有多遠/How far? III

三十五年後, 早兒在她的辦公室, 一座混合磚牆與粗木的建築物。每天早晨, 她總是拿著一杯咖啡站在窗前仰望天空。這是她的方式來迎接一天。晴天雨天也好, 她從來不抱怨天氣。她自己動手做咖啡, 不喜歡指使他人, 喜歡烘意大利小餅予其他同事。她上午聽古典音樂, 下午聽爵士樂。在她的辦公桌上, 面對她的是兩個女兒的照片。大女兒在英屬哥倫比亞大學讀完英國文學, 現在在多倫多大學讀碩士學位。小女兒得到新蘇格蘭省藝術學院美術學位, 希望成為一個藝術家。早兒的丈夫 是她的生意合作夥伴, 他們開了一個藝術畫廊, 她椅子背後是書櫃, 大多是關於藝術和文學書籍, 早兒仍然愛讀書, 但近年來, 她喜歡讀詩。

Thirty-five years later, Joey is in her office, a heritage building with exposed wood beans and brick walls. Every morning she stands by the window looking up at the sky with a cup of coffee. It is her way to welcome the day. Rain or shine, she never complaints about the weather. She makes her own coffee because she doesn’t like to order people around, and bakes biscotti for everybody in the office. She listens to classical music in the morning and jazz in the afternoon. On her desk, facing her is a photo of her two daughters. The elder girl finished English Literature in UBC and is currently studying her master degree in University of Toronto. The younger girl got a Fine Arts degree from Nova Scotia College of Art and wants to be a artist. Joey’s husband is her business partner. They own an art gallery. Behind her chair are bookcases of books, mostly art and literature. Joey still read, but these days she prefers poetry.
—Published by Vancouver Public Library