巧遇老布什总统夫妇

十几年前，当那个小布什总统还是白宫的主人的时候，圣诞节之前的一天，我和泰迪到我们家附近的“巴恩斯与贵族”书店去买节日贺卡和礼物。记得那是午后，书店里很安静，只有几位顾客。趁着泰迪去挑选贺卡，我沿着一遛书架闲逛，看什么能吸引我的眼球。走到底后，我转过身来，走向收款台。忽然，我看到一个身着黑衣、高大、壮硕的男子，站在书架过道的另一端，双臂交叉在胸前。


“发生什么事了？”我问自己。“怎么会有警察在这里？” 好像没有听到警笛声，书店里也没有任何混乱。


附近有两个女士，显然也停了下来，看着什么。我沿着她们的视线扫过去，看到收款台那儿有一对老夫妇，衣着普通，跟德克萨斯任何地方的老爷爷、老奶奶一样。但是他们的面孔看上去很熟悉，像许多年以前我在电视上看到的那样。他们就是芭芭拉和乔治H.W.布什，美国第41任第一夫人和总统。着黑衣的男子显然是保护前总统及其家属的秘密警局的保镖。


这对老夫妇看起来很愉快，身体也很健康，但是背部也有一点儿曲线了。他们买了一些小东西，还与收银员聊了一会儿。


当布什夫妇忙着买东西的时候，我和泰迪，还有我们的顾客同伴，站在自己的地方，带着微笑和钦佩从远处望着他们，直到他们买完东西离开书店。我们走出书店的时候，还看到两辆黑色的大型郊区式汽车，一前一后离去。


周二晚上当我听到芭芭拉*布什逝世的消息时，心里很难过，却也充满了对她的钦佩。她的亲人、朋友和新闻记者把她描绘成布什王朝或者德克萨斯王朝的女族长，一位充满爱心和忠诚的妻子、母亲和奶奶，一生致力于培养美国成人和家庭读书识字的能力。


但在我的脑海里，她永远是我在书店里见到的那位可爱的德克萨斯老奶奶。

-- My encounter with old Bush couple --

More than ten years ago, the 43^rd was still the host of the White House. One day before Christmas, Ted and I went to our neighborhood Barnes & Nobles to get holiday cards and gifts. It was early afternoon, and the store was quiet. There were only a handful of shoppers around. I browsed the aisles for books and gifts that might attract my eyes while Ted was picking up holiday cards. Then I turned from the end of the aisle and walked toward the cashier. Suddenly, I saw a tall guy in a black suit standing down the aisle with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“What’s wrong?” I asked myself. “Something happened? Police are here.” I did not hear any siren and saw no chaos around.

There were one or two lady shoppers nearby, who apparently stopped and stood watching. In the direction they were looking, it was the cashier. I saw an old couple, who dressed in ordinary clothes like any grandma and grandpa in Texas, with familiar faces I saw on TV many years ago. They were Barbara and George H.W. Bush, the nation’s 41^st first lady and president. The men in black apparently were secret services agents protecting ex-presidents and their families.

The old couple looked quite pleasant and was in a great shape, but their backs showed some curve. They picked some small items and chatted with the cashiers a bit.

While the Bush couple was doing their business, my fellow shoppers, like me and Ted, stood at the same place watching them with smiles and admiration until they finished their shopping. When we walked out of the store, I saw two black and large suburban-like cars speed away.  

When I heard the passing of Grandma Barbara Bush Tuesday evening, my heart was filled with sadness and yet great admiration. Her relatives, close friends, and news media pictured her as a matriarch of the Bush dynasty or Texas dynasty, who was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandma. She dedicated her life to adult and family literacy.

But in my mind, I always remember her as that down to earth grandma I encountered in the book store.