伊麗莎折·庫伯勒-羅斯/Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
No one knows where loves wings will land.At times,it turns up in the most unusual spots.There was nothing more surprising than when it descended upon a rehabilitation hospital in a Los Angeles suburb-a hospital where most of the patients can no longer move of their own accord.
When the staff heard the news,some of the nurses began to cry.The administrator was in shock,but from then on,Harry MacNarama would bless it as one of the greatest days in his entire life.
Now the trouble was,how were they going to make the wedding dress?He knew his staff would find a way,and when one of his nurses volunteered,Harry was relieved.He wanted this to be the finest day in the lives of two of his patients-Juana and Michael.
Michael strapped in his wheelchair and breathing through his ventilator,appeared at Harrys office door one morning.
“Harry,I want to get married.”Michael announced.
“Married?”Harrys mouth dropped open.How serious was this?“To who?”Harry asked.
“To Juana,”Michael said.“Were in love.”
Love.Love had found its way through the hospital doors,over two bodies that refused to work for their owners and penetrated their hearts-despite the fact that the two patients were unable to feed or cloth themselves,required ventilators just to breath and could never walk again.Michael had spinal muscular atrophy;Juana had multiple sclerosis.
Just how serious this marriage idea was,became quite apparent when Michael pulled out the engagement ring and beamed as he hadn’t done in years.In fact,the staff had never seen a kinder,sweeter Michael,who had been one of the angriest men Harry’s employees had ever worked with.
The reason for Michaels anger was understandable.For twenty-five years,he had lived his life at a medical center where his mother had placed him at age nine and visited him several times a week until she died.He was always a raspy sort of guy,who cussed out his nurses routinely,but at least he felt he had family at the hospital.The patients were his friends.
There even had been a girl once who went about in a squeaky wheelchair who he was sure had eyed him.But she hadn’t stayed long at the center.And after spending more than half his life there,now Michael wasn’t going to get to stay either.
The center was closing,and Michael was shipped to live at the rehabilitation hospital,far from his friends and worse,far from Betty.
That’s when Michael turned into a recluse.He wouldn’t come out from his room.He left it dark.His friends drove more than two hours to see him.But Michaels spirits sagged so low,no one could reach him.
And then,one day,he was lying in bed when he heard a familiar creaking sound coming down the hall.It sounded like that same,ancient,squeaking wheelchair that girl,Juana,had used at the center where he used to live.
The squeaking stopped at his door,and Juana peered in and asked him to come outdoors with her.He was intrigued and from the moment he met Juana again,it was as though she breathed life back into him.
He was staring at the clouds and blue skies again.He began to participate in the hospital’s recreation programs.He spent hours talking with Juana.His room was sunny and light.And then he asked Juana,who’d been living in a wheelchair since age twenty-four,if she would marry him.
Juana had already had a tough life.She was pulled out of school before finishing the third grade,because she collapsed and fell a lot.Her mother,thinking she was lazy,slapped her around.She lived in terror that her mother wouldnt want her anymore,so on the occasions when she was well enough,she cleaned house“like a little maid”。
Before the age of twenty-four,like Michael,she had a tracheotomy just to breathe and that was when she was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.By the time she was thirty,she had moved into a hospital with round-the-clock care.
So when Michael asked her the big question,she didnt think she could handle the pain if he was teasing.
“He told me he loved me,and I was so scared.”she said.“I thought he was playing a game with me.But he told me it was true.He told me he loved me.”
On Valentines Day,Juana wore a wedding dress made of white satin,dotted with pearl beads and cut loose enough to drape around a wheelchair and a ventilator.Juana was rolled to the front of the room,assisted by Harry,who proudly gave the bride away.Her face streamed with tears.
Michael wore a crisp white shirt,black Jacket and a bow tie that fit neatly over his tracheotomy.He beamed with pleasure.
Nurses filled the doorways.Patients filled the room.An overflow of hospital employees spilled into the halls.Sobs echoed in every corner of the room.In the hospitals history,no two people-living their lives bound to wheelchairs-had ever married.
Janet Yamaguchi,the hospitals recreation leader,had planned everything.Employees had donated their own money to buy the red and white balloons,matching flowers,and an archway dotted with leaves.Janet had the hospital chef make a three-tiered,lemon-filled wedding cake.A marketing consultant hired a photographer.
Janet negotiated with family members.It was one of the most trying and satisfying times of her life to watch the couple get married.
She thought of everything.
The final touch-the kiss-could not be completed.Janet used a white satin rope to tie the couples wheelchairs to symbolize the romantic moment.
After the ceremony,the minister slipped out trying to hold back her tears.“I’ve performed thousands of weddings,but this is the most wonderful one I’ve done so far.”the minister said.“These people have passed the barriers and showed pure love.”
That evening,Michael and Juana rolled into their own room for the first time together.Michael and Juana knew they had moved many people with their love,and they had been given the greatest gift of all.They had the gift of love.And its never known where it will land.
愛的羽翼會在何處駐足，無人知曉。偶爾，她可能會出現在最不尋常的地方。令人難以置信的是，有一天，她突然降臨在洛杉磯郊區的一家康複醫院裏，這裏的大多數病人都喪失了最基本的身體機能。
醫院的工作人員聽到這個消息時，一些護士哭了，院長哈利震驚了。但從那時起，哈利把它當作一生中最偉大的日子，為它祈禱。
現在的問題是，怎麽給他們縫製結婚禮服呢？雖然有些麻煩，但哈利知道職員們會找到解決的辦法。一個護士自告奮勇地攬下了難題，他放心了，希望這會是兩位病人——朱安娜和邁克一生中最美好的時光。
一天早晨，邁克出現在哈利的辦公室門口，他的身體用帶子縛在輪椅上，借助呼吸器呼吸。
“哈利，我想結婚。”邁克說道。
“結婚？”哈利張大了嘴巴，“這可是件大事，和誰呢？”哈利問。
“朱安娜，”邁克說，“我們相愛了。”
愛情，愛情穿越了醫院的大門，降臨在兩個完全癱瘓的人身上，並進駐了他們的心靈——盡管兩位病人衣食不能自理，需要呼吸器才能呼吸，而且永遠不能行走。邁克得了脊髓肌肉萎縮症，朱安娜身患多發性硬化病。
結婚的念頭如此真切，當邁克拿出結婚戒指，露出多年不見的笑容時，事態就更加明確了。事實上，此時的邁克是醫護人員見過的最溫柔、最善良的邁克。而此前他一直是公認的暴脾氣。
邁克的暴躁是可以理解的。25年來，他一直住在醫療中心。9歲時，他媽媽把他送來後，每周來看幾次，直到逝世。他經常大發雷霆，把護士罵走，但至少他覺得醫院是他的家，病人們都是他的朋友。
曾經有一個女孩，坐在吱吱做響的輪椅裏。邁克想她一定注意到自己了。但她並沒有在這裏待很久。盡管邁克在那兒度過了生命的一大半後，但他也不得不離開。
醫療中心要關門了，邁克被轉移到另一家康複醫院，遠離了他的朋友們，更糟的是，也遠離了貝蒂。
邁克開始變得孤僻，寧願待在黑暗的房間裏，足不出戶。朋友驅車兩個多小時來看他，他依然情緒低落，沒有人能走近他。
有一天，他躺在**，突然，走廊傳來一陣熟悉的吱吱聲。古老的輪椅吱吱做響，就像他在以前的中心遇到的女孩——朱安娜所坐的輪椅發出的。
吱吱聲在他的門口停住了，朱安娜凝視著他，問他能否和她一起外出。他立即興奮起來，再次見到她的那一刻，他的生命似乎重新回來了。
他開始再次仰望藍天白雲，開始參加醫院的娛樂活動，不知疲倦地與朱安娜聊天。他的房間充滿陽光和歡聲笑語。不久，他向從24歲開始就一直在輪椅上生活的朱安娜求婚，想知道她是否願意嫁給他。
朱安娜曾經度過一段非常艱辛的日子。三年級還沒讀完，她經常會因身體虛弱而昏倒。母親以為她偷懶，總打她。她生活在恐懼中，一直擔心母親要拋棄她。所以，身體好些時，她就會像小女傭一樣打掃房間。
24歲前，她和邁克一樣，做過一次氣管切開術，以使呼吸暢通。也就是在那個時候，她被確診患有多發性硬化症。30歲時，她被送進醫院接受24小時的全天護理。
所以，當邁克問她這個“重大”問題時，朱安娜想如果他是在戲弄她，那將會給她帶來無法承受的痛苦。
“他說愛我時，我非常害怕，”她說，“我想他是在跟我開玩笑。但他說，他是認真的，他愛我。”
情人節那天，朱安娜穿著一件白色的綢緞婚紗，上麵綴滿珍珠，婚紗很寬鬆，足以遮住輪椅和呼吸器。哈利自豪地把她推到房門前，她激動得淚流滿麵。
邁克穿著筆挺的白色襯衣和黑色夾克，脖子上還打了一個精美的蝴蝶結，滿臉洋溢著幸福的微笑。
護士和病人們擠滿了走廊、房間，就連大廳也滿是醫護人員。房間的每個角落都傳來嗚咽聲。醫院有史以來，還從沒有兩個輪椅上生活的人結合在一起的先例。
醫院的娛樂節目主持人珍妮特策劃好了一切活動。醫護人員用捐來的錢買了紅色、白色的氣球，樹葉纏繞的拱門，搭配上鮮花。珍妮特請醫院的廚師製作了一個三層檸檬味的結婚蛋糕。一個營銷顧問還請來了攝影師。
珍妮特跟家人談論起此事，感慨萬分，看到這對有情人終成眷屬是她一生中最費解、也是最開心的時刻。她思索了很多。
最後的程序——接吻，無法完成。珍妮特用白綢緞把這對新人的輪椅係在一起，以此來象征這浪漫的時刻。
婚禮結束後，牧師強忍著眼淚，悄悄走了出去，“我主持了無數次的婚禮，但這次，是最棒的一次。”牧師說，“他們克服了艱難險阻，為我們展示了最純潔的愛情。”
那晚，邁克和朱安娜第一次共入新房。他們知道，他們的真摯愛情打動了很多人，不僅收獲了最珍貴的禮物，他們也收獲了最純潔的愛情。愛情，你永遠無法知道她會駐足何處。
詞匯筆記
relieve[rili:v]v.緩解；消除；減少
The doctors did their best to relieve the patient.
醫生們盡力減輕病人的痛苦。
ventilator[ventl,e?t?]n.通風設備；通風口
Once the ventilator shaft became blocked,the warehouse
quickly filled with fumes.
通風管一旦堵塞，倉庫很快就充滿了煙霧。
squeaky[skwi:ki]adj.吱吱響的；發出尖利的聲音的
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
會叫的孩子有糖吃。
intrigue[intri:ɡ]v.搞陰謀詭計
They constantly intrigued against each other.
他們之間彼此耍陰謀。
小試身手
愛的羽翼會在何處駐足，無人知曉。
愛情，你永遠無法知道她會駐足何處。
短語家族
Thats when Michael turned into a recluse.
Turn into：（使）變成
She lived in terror that her mother wouldnt want her anymore,so on the occasions when she was well enough,she cleaned house“like a little maid”。
On the occasion：在那時，在那種場合