英文中译： 太太的至爱

一位风烛残年的老人倦卧在床上等待着死神的降临。冥冥中他突然嗅觉到从楼下飘上来一股久别的烘焙香味―――他由衷喜爱的巧克力饼干。

老人竭尽余力从床上爬起来，依扶着墙壁缓慢地挪出卧室；双手紧握楼梯的扶手，挣扎着走下阶梯。老人倚靠在门框上，不停地喘气，目不转睛凝视着厨房。若不是病痛的折磨，他似乎觉得他已进入了天堂。

厨房的餐桌上铺垫着一层报纸，报纸上堆满了他由衷喜爱的巧克力饼干！

天堂不过如此吧？ 难道这是他终身为伴的太太表达她至爱的最终举动？希望他能笑别尘世？

用尽平生最后一把力气扑向餐桌，用他那布满青筋不断颤抖的手伸向桌上的巧克力饼干。就在抓住饼干的那一霎那，他太太用锅铲狠狠地抽打在他的手上：

“别乱动，这些都是为葬礼而预备的”。

A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs.

He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.

With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.

There, spread out up on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.

Was this heaven, or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table.. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.

"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral."