怀念Brendiar先生

 

在Remembrance Day里，我不禁怀念我们可爱的老朋友Brendiar先生，他是参加过第二次世界大战的加拿大老军人。

Brendiar先生和太太是我们到加拿大后最先认识的人，当时我们刚到加拿大，借住在朋友家。我们找房子正好找到他们所居住的公寓，他们搬往老年公寓，我们住了进去。我们因此相识、并成为朋友。

Brendiar先生和太太是有故事的人，我把他们写进我的儿童故事里。我的系列儿童故事讲述一个叫Mei Ling的可爱中国小女孩随父母移民到加拿大，在加拿大成长的故事，Mei Ling以我女儿为原型。下面的一个章节讲述的是Mei Ling一家如何和Brendiar先生和太太结识的。

 

                 … … …

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!