如煙往事
活了這麽多年，經曆了許多，回憶那些年，那些人，那些事
約翰丹佛是靄青熟悉的歌手之一，他那首“鄉村的路帶我回家”人人都能哼唱。靄青現在坐在喬治和維克之間，“你會唱嗎？”
喬治搖搖頭，琴弦一撥，歡快的曲調出來。
Grandma's Feather Bed by John Denver
When I was a little bitty boy just up off the floor
We used to go down to grandma's house every month end or so
We'd have chicken pie, country ham
Homemade butter on the bread
But the best darn thing about grandma's house
Was the great big feather bed
It was nine feet high and six feet wide
And soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It could hold eight kids and four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On grandma's feather bed
After supper we'd sit around the fire, the old folks'd spit and chew
Pa would talk about the farm and the war
And granny'd sing a ballad or two
And I'd sit and listen and watch the fire till the cobwebs filled my head
Next thing I'd know I'd wake up in the morning
In the middle of the old feather bed
It was nine feet high and six feet wide
And soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It could hold eight kids and four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On grandma's feather bed
Well, I love my ma and I love my pa, I love granny and grandpa too
I've been fishin' with my uncles, I wrestled my cousin
I even kissed Aunt Lou, ew!
But if I ever had to make a choice I guess it oughta be said
That I'd trade them all plus the gal down the road
For grandma's feather bed
I'd trade them all plus the gal down the road
It was nine feet high and six feet wide
And soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick
It could hold eight kids and four hound dogs
And a piggy we stole from the shed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On grandma's feather bed
We didn't get much sleep but we had a lot of fun
On grandma's feather bed
歌曲歡快俏皮，喬治唱完，朝靄青擠了擠眼睛。
靄青拍了拍喬治的臉，“我的鄉村小子。”
喬治笑道，“我是。”
“哎呀，我都忘了，我帶來了禮物，還留在車裏呢。”
靄青說著，跑到外麵，從車裏拿出三個紙袋，她首次見公婆，不知道送什麽禮物，喬治也沒想法，什麽都行。
靄青給婆婆挑的果盤，送給公公一瓶威士忌，維克一套毛線圍巾帽子手套。
維克謝了靄青，“我也找個中國女孩做老婆。”
湯姆問兒子，“你上次那個姑娘呢？不是中國人？”
“哪個？安妮？她是菲律賓人吧。”
“分開好，菲人都是淘金女。”
“爸，”喬治止住湯姆，“政治不正確。”
“不是嗎？”
“安妮有點，可不代表所有人。”
“我看差不多。”
“爸，我們先回去了，再晚就堵車了。你考慮一下陽光屯的地產。”
“你問塞蒙吧。”湯姆推給大兒子做主。
喬治摟著媽媽，“我下星期再來。”
羅絲抱著靄青給的果盤，“喬治，”
“哎，媽。”
“你結婚了。”
“是，這是靄青。”
羅絲把果盤遞給靄青，“送給你的禮物。”
靄青接過來，“謝謝羅絲。”
回家的路上，喬治話不多，想著家裏的事，找公寓，找工作。
靄青也想著同樣的事情。
灣區有兩大就業市場，北邊的舊金山市裏，和南灣的矽穀，這邊的工作比較多。
喬治需要照顧媽媽，這是他搬回加州的原因，工作離家裏越近越好，東灣沿著580高速快活屯附近的公司都可以申請。
兩人都是MBA，靄青早就想好了找哪些類的工作。喬治還沒有定下來了，搞管理，市場，銷售，哪個工資高就做什麽。
靄青在愛迪遜銀行麗姿那裏有過成功的經驗，會計是她的強項，依然是她的目標。
她現在缺的是一輛車。一輛二手車就可以。
喬治說去大姐辛迪家一趟，回來就有車了。
到了辛迪在湖邊的家，靄青才明白為什麽喬治說的這麽肯定。
清水湖在灣區北邊山裏，經過Napa納帕穀葡萄酒區，沿著29號公路就能到達。
這裏真是藍天白雲綠水青山，遠離灣區喧囂塵世的汙染，比較慢生活。
辛迪是中學老師，瘦高的個子，棕黃色的長頭發編了個辮子，拖在腦後，穿著一件老式連衣裙，膚色蒼白，也不化妝，連嘴唇都是蒼白的，看見喬治，笑著張開雙臂，“嗨，喬治！”
姐弟相擁片刻，辛迪向靄青伸手，“你一定是我弟媳了？”
“辛迪，你好。”靄青握了握手。
這次她沒有忘了禮物，送給辛迪一個小水晶擺設，辛迪愛不釋手，欣賞了半天，才放在壁爐上一堆擺設中最明顯的地方。
喬治來訪的目的之一，有關有機農場的事，給維克出出主意。
目的之二，有關陽光屯的地產，爭取辛迪支持開發房地產。
目的之三，給靄青找輛車。
辛迪的丈夫奧托是個二手車批發商，各個賣車行在賣出新車的時候，通常把買主的舊車低價收購。這些舊車有的修理清洗一下，就在車行轉賣，有的就由奧托這樣的批發商買走，再運到其他地區的其他舊車行出售。
奧托這樣的批發商眼睛很尖，一眼就能估算出一輛二手車的價值，轉手有沒有賺頭。
“奧托到南加州進車去了，你要什麽樣的車，我讓他給你留意一個。”
靄青對車沒什麽概念，“小轎車吧，日本牌子，豐田，本田，省油的。”
“我建議大點的SUV之類的，安全。”喬治說，“而且必須有空調。”
