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“What a graceful girl!” Bill was fascinated by Amy’s engaging smile the moment he caught sight of her in the ball. After a few minutes’ struggle, Bill picked up all his courage and went up to her. “Excuse me, I was wondering whether you would mind having a cup of coffee with me?” Though astonished by Bill’s directness, Amy accepted the invitation out of politeness.
The café was filled with the wonderful aroma of freshly ground coffee, quiet and romantic. However, seated by the table, Amy felt extremely bored and uncomfortable since there was an awkward silence between them. There were embarrassing moments when some brilliant and funny ideas occurred to Bill but he somehow failed to open the conversation. The silence kept on until the waitress served them with coffee.
“Excuse me,” Bill eventually broke the silence. “Could you please bring me some salt? I like coffee with salt in it.”
Coffee with salt!? Gaping at Bill, Amy couldn’t believe her ears.
Bill added the salt that the waitress brought to him and began to savor it.
“I was wondering why you put the salt into the cup of coffee?” Amy asked on a curious note.
Slowly, even word by word, Bill voiced his deepest feelings for “coffee with salt in it”.
“When I was a child, my family lived in a cottage by the sea. My sister and I used to lie on the beach and enjoy the cloudless sky above us. Sometimes the waves rolled forward and the seawater would flow into our months. It tasted bitter and salty, you see. The tides ebb and flow and we’ve grown up. It has been so long a time since I left home that I miss my family terribly. Gradually I develop the habit of drinking coffee with salt in it just because the salty flavor, together with the wonderful aroma of the coffee, always reminds me of those tranquil days with my family by the sea…”
Warmth flowed Amy’s heart and her eyes were even moist with tears. She had never encountered a man who would express his homesickness to her. A man who would miss his family was bound to be a man who would be considerate and affectionate towards his wife. Amy thought to herself and had the strong desire to confide to him her deepest emotions hidden in heart for years concerning her beloved hometown thousands of miles away.
Their faces and eyes began to light up and both of them enjoyed the romantic atmosphere created by the wonderful aroma of freshly ground coffee…
After the first unforgettable experience in the café, Bill and Amy went out frequently on dates and haunted almost all the cafés in the city where they lived. Of course every time Amy was so considerate that she would ask the waitress to bring them some salt.
“My friend likes coffee with salt in it!”
Magnanimous, considerate and affectionate—there was no doubt that these outstanding qualities of Bill corresponded with Amy’s standards of choosing her Mr. Right. She felicitated herself on not having turned Bill down and let the opportunity go by when he first invited her.
Just like what has happened in fairy tale, the prince and princess married and led a happy and tranquil life. The couple shared happiness and sorrow for forty years until Bill died of a stroke.
Without the letter written by Bill before he came to a close, the story should come to an end here.
Carefully unfolding the letter, Amy began to read:
“For my beloved wife. Sorry for deceiving you for nearly forty years. Still remember the first time we were in the café? There was an awkward silence at the very beginning and I was so nervous that words failed me. Somehow when we were served with coffee I came up with the idea of coffee with salt in it and manage to break the silence. In fact I had never tasted coffee with salt in it before then. To my great delight it should arouse your curiosity and interest. Then I began to savior with coffee with salt in it during the rest of my life. My dear, you can never imagine how it tastes like to have coffee with salt in it. Though I did feel impelled to tell you the truth on several occasions, I was afraid that you might fly into a rage for being deceived and that I would lose you. Today I am no longer afraid since those who are leaving for the better world will easily be forgiven. Right!? Although it is incredibly bitter to savor coffee with salt in it, I do feel it is the greatest happiness to have you in my life..”
With tears filling her eyes, Amy was driven by impulse to savor a cup of coffee with salt in it, which would remind her of her beloved husband for forty years and help her recall those sweetest days. 【已有很多网友发表了看法，点击参与讨论】【对英语不懂，点击提问】【英语论坛】【返回首页】
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