一句简单的话.docVIP

一句简单的话 　　Silly birthday cards were always the norm in my family. Sentimental cards with messages of love were viewed with 1）disdain and a faint sense of embarrassment. Looking back now， I don’t ever remember the words “I love you” being spoken. 　　Then， just before I turned 29， Dad retired and my parents moved from Victoria to Queensland. As I’m an only child， my friends were shocked that my parents could move so far away from me. I just shrugged， not feeling at all 2）fazed by the situation―instead seeing it as an opportunity to have somewhere warm to go on holidays. 　　But six months into their retirement， my mother phoned to say she had some bad news： Dad had cancer.“But don’t worry，” she told me. It was 3）lymphoma and the doctors had assured her this was the most treatable kind. With 4）chemotherapy， he would be “5）right as rain” in a couple of months. However， when I arrived in Queensland for a visit two months later， I was shocked by my father’s appearance. He was frail， underweight and had lost all his hair from the chemo. Although he was only 65， he looked as though he had aged 20 years. 　　It was a sad sight and I felt my emotions welling up inside. Before I knew what was happening， I fell upon my dad with hugs and kisses， and for the first time in my life I said， “I love you， Dad！” He seemed a little taken aback， but awkwardly told me he loved me， too. 　　But the 6）tidal wave of emotion didn’t stop there as I fell upon my mother in the same fashion， expressing my love for her， too. Then I gently pulled away， expecting some kind of 7）reciprocation. But it never came. Instead， she appeared frozen in horror. Hurt and humiliated， I struggled to understand this rejection. What was wrong with me？ What was wrong with her？ 　　The holiday was over all too quickly. When I was back at work once again， I overheard a workmate on a personal phone call to her mother. At the end of it she said， “I love you， Mum.” As simple as that. Declarations of love were clearly effortl