《The bear came over the mountain 熊從山那邊來》是艾麗絲. 門羅(加拿大籍諾貝爾文學獎得主)1999年在《The New Yorker紐約客》 發表，2001 收在短篇小說集《Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship,
Marriage 恨，友誼，追求，愛情，婚姻》，2006年搬上大銀幕《Away
from her妳的樣子/柳暗花明》。
小說講述男主角格蘭特(Grant)把患失憶症的太太菲奧娜(Fiona)送進療養院，後來發覺她漸漸地完全遺忘了自己，喜歡上了另一個男病人奧布里(Aubrey)，形影不離。當奧布里被他的太太瑪麗安(Marian)接回家後，菲奧娜竟然精神崩潰，了無生意。男主角跑到奧布里的家裡去，希望他太太能夠安排把奧布里送回到療養院，讓菲奧娜証恢復生機。结果出人意表, 當瑪麗安把奧布里送回療養院後，菲奧娜卻已忘記了新情人，再次認識丈夫格蘭特，而且格蘭特和瑪麗安則剛剛開始約會……
當我讀到格蘭特在奧布里的家中與瑪麗安的對話時，覺得瑪麗安講孩子，講房子，就像平日和銀髮朋友們茶餘飯後的閒談，同樣的無奈，同樣的執著。
以下節錄自《恨，友誼，追求，愛情，婚姻》 艾麗絲. 門羅/著 馬永波, 楊千軍/譯 譯林出版社
……
廚台上有各種各樣的裝置和設備--咖啡壺，食物加工器，磨刀石，還有一些格蘭特不知道名字和用法的東西。看起來都很新，而且價格不菲，仿佛剛從包裝紙裡拿岀來，或者每天都擦洗似的。
……
“他們送的，” 她說:” 我們的兒子和他妻子。他們住在不列顛哥倫比亞的坎盧普斯，他們給我們送的東西都用不完。如果他們能用這些錢來看我們就更好了。”
格蘭特很有哲理地說:” 我猜他們是忙於自己的生活吧。”
“他們沒有那麼忙，他們去年冬天還去了夏威夷呢。如果我們家裏還有別人在身邊，那還可以理解、但他是我們唯一的孩子。”
……
“……但我就是這樣，沒有多少選擇。如果把他送到那裏，我付不起費用，除非把房子賣了。房子是我們的全部財產。我沒有什麼經濟來源。我明年才能拿到退休金，我有他的和我自己的退休金，即使這樣，我還是不能既付那裏的費用又保住房子。我的房子對我很重要。”
“房子不錯。” 格蘭特說。
“是啊，還好。我投入了很多。裝修維護什麼的。”
“我相信是。的確。”
“我不想失去它。”
“是的。”
“我絕對不能失去。”
“我明白你的意思了。”
……
以下節錄自《Hateship,
Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage》 by Alice
Munro McClelland & Stewart Ltd
……
On the
kitchen counters there were all sorts of contrivances and
appliances—coffeemaker, food processor, knife sharpener, and some things Grant
didn’t know the names or uses of. All looked new and expensive, as if they had
just been taken out of their wrappings, or were polished daily.
……
“They gave us that,” she said. “Our son and
his wife. They live in Kamloops. B.C. They send us more stuff than we can
handle. It wouldn’t hurt if they would spend the money to come and see us
instead.”
Grant said
philosophically, “I suppose they’re busy with their own lives.”
“They
weren’t too busy to go to Hawaii last winter. You could understand it if we had
somebody else in the family, closer at hand. But he’s the only one.”
……
“…… But the way I am, I don’t have much choice.
I don’t have the money to put him in there unless I sell the house. The house
is what we own outright. Otherwise I don’t have anything in the way of
resources. Next year I’ll have his pension and my pension, but even so I
couldn’t afford to keep him there and hang on to the house. And it means a lot
to me, my house does.”
“It’s very
nice,” said Grant.
“Well, it’s
all right. I put a lot into it. Fixing it up and keeping it up.”
“I’m sure
you did. You do.”
“ I don’t
want to lose it.”
“No.”
“I’m not going to lose it.”
“I see your
point.”
……
