懷念Brendiar先生

 

在Remembrance Day裏，我不禁懷念我們可愛的老朋友Brendiar先生，他是參加過第二次世界大戰的加拿大老軍人。

Brendiar先生和太太是我們到加拿大後最先認識的人，當時我們剛到加拿大，借住在朋友家。我們找房子正好找到他們所居住的公寓，他們搬往老年公寓，我們住了進去。我們因此相識、並成為朋友。

Brendiar先生和太太是有故事的人，我把他們寫進我的兒童故事裏。我的係列兒童故事講述一個叫Mei Ling的可愛中國小女孩隨父母移民到加拿大，在加拿大成長的故事，Mei Ling以我女兒為原型。下麵的一個章節講述的是Mei Ling一家如何和Brendiar先生和太太結識的。

 

                 … … …

In front of an apartment,

Mom, Dad and I stopped and stood.

It was so exciting.

The building looked verygood.

 

The intendant knocked on a door.

I felt impatient, a bit.

I was anxiously waiting for

Somebody to open it.

 

Who lived in this apartment,

I was wondering about.

The door quietly opened.

An elderly lady came out.

 

She was a little bit plump.

Her hair was curly and neat.

She looked very elegant

And she smelled very sweet.

 

I am sure she was a smart lady

Because a pair of glasses,she wore.

That made her look more like the grandma

In a book that I had read before.

 

In any fairy tale I had read,

The grandma has curly hair,

Is always plump, wears glasses

And knits in a rocking chair.

 

The elderly lady asked,

“Little girl, how are you today?”

I was so embarrassed

That I didn’t know what to say.

 

I didn’t know what she had said.

I felt very, very shy.

“Fine, thank you and how are you?”

For me, Mom had to reply.

 

The elderly lady smiled.

She opened the door wide.

I followed Mom and Dad

And quietly went inside.

 

Like a most curious kitten,

I looked around and up and down.

I even sniffed with my nose.

The smell of home was all around.

 

The furniture was old but still shiny.

The apartment was very neat.

A soft, thick, beautiful carpet

Felt comfortable under my feet.

 

The elderly lady came to me

And put some candies in my hand, then.

Her hand was so warm that she made me

Think of my real grandma again.

 

I’d say that my grandma’s hand

Was as warm as her hand,

But it was much rougher because

She worked hard on her farmland.

 

I saw an elderly man

Sitting in a sofa chair.

When he saw Mom, Dad and me,

He stood up slowly with care.

 

He looked a little bit different

Because he had white hair and a white beard.

His beard was much longer than his hair.

It made him special but not weird!

 

People call this style of long beard

A Goat Beard in China in old days.

When a man with it heartily laughed,

It would dance in the air, always!

 

All wise elderly men had a Goat Beard

In ancient Chinese history.

They gently stroked their long Goat Beard

When they thought about a mystery.

 

That elderly man walked with a cane.

His straight back and the cane in his hand

Made him look like a big general

Who was ready to give a command!

 

His shiny eyes looked just like the eyes

Of a mischievous but honest child.

If he was a general, he would be

A funny one as he always smiled.

 

With my hand holding Mom’s,

I secretly whispered to Dad,

“I like this apartment and

The elderly couple.” Dad was glad.

 

The man’s name was Mr.Brendiar.

The elderly lady was his wife.

They would move to a seniors building.

They would start their new happy life. 

 

We all liked this apartment.

Dad signed the rent agreement. Yes!

I waved goodbye to that basement.

We got a new home and address!

 

We moved into the apartment.

A new life for us was ahead.

When Mom opened the fridge door,

Surprise! She found milk and bread.

 

Dad opened the cabinet door.

His eyes suddenly opened wide.

Surprise! He found coffee, sugar

And Chinese green tea inside.

 

I jumped up with excitement
  When I opened my closet door.

  Surprise! I found a teddy bear

Peacefully sitting on the floor.

 

It was for me! It was for me!

I definitely knew.

I held it very tightly.

And murmured, “I love you!”

 

I put the Canadian bear

On a small wooden chair,

Beside my Chinese friend,

My dear toy panda bear.

 

They sat together closely.

They already liked each other.

I secretly imagined that

I could be their little mother.

                 It was Mrs. Brendiar

Who left them for us,I guess.

On the day we moved in,

We felt at ease, more or less.

 

“You are welcome in this new home,”

She wanted us to understand.

She even made us feel that we were 

Welcome in Canada, our new land!