Recently, the boys told us what happened in their school.
One evening the school cafeteria was about to close while Reuben and Chuck were
still finishing up their dinner there, back when Eileen was not doing too well.
The woman who ran the cafeteria struck up a conversation with them. When she
found out why they lingered at her cafeteria late was because their dad was out
of town working while their mom was rehabilitating from cancer. She took pity
on them, gave them free food and did this again and again.
最近兩個孩子告訴我們在學校發生的事。那是不久前藹玲的身體還在折騰的日子，兩兄弟晚餐時到學校的餐廳覓食，就要打烊了，餐廳的老闆娘過來跟他們搭訕，了解到家裡的狀況時，心生同情，此後常常給兩兄弟加餐。
Bless her heart for her kindness. This family encounters all
sorts of kindnesses. Daily, one is reminded to count his blessings when
misfortune strikes.
實在是謝謝她的好心腸。這些日子每每得人恩惠，在逆境時人當常常數算神的恩典。
Well, October brings relief about temperature and humidity.
We can finally turn off the air conditioning and gone is the repressive summer
heat.
中秋過後，天氣漸涼。總算可以關掉冷氣，告別了悶熱的夏天。
No news is good news. We went to see Dr. Chiu today and
there is nothing alarming about her lung CT scan result. All seem normal.
目前藹玲的狀況無恙。昨天去見了邱昭華大夫（胸腔內科），藹玲兩週前照的胸腔電腦斷層掃描結果正常，可以安心。
Eileen, we will stop calling her “patient” from now on, is
more of herself now. She regains her appetite. She complains often about how the
food tastes dry now. “They don’t taste as good.” I hear this again and again. But
don’t be fooled by this casual comment of her. She still finishes a large
portion of a plate of deep fried lotus root slice minced with ground pork while
salivating the food and mumbling, “Oh, they don’t taste as good!” at the same
time. Go figure.
藹玲恢復得不錯，從現在開始可以不用叫她“病人”了。她的胃口也回來了，“這東西吃起來沒有以前的味道。”成了她的口頭禪，常常抱怨食物在口中顯得乾乾的。不過也不必對她的抱怨太過認真，上星期一盤“炸蓮藕夾肉”超過一半是她清掉的，還一邊不時大塊剁姬，一邊對筆者一本正經的說，“喔，這不如過去好吃。”儼然一幅食饕的口氣，叫人不知信她那樣才好。
The other day, Michael bought home few Italian dishes -
pizzas, salad, chicken penne and dessert. One should see her putting on this
jolly grin, following the boys to the dinning room, and munching on all food
except Tiramisu while Michael kept on reminding the boys to let mommy have her pick
as if she was the baby of us all. To tell the truth, the boys were little taken
aback. Chuck for one in particular, when was the last time he ceased the
privilege being the baby of this household, now he had to share his favorite
dish – chicken penne with Mommy and the worst was Mommy kept on asking for more
and more of his favorite chicken penne.
週末，筆者外買了一堆義大利食物，比薩，沙拉，通心粉炒雞丁，甜點。真正認識我們的人可以想像她一副因食物興奮的神情，跟著筆者和孩子圍上餐桌，除了甜點，每樣東西都不錯過。為此，筆者需要不時地提醒兩個孩子，讓媽媽挑她喜歡的食物。媽媽成了家中的老么，老實說，
兩個孩子多少有些錯厄，老二尤其。從來都是媽媽讓他，叫他把自己那份通心粉炒雞丁讓出來分給大家，真有點心不甘情不願，最叫他受不了的是媽媽還沒完沒了向他討通心粉炒雞丁。
Everybody learned to share at the dinner table that night
and the meal could not taste better. As for Eileen, the food makes her whole
and my dear wife is back to herself again, almost.
那一餐大家都吃得好開心，因為爭食搶吃，食物顯得格外美味。至於藹玲，食物讓她對生活充滿期待，我的妻子又恢復了生氣。
Honestly speaking, if it wasn’t her strong body build up
over the course of these many years, she won’t bounce back as robust as today.
For what she may come short on her form and shape, much is made up in her physical
strength. Hence my advise to
people so obsessed about the appearance, think it twice before one sheds her or
his extra pounds. This weight may come in handy in other time.
老實說，若不是她日積月累的好體質，換成另外一個人也不知需要多久才可以把她的身子調理回來。她的身材也許不夠苗條，體質卻不輸人。所以大家也不必刻意減肥，為那幾磅贅肉過於煩惱，說不定哪天還要靠它渡過難關呢。
Food aside, she starts to involve in boys’ school works.
From time to time, one hears her raising up her voice like all overbearing
Chinese parents when tutoring Chuck.
食物除外，她已開始介入孩子的功課，像所有過於操心子女的中國人家長，我們家中不時又可以聽到三娘教子時高兩個八度的嗓門。
There was a time she had this creepy numbness sensation
running from her left fingers through the whole length of her arm up to her
left shoulder. Doctors can’t figure out why and she has to live with it for the
time being. Good thing about this numbness is it doesn’t happen too often. Last
time was in July. This however is a stern reminder that we’re fine but nevertheless,
not out of the woods yet.
最近，一陣痲痹的感覺從左手五個指尖開始，一直穿過手臂傳送到左肩，約有十五分之久，大夫們也說不出個所以然，一時還真沒轍。好在這種事情不常發生，上一次是七月的事。不管怎麼說，這事情提醒我們大難似乎過去，卻仍不可大意。
Until then, Shalom! Our beloved friends and families.
報告到此，祝各位至愛親朋平安！
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