By Jean Harper from Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul

　　When we’re young and we dream of love and fulfillment, wethinkperhaps of moon-drenched Parisian nights or walks along thebeachat sunset.

　　No one tells us that the greatest moments of a lifetimearefleeting, unplanned and nearly always catch us off guard.

　　Not long ago, as I was reading a bedtime story tomyseven-year-old daughter, Annie, I became aware of her focusedgaze.She was starring at me with a faraway, trancelikeexpression.Apparently, completing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers wasnot asimportant as we first thought.

　　I asked what she was thinking about.

　　“Mommy,” she whispered, “I just can’t stop looking at yourprettyface.”

　　I almost dissolved on the spot.

　　Little did she know how many trying moments the glow ofhersincerely loving statement would carry me through overthefollowing years.

　　Not long after, I took my four-year-old son to anelegantdepartment store, where the melodic notes of a classic lovesongdrew us toward a tuxedoed musician playing a grand piano. Samand Isat down on a marble bench nearby, and he seemed as transfixedbythe lilting theme as I was.

　　I didn’t realize that Sam had stood up next to me until heturned,took my face in his little hands and said, “Dance WithMe.”

　　If only those women strolling under the Paris moon knew the joyofsuch an invitation made by a round-cheeked boy with babyteeth.Although shoppers openly chuckled, grinned and pointed at usas weglided and whirled around the open atrium, I would not havetradeda dance with such a charming young gentleman if I’d beenofferedthe universe. （接下页）

　　和我跳舞吧！

　　作者 琼·哈珀译者 何朝阳

　　年轻时幻想爱与满足时，我们脑海中首先闪现的意象，不是月光浸润下巴黎街头的夜色，就是夕阳映照下海滩上的散步。

　　没有人告诉我们，一生中那些最动人的时刻，常常在我们未曾防备、猝不及防之时突然闪现。

　　不久前的一天晚上，临睡前我给7岁的女儿安妮读故事，发现她眼睛直愣愣地盯着我，恍惚、出神的样子。显然，此时塞缪尔·惠斯克斯的故事已退居其次了。

　　我问她在想什么。

　　“妈妈，”她悄声地说，“我忍不住想看你的脸，好漂亮。”

　　那一刻，我简直就要被熔化了。

　　她不会知道，她这纯稚的话语，在我后来的岁月里激励我度过多少艰难的时光。

　　前不久我带4岁的儿子塞姆去一家非常高级的百货商店，大厅内飘荡的悠扬的经典情歌的旋律，把我俩都吸引到那位身着燕尾服、正在弹钢琴的音乐家的身边，我俩在旁边的大理石长椅上坐下，和我一样，塞姆似乎也被这扣人心弦的旋律打动了。

　　塞姆是什么时候站到我跟前的，我都没察觉。他伸出双手捧着我的脸颊，“和我跳舞吧！”

　　那些在月光下慢步巴黎的女人，能享受到接受一个满口乳牙、圆圆脸蛋的小男孩的邀请而共舞的快乐吗？我们滑动，我们旋转，似乎有顾客在窃笑、在私语、在指指点点，可与这么迷人的年轻绅士共舞，纵然你用整个世界来与我交换，我亦不屑。（新东方专稿）（编辑：赵露）

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