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They
first met on a chilly day of December.
She
stepped into "The Angel" with a cluster of violet in her arms.The
alluring fragrance attracted everyone to turn his or her gaze to her.Standing
in the bar, he watched her, fascinated.She
moved towards the desk beside the window, seating herself and waiting to
order.Coming out of the bar, he
felt it seems to be lucky that his assistant, ViVi, asked for leave that
day.She ordered a cup of chocolate
Mocha with a sweet smile.Suddenly,
he felt the whole world brightened intensely.The
infrequent sunshine of winter seemed to be in harmony, with his light heart
appearing in the sky.
He
kept brewing customers¡¦ beverage, but he never stopped eyeing
her movements.Seeing her twiddling
the spoon, stirring coffee lightly, rotating the coffee cup and appreciating
the patterns on it (He chose the cup with violet on it for her), smelling
at the flowers, and smiling slightly, he seemed content at that moment.It
was a peculiar feeling.Was it possible
that it was falling in love at first sight that her always distrusted?Her
thought it was impossible for him to fall in love with a girl at the first
sight, but he really yearned for seeing her radiant smile, hearing her
voice, and brewing the chocolate Mocha sacred to her.Her
really fell in love with her.
Day
after day, gradually, it seemed to be a routine for him to see her every
day.She always came at three-thirty
in the afternoon, ordered a cup of chocolate Mocha, and left when it was
getting dark. That
day was supposed to be his lucky day.As
usual, she got into "The Angel" at three-thirty, brought a cluster
of violet, and sat in the seat beside the window that her reserved for
her.It was the same chocolate Mocha
with the same violet coffee cup, but it was different that she said thanks
with a sweet smile to him when she got her coffee.He
fluttered with excitement.How wonderful
the world was!He chuckled foolishly
all the afternoon. It
was getting dark.She left at that
time as usual.Before she left, she
came to the bar.She drew out two
of the violets.One was purple, and
the other was pink.She inquired
softly, "Which color do you like better?"He
looked at her twinkling eyes, drawing out the purple one intuitively.She
smiled artlessly, "I like purple, I like chocolate Mocha, I like that violet
cup, I like the seat beside the window, and I also like you." Her
voice was low but still clear.She
flushed and her face turned red as flame.She
rushed out before he could react.As
for him, he was dumbfounded and stood there transfixed watching her fleeing
his sight.Vivi awoke him from being
stunned."What are you waiting for?Go
chase her!"Suddenly, he regained
his consciousness, took off his apron hurriedly, and rushed out hastily.
The
street was crowded with people who were busy like ants.He
sought vainly for her in the crowd.It
was freezing at night in cold December.Wearing
a shirt, he was so cold that her limbs became stiff.Swearing
at this damned weather, he still dept seeking.While
walking, he saw a flower shop with all kinds of poinsettias in it.Standing
in front of the shop, he murmured, "Time goes so rapidly.This
year is almost past."Suddenly,
the automatic door opened slowly.He
looked towards the entrance.That
was whom he was seeking for on the cold street.She
flushed up to the ears in a sudden when she saw him.Besides
a cluster of violet, there was a pot of poinsettias with a silver bow on
it in her arms. He
stepped towards her and stood in front of her.She
didn't know what to do, and just stammered in a faint voice, "Chri...ristmas
is coming.I bought poinsettias to
adorn my room."Her head was lower
and lower as she spoke.As for him,
he took the pot and said tenderly, "Christmas is coming.I'm
looking for my little angel that God bestowed upon me."His
voice was so tender in order not to frighten her.He
asked, ¡¥ Where are you going now?""It's
so cold tonight.I want to go home."She
raised her head, looking at him, and then discovered that he just wore
a shirt."Why are you wearing so
little?It's chilly."She
immediately took off her scarf and pulled it tightly around his neck.He
gazed at her and said, "I forgot.I
was so anxious to find my little angel that I totally forgot to wear more
clothes."¡§ Have you
found her?"He answered mischievously,
"Of course.God took compassion on
me and helped me find my angel before I freeze to death.Now
can my little angel also take compassion on me and take me to a warmer
place?"There was a flush on her
face, and she couldn't say a word.He
asked in a low voice, "Do you want to have a cup of hot chocolate Mocha?" She
still lowered her head and didn't say anything.He
held her soft hand and led her towards "The Angel" .He
understood that it would be impossible for him to drop her hand.
"Sam,
I want to tell you something."He
turned around, seeing her flatten on the bar listlessly, and her worry
showed in her eyes."What's wrong?You
were censured by your professor or you bungled your final?" he asked facetiously
to make her happy.Suddenly, her
eyes turned red.The hot tears welled
up in her eyes, and she burst into tears."Sam,
I don¡¦t want to go back.I
want to stay here with you,¡¨ she sobbed."Tin,
nobody wants you to leave.I hope
that you can stay with me forever.Tell
me what happened.¡¨"Grandma
asked me to go back to Canada.She
said I have finished my study, I have to go back.She
has found a man who she thinks well matched with me.She
wants me to marry him.I don't want
to marry a stranger.I don't want
to."She choked with sobs.Seeing
her crying, he was powerless to do anything about it.In
order to try again, they phoned Grandma together the next day, but this
roused her utmost wrath, and she hung up the phone.Unexpectedly,
Grandma sent the steward to Taiwan the next day, and she was taken to Canada
three days later.She even didn't
attend the commencement.On the day
she left, they looked at each other, weeping.He
wiped her tears away and promised that he would take her back one day.Looking
at her being taken away, it seemed that his spring was bereft, too.
In
the next week, he flew to Canada to seek for his angel.Eventually,
he arrived at Vancouver, but he ultimately couldn't see his angel.Grandma
didn't oust him but sent her to California.In
name, Grandma sent her to California for a vacation.In
fact, it was in order not to let them meet each other, and on the other
hand, she could get along with her fianc? for more time.He
stayed in Vancouver for almost one month, and went to see Grandma every
day, but it was useless.At last,
he couldn¡¦t but go back to Taiwan resignedly.
Before
departing, he gave her brother a postcard with violets on it.He
requested her brother to hand it over to her and convey his best wishes
to her.Back to Canada, she got the
postcard from her brother.Instead
of the pattern of violets, there was nothing on the postcard.She
knew that he had been there, but Grandma didn¡¦t say anything.She
fell asleep with the postcard in her hands at that night. In
"The Angel" , the seat that she sat all the time was always put a card
with "reserved" on it.On the desk,
there was always a violet cup of chocolate Mocha.He
seldom smiled.He usually sat in
that seat beside the window in a daze.The
chocolate Mocha brewed in the morning was always put there until midnight.
That
day he turned on the radio and heard a Christmas song over it.He
was conscious of the coming of Christmas Day at that time.Looking
at the poinsettias that Vivi put in "The Angel" , he suddenly recalled
that he found her in front of the flower shop on that Christmas Day.As
usual, "The Angel" opened all through the night on Christmas
Eve.When the day was dawning, the
customers who played all through the night dragged themselves out of the
shop.Vivi tidied up the shop and
left, too.He stayed in the shop
alone.It was so quiet that even
breathing could be heard clearly.He
was fattening on the bar.The sun
shone brightly in through the window.It
seemed that there was someone talking tenderly beside him.He
raised his head dreamily.He saw
a figure in the sunshine and felt someone was stroking his face.He
took much time to get used to the bright light.Then
he saw the figure clearly.To his
surprise, it was his angel who he missed day and night."Tin,
is that you?" he doubted."Sam,
merry Christmas.I bring you a cluster
of violet.¡¨"How can
you come here?Grandma let you come
to see me?"she smiled broadly and
said, "I flew here."She looked at
her emaciated face, saying, ¡§You became so languishing.I'm
so sorry.It's all because of me.""Don't
say that.I'm so happy that you come
back to me.""Sam, are you willing
to go with me?Go to a place where
nobody can unsolder us."He grabbed
her hands and said, "I will as long as we can get together with each other."
Then
she held his hand and led him towards the door.The
sun shone very brightly and it was warm.Gradually
they disappeared in the sunshine.
The
next morning, Vivi took packages of stuff coming to "The Angel" .She
saw "The Angel" was surrounded by flowering violet.Wondering
why Sam bought so many violets yesterday, she opened the door.The
shop was scented with violet.Entering
the shop, Vivi saw Sam sitting in the seat beside the window.He
grasped violet in his hand with a contented smile on his face.
A
week after, Vivi received a postcard for Sam from Canada.It
was a card with violet pattern on it, and there were a few words on the
back: "I'm sorry for informing you that Tin committed suicide last week."
"The Angel" is a coffee shop¡¦s name.Violet blooms all around the shop, and their fragrances always fulfill this shop.People hear that there was a romantic legend about violet in "The Angel" . |
