重聚

Old friends. They finish your sentences, they remember the cat that ran away when you were twelve, and they tell you the truth when youve had a bad haircut. But mostly, they are always there for you—whether its in person or via late night phone calls—through good times and bad. But as the years pass, it becomes increasingly difficult to see each other, to make new memories. Fortunately, my high school girlfriends and I vowed long ago not to let this happen. We vowed to have reunions.

A few months ago, we met up for a three-day weekend in the American Southwest. We grew up together in Maine1 and have said for years that we should have an annual event, yet its often postponed or canceled due to schedule conflicts. Not this year.

Four of us—two from San Francisco, one from Boston, and one from Seattle—boarded planes bound for2 Santa Fe3, New Mexico4, where one of the gang5 lives and works for an art gallery. Two years ago, she moved there—escaped, rather—from the film industry in New York City, where she led a life that felt too fast, too unfulfilling. The artist in her longed for vibrant landscapes and starry6 moonlit skies. She wanted to drive a truck on dusty roads, a trusty dog at her side, riding shotgun7. She got all that and found love, too. She is happy.

The rest of us—still big city folks—converged8 on her like a cyclone9 straight out of the pages of a girlfriend novel. Chattering and memory swapping10, we were fifteen again in a space of five minutes. Naturally, we relived some of the stories of our youth— angst11 an dall—but we also brought much more to the gathering this time. We were new people. We were wives and girlfriends to someone back home. We were businesswomen, artists and writers. We were no longer girls, no longer post- college grads. We were women.

I shared an air mattress12 that night with my friend from Boston, the one who calls me, while rubbernecking13 in traffic, to catch up on14 her cell phone, to tell me of her life and love. On the next mattress was a gal15 from San Francisco, newly single and enjoying her independence. Our host, the artist, shared her bedroom that weekend with a married dot-commer16 from San Francisco. Yes, we are different, but we are also the same. The years of our youth say so.

The apartment was open and we talked late into the night, our voices carrying back and forth between the rooms as we laughed,cackling17 about things that would only be humorous to friends with this kind of history. The next morning, I awoke to a brilliant blue sky, beautifully contrasted by the earthy brown of the surrounding adobe. It was Saturday and the art enthusiasts were out, so, with coffee in hand, I dropped off our host at work. I returned to find the others still deep in slumber18, deeplines19 on their faces evidence of a restful20 sleep.

We checked out town and headed to the airport to pick up the last straggler21, who came in from San Francisco for one night. “I wouldnt have missed this for anything,” she said, despite her 4 a.m. trip to the airport. That night we celebrated over margaritas22 and Southwestern fare23, each of us gazing at the faces around the table as we wondered, who would have thought the bonds of childhood could last this long? Some of us have been friends since the age of five, some since age twelve and, yet, here we are approaching the age of thirty. Quite rapidly, I might add.

The weekend consisted of long talks by the pool, wonderful meals, and a hike that brought the entire group to tears. Not tears of sadness or anger, but an outpouring of emotion over the sheer wonderment that we can be this close—twelve years after graduation—with such physical distance between us. Its heartbreaking that we cant spend our days together in the same neighborhood, walking the same streets, reading the same newspaper at the same coffee shop. But thats life. Grown-up life.

Most amazing is the groups adaptability to one another. The months we spend apart are non-existent. No need to get reacquainted, we jump back in the saddle24 and its as comfortable as ever. Old friends—friends with an ever-present sense of support and sisterhood, friends that know each other innately25—are hard to come by26 and yet we remain as tight today as we were, years ago, giggling in the back row of Mr. McKechnies 9th grade math class.

Life today, however, is no math class. Our world, spinning slightly off its axis, is full of doubt, full of fear. Yet it reminds me—now, more than ever—how vital it is that we stay in close touch. We may have questions about our future, but we have true faith in our past, and though this reunion of friends has come to a close, we are already drawing up plans for the next one.

老朋友。他们会接完你没说完的句子,他们记得在你十二岁时跑掉的那只猫,如果你剪了一个很糟糕的发型,他们会跟你说实话。但主要的是,不论是在美好抑或糟糕的日子里,他们总会在你身边——或是面对面交流,或是深夜与你通电话。但是随着年月流逝,彼此越来越难见到对方,也越来越难制造新的回忆了。幸运的是,很早以前,我与我的一帮高中女友们曾立下誓言不让这样的事发生。我们许诺一定要重聚。

几个月前的一个周末,我们在美国西南部聚了三天。我们一起在缅因州长大,这几年来一直都在说我们应该有个一年一度的聚会,但通常都因为日程计划冲突而延迟或取消。今年终于如愿了。

我们一行四人——两个来自旧金山,一个来自波士顿,还有一个来自西雅图——登上了飞往新墨西哥州圣菲的航班。我们这帮人中有一个住在圣菲,为那里的一家画廊工作。两年前,她搬到那里——更准确地说是从纽约的电影业中——逃离出来。她当时觉得在纽约生活节奏太快,太没有成就感。她那艺术家的本性向往生机盎然的自然景致和繁星点缀的月夜。她希望能在尘土飞扬的路上开着卡车,有只忠诚的狗坐在前排的乘客座位,陪伴她左右。这一切都实现了,她还找到了爱情。她是幸福快乐的。

我们其余几人——仍然是大城市居民——像是从女性小说的页面中直接跳出来的一股旋风似地向她袭去。我们聊天,分享回忆,仿佛在短短的五分钟内又重返十五岁。我们自然而然地重温了年轻时候的故事——忧愁怅惘等种种情感——但我们给这次聚会带来的还不止这些。我们是有着全新身份的人。我们是家里那位的妻子或女友。我们是女商人、艺术家及作家。我们不再是小女孩,也不再是刚毕业的大学生。我们已成为女人。

那天晚上,我与来自波士顿的朋友共睡一张充气床。路上交通堵塞时,她会边看热闹边给我打电话闲聊,说说她的生活及爱情。旁边的另一张床上睡的是来自旧金山的朋友,她刚刚恢复单身,正享受着一个人的生活。我们的主人——那位艺术家,那个周末与来自旧金山,就职IT行业的一位已婚姐妹同住一间房。是的,我们变得不同了,但我们又仍然未变。我们的青春岁月可以证明这一切。

那房子的设计是开放式的,我们聊天至深夜,笑谈着那些要有同样经历才觉得逗笑的事情,大家的声音在各个房间之间来回飘荡着。第二天早上醒来后,我发现外面阳光灿烂,在周围那泥褐色的房屋的映衬下,蔚蓝的天空显得分外美丽。当天是周六,那些艺术爱好者们都出动了。于是,我手捧咖啡送我们的主人去工作。回来后,我发现其他人还在熟睡,她们脸上压出的深痕表明她们睡得很沉很香。

我们离开城里,去机场接最后一个“落伍者”。她来自旧金山,会来呆上一晚。“我怎么也不能错过这次聚会。”她说。尽管她要凌晨四点赶到机场。那天晚上,我们喝着玛格丽塔酒,吃着美国西南部的佳肴来庆祝。彼此都凝望着围坐在桌子前的这些面孔,心生感慨:谁会想到孩童时的友谊可以维持这么长时间呢?我们其中一些人自五岁起便是朋友,有些是十二岁才开始成为朋友,然而,我们现在都接近三十岁了。真的过得很快,我不得不加上这句。

那个周末的活动包括在池塘边长时间谈心,享用美味的饭菜以及一次让我们所有人泪湿衣襟的远足步行。这些不是伤心或愤怒的眼泪,而是纯粹惊叹尽管毕业十二年了,彼此距离那么遥远,但却能保持如此亲密的关系,眼泪是这种情感的迸发。我们不能在同一个社区里生活,不能每天走在同一条街道上,不能坐在同一间咖啡店里看同一份报纸,这都让人感到悲伤。但,这就是生活,成年人的生活。

最让人觉得不可思议的是我们这帮人对彼此的适应性。仿佛我们分开的那些日子不曾存在过。无须重新了解熟悉对方,只要跳回各自的角色,舒心依旧。老朋友们——那些不断给予支持,姐妹情深的朋友,那些命定知心的朋友——是很难遇到的。然而如今,我们亲密如故,就像当年念九年级时在麦基奇尼先生教的数学课上我们在教室后排咯咯傻笑那样。

虽然我们如今已不用再上数学课了。我们的世界稍微有点离轴,其中充满了猜疑和恐惧。然而,这反而提醒了我——让我现在比以前更清楚地知道,保持亲密关系是多么的重要。我们可能会对未来充满疑问,但我们对于过去有真正的信念。尽管这次的朋友聚会已接近尾声,但我们已经开始着手计划下一次聚会了。

注释

1)Maine n.缅因州，位于美国东北部

2)bound for 驶往

3)Santa Fe 圣菲，新墨西哥州首付，位于该州中北部

4)New Mexico 新墨西哥州，位于美国西南部

5)gang n.（一）伙/群/帮

6)starry a.布满星星的，星光灿烂的

7)ride shotgun <俚>坐在卡车或小汽车前排的乘客座位

8)converged on 聚集，集中

9)cyclone n.旋风，龙卷风

10)swap v.交换，交流

11)angst n.忧虑，苦恼

12)air mattress 充气床垫，充气救生筏

13)rubberneck v.好奇地看环境四周，伸长脖子看

14)catch up on 得到……的消息

15)gal n.（=girl）女孩，少女

16)dot-commer 网络公司的老板或雇员

17)cackle v.咯咯笑

18)slumber n.睡眠，沉睡状态

19)line n.皱纹，皮肤褶皱，此指印痕

20)restful a.休息充足的，安闲的

21)straggler n.落伍者，掉队者

22)margarita n.玛格丽塔酒，一种由墨西哥龙舌兰酒，酸橙或柠檬汁以及橙味酒混合调制而成的鸡尾酒

23)fare n.食物，伙食

24)in the saddle 就职，开始掌权，此指扮演各自的角色

25)innately ad.天生地，固有地

26)come by 得到，取得