“But what if I break my arm again?” my five year-old daughter asked, her lower lip trembling. I knelt holding onto her bike and looked her right in the eyes. I knew how much she wanted to learn to ride. How often she felt left out when her friends pedaled by our house. Yet ever since she’d fallen off her bike and broken her arm, she’d been afraid.

“Oh honey,” I said. “I don’t think you’ll break another arm.”

“But I could, couldn’t I?”

“Yes,” I admitted, and found myself struggling for the right thing to say. At times like this, I wished I had a partner to turn to. Someone who might help find the right words to make my little girl’s problems disappear. But after a disastrous marriage and a painful divorce, I’d welcomed the hardships of being a single parent and had been adamant in telling anyone who tried to fix me up that I was terminally single.

“I don’t think I want to ride,” she said and got off her bike.

We walked away and sat down beside a tree.

“Don’t you want to ride with your friends?” I asked.

“And I thought you were hoping to start riding your bike to school next year,” I added.

“I was,” she said, her voice almost a quiver.

“You know, hon,” I said. “Most everything you do comes with risks. You could get a broken arm in a car wreck and then be afraid to ever ride in a car again. You could break your arm jumping rope. You could break your arm at gymnastics. Do you want to stop going to gymnastics?”

“No,” she said. And with a determined spirit, she stood up and agreed to try again. I held on to the back of her bike until she found the courage to say, “Let’s go!”

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the park watching a very brave little girl overcome a fear, and congratulating myself for being a self-sufficient single parent.

As we walked home, pushing the bike as we made our way along the sidewalk, she asked me about a conversation she’d overheard me having with my mother the night before.

“Why were you and grandma arguing last night?”

My mother was one of the many people who constantly tried to fix me up. How many times had I told her “no” to meeting the Mr. Perfect she picked out for me. She just knew Steve was the man for me.

“It’s nothing,” I told her.

She shrugged. “Grandma said she just wanted you to find someone to love.”

“What grandma wants is for some guy to break my heart again,” I snapped, angry that my mother had said anything about this to my daughter.

“But Mom.”

“You’re too young to understand,” I told her.

She was quiet for the next few minutes. Then she looked up and in a small voice gave me something to think about.

“So I guess love isn’t like a broken arm.”

Unable to answer, we walked the rest of the way in silence. When I got home, I called my mother and scolded her for talking about this to my daughter. Then I did what I’d seen my brave little girl do that very afternoon. I let go and agreed to meet Steve.

Steve was the man for me. We married less than a year later. It turned out mother and my daughter were right.

愛如斷臂

“可我要再把胳膊給摔斷了怎麼辦？”我wo五wu歲sui的de女nv兒er問wen道dao，她ta的de下xia唇chun顫chan抖dou著zhe。我wo跪gui著zhe抓zhua穩wen了le她ta的de自zi行xing車che，直zhi視shi著zhe她ta的de眼yan睛jing。我wo很hen明ming白bai她ta非fei常chang想xiang學xue會hui騎qi車che。多duo少shao次ci了le
，她ta的de朋peng友you們men踩cai車che經jing過guo我wo們men家jia時shi，她ta感gan到dao給gei拋pao下xia。可ke自zi從cong上shang次ci她ta從cong自zi行xing車che上shang摔shuai下xia來lai


，把ba胳ge膊bo給gei摔shuai斷duan之zhi後hou，她ta對dui車che便bian敬jing而er遠yuan之zhi。

“噢，親愛的。”我說，“我不認為你會把另一隻胳膊給摔斷的。”

“但有可能，不是嗎？”

“是的，”我承認道，使勁想找出些道理來說。每逢此時，我便希望自己有人可依靠。一個可以說出正確道理
、幫(bang)我(wo)的(de)小(xiao)女(nv)兒(er)解(jie)決(jue)難(nan)題(ti)的(de)人(ren)。可(ke)經(jing)過(guo)一(yi)場(chang)可(ke)悲(bei)的(de)婚(hun)姻(yin)和(he)痛(tong)苦(ku)的(de)離(li)婚(hun)後(hou)
，我(wo)傾(qing)向(xiang)於(yu)當(dang)個(ge)單(dan)身(shen)母(mu)親(qin)
，並(bing)且(qie)我(wo)還(hai)態(tai)度(du)堅(jian)決(jue)地(di)告(gao)訴(su)每(mei)個(ge)要(yao)給(gei)我(wo)介(jie)紹(shao)對(dui)象(xiang)的(de)人(ren)說(shuo)我(wo)要(yao)抱(bao)定(ding)終(zhong)身(shen)不(bu)嫁(jia)。

“我不想學了。”她說著
，下了自行車。

我們走到一旁，坐在一顆樹旁。

“難道你不想和朋友們一起騎車嗎？”我問。

“想。”她承認。

“而且我還以為你希望明年踩著車回去上學呢。”我補充道。

“我是希望。”她說，聲音有點顫。

“知道嗎
，寶貝。”我說
，“很(hen)多(duo)要(yao)做(zuo)的(de)事(shi)情(qing)都(dou)是(shi)帶(dai)有(you)風(feng)險(xian)的(de)。汽(qi)車(che)失(shi)事(shi)也(ye)會(hui)折(zhe)斷(duan)胳(ge)膊(bo)，那(na)麼(me)你(ni)就(jiu)算(suan)再(zai)坐(zuo)在(zai)車(che)上(shang)也(ye)會(hui)害(hai)怕(pa)。跳(tiao)繩(sheng)也(ye)有(you)可(ke)能(neng)折(zhe)斷(duan)胳(ge)膊(bo)。做(zuo)體(ti)操(cao)也(ye)有(you)可(ke)能(neng)折(zhe)斷(duan)胳(ge)膊(bo)。你(ni)連(lian)體(ti)操(cao)也(ye)想(xiang)不(bu)練(lian)了(le)嗎(ma)
？”

“不想。”她說。然後她毅然站起

，同意再試試。我扶著車尾，直到她有勇氣說：“放手！”

後來一個下午
，我就在公園裏看著這個有無比勇氣的小女孩克服了恐懼
，我恭喜自己成了可以獨當一麵的單身家長。

回家時，我們推著自行車順著人行道走
，她問起昨天晚上我和我媽媽的一個對話，那是她無意中聽到的。

“你昨晚為什麼和姥姥吵
？”

我媽媽總是想安排我去相親的許多人中的一個。我多次拒絕去看她給我找的合適對象。她知道史蒂文和我會合得來。

“沒什麼事。”我告訴她。她聳聳肩。“姥姥說她隻不過想讓你找個人來愛。”

“姥姥想再找個人來傷我的心。”我厲聲說道
，很生氣媽媽把這件事跟我的女兒說了。

“可媽媽。”

“你還太小
，不明白。”我對她說。

接下來好幾分鍾她都很安靜。然後她抬起頭
，小小聲地說了句令我深思不已的話。

“那麼我猜愛情和斷胳膊不是一回事了。”

我wo無wu言yan以yi對dui，餘yu下xia的de路lu我wo們men在zai沉chen默mo中zhong走zou完wan了le。回hui到dao家jia後hou
，我wo給gei媽ma媽ma打da了le個ge電dian話hua，責ze備bei她ta不bu該gai和he我wo女nv兒er談tan論lun這zhe話hua題ti。接jie著zhe我wo做zuo了le一yi件jian那na個ge下xia午wu看kan到dao我wo那na勇yong敢gan的de小xiao女nv兒er所suo做zuo過guo的de事shi。我wo鬆song口kou答da應ying和he史shi蒂di文wen見jian麵mian。

史蒂文正是我的合適人選。大約一年前我們結了婚。結果證明我媽媽和女兒是正確的。