10. The first time 第一次 (1977)

{jcomments on}

When we returned back in England we agreed that we should not see each other the following week. Just not to annoy Barbara's mother. Five days later Barbara phoned me and asked me if I could please come to visit her at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

There she told me that her mother had seen the Iranian girl in Cambridge while we were on holiday. The girl was so startled that she confessed that the holiday was fake. This way her mother found out that her daughter had a boyfriend and that she had gone on holiday with this boyfriend and also that the boyfriend was not Chinese.

Things must have gone completely out of hand that Friday when Barbara came home. I don't know what exactly happened but Barbara had to swear she would never see me again. The following Monday evening, when her mother was playing mahjong outdoors, Barbara swallowed the contents of a bottle of sleeping pills. Luckily her mother came home in time. Barbara was rushed to the hospital where her stomach was emptied.

I couldn't believe what I heard. In hospital we talked about what to do now. I asked her to come and stay in my parent's house, just like Heather stayed there, we had enough spare rooms. I told her that I could even persuade my parents to take financially care of her. But Barbara didn't want to leave her family and assured me that everything would be alright now and that I didn't have to worry. But that she would understand if I wanted to leave her now. I told her that I didn't want to leave her and that I was going to stay in England for her (My mother got homesick, therefore my parents decided to go back to Holland coming summer. They assumed that I would go with them. Barbara knew this, but we never talked about it.)

I was interviewed by social worker. She told me that this was a classical case of a suicide situation which she encountered before. But there was nothing she could do about it if Barbara or her family didn't want to be helped.

Barbara's mother and uncle agreed that Barbara was allowed to see me again.

I don't think that the pictures we took during the holiday were ever developed.

第一次

当我们回到英格兰后，我和翁美玲都决定我们下个礼拜最好都不要互相再见面了。因为我们不想再惹恼她的母亲。五天过后，翁美玲给我打电话，问我能不能来安登布克的医院来看望她。

在那里，翁美玲告诉我，当我们在度假时她的母亲在剑桥校园里碰巧见到了那个伊朗女孩。那个伊朗女孩也吓了一跳，并且向她母亲承认，所谓的学校组织的文化旅行完全是假的。翁美玲母亲这才发现，她的女儿有了个男朋友，她和男朋友两人独自去度假去了，并且那个男朋友不是个中国人。当翁美玲周五晚回到家中，事情一定超出了想象。我不知道到底发生了什么事情，只是翁美玲不得不发誓以后不会再见我了。第二周的星期一晚上，当翁美玲的妈妈在室外打麻将时，翁美玲服下了房间里放的整瓶的安眠药。幸运的是，她妈妈及时回到了房间，翁美玲被紧急送到了医院去洗胃。

我不能相信我所听到的。我和翁美玲谈了谈我们现在应该做些什么。我希望她能来我父母的房子里住。就像希瑟一样住在我们家。我们家里有足够的房间。我告诉翁美玲，我甚至能迫使我父母在经济上帮助她。但是翁美玲不想离开她的家庭，并且让我相信，一切都会好起来的，我没必要担心什么。但是她知道也许我会离开她。我告诉她，我不会离开她，我将为了她留在英格兰。（我妈妈得了思乡病，因此我的父母觉得在暑假来临时搬回荷兰住，我父母设想我也会跟着他们回荷兰。翁美玲知道这个事情，但我们从未提起过此事）。

一名社会服务人员告诉我，翁美玲的服安眠药行为是典型的自杀例子，这种例子她也碰到过许多。如果翁美玲或是她的家庭不想接受帮助，那她真的是没有什么可以做的。

翁美玲的妈妈和叔叔同意她能够再与我相见。

我想那些旅行照片没有被冲洗出来。

(translated by Zhi)