爱的艾伯特：
我努力忆起我们初次见面的那个日子，却实在不容易。我记不起我们是在哪儿见面的。我的脑海里似乎映出一个画面，但又马上消失了。一切变得如同雾里看花。然而不时地，某个东西会在我的脑海里突然显现，我的心跳随之漏了一拍。就如我第一次见到你的那天。那已是很久很久以前的事了，我现在已是一个又老又笨，越来越糊涂的女人，但只要一想到你，我仍会欣喜不已。请给我回信。
我最亲爱的艾丽丝：
收到你的信真是太棒了。抱歉，我没有早一点给你回信，因为我的病情又恶化了。我就是没有力气。亲爱的，我们第一次见面是在帕莱斯。你和妹妹克莱拉一块去那儿，而我是和火车站那群伙伴们一起。在好友伯特的鼓励下，那晚夜将尽时，我鼓起勇气邀你跳舞。谢天谢地，你答应了。
亲爱的艾伯特：
那位教区牧师，你认识的，来自教堂的那位，唉，真无奈，我都想不起他的名字了。总之，他来看过我，他说那阵子你把我照顾得很好。他说阿尔茨海默氏病（老年痴呆症）不是那么容易应付的，而我丈夫在没有任何帮助的情况下，如此勇敢地坚持呆在家里照顾我。他说，看着你，真不敢相信你已经九十岁了。今天，我向那个递茶过来的漂亮女孩发火了，我发誓我真不知道自己是怎么了。
亲爱的艾丽丝：
亲爱的，我为什么不该照顾你？你是我生命中的至爱，过去是，将来也是，永远都是。但医生说你要是得了肺炎就得住院。在我的心脏开始出现问题以前，我尽量每天都去看你。尽管有些日子里，你认不出我了。
亲爱的艾伯特：
噢，他们为什么得把我们俩送进不同的医院？我们俩为什么不能呆在一块？我那么想念你。
亲爱的艾丽丝：
我的爱人，今天我幸运地从死亡线上逃了回来。有那么一会儿，我在想着自己就要死了，这里警铃四响，人们四处奔忙。可是我在那儿一直支撑着，就为了你。噢，我为什么不能更强壮一点？
亲爱的艾伯特：
我和那位漂亮的护士谈过话了，她的名字叫路易丝——瞧，我终于记住点东西了！亲爱的，我现在很虚弱，好像睡了很久。我告诉路易丝，在对我俩来说都太晚了之前，我想再见见你。我想你呆在我身边。我现在开始感觉到恐惧了，亲爱的。有时候，我醒来，不知道自己在哪儿。（补充说一下，路易丝正在帮我写这封信。她很友善，不是吗？）
我亲爱的艾丽丝：
那位会诊医师明天就会过来。他们说，如果他说没问题，我就能搬到你那间医院，就睡在你旁边的那张床上。这真让人高兴。说不定我还可以最后一次偷偷凑到你床上，睡到你身边去！
路易丝回到艾丽丝和艾伯特之前呆过的病房时，已经有新的病人住进来了。他们睡过的床已经被推开了。她喜欢艾伯特。当艾伯特握着艾丽丝的手时，他一脸愉悦地笑，眼里闪烁着一丝光芒。真是一对恩爱夫妇。她不是很清楚谁先走的，但那已不重要了。