“A Rumor for Forty Years…
Often touching stories happen around us, perhaps right beside you.
Occasionally, I heard such a story and was deeply moved. In a hurry, I jotted it down. Regardless of how well it’s told, I hope more people get to know it because it is indeed a very special and true story…
He and she met at a banquet. At that time, she was young and vibrant, with many suitors around her, while he was just an ordinary person. Therefore, when the banquet ended, and he invited her to have coffee together, she was quite surprised. However, out of politeness, she still agreed.
Sitting in the café, the atmosphere between the two was very awkward, with little to talk about. She just wanted to quickly finish and go back. But when the waitress brought the coffee, he suddenly said, “Could you please bring some salt? I’m used to putting a little salt in my coffee.” She was stunned, as was the waitress, and everyone’s gazes focused on him, making his face turn red.
The waitress brought the salt, and he put a little in and slowly sipped the coffee. She was a woman with a strong curiosity, so she asked him curiously, “Why do you add salt?” He was silent for a while, then slowly, almost one word at a time, said, “When I was a child, my family lived by the sea. I was always in the water, and when the waves hit, the seawater would rush into my mouth, bitter and salty. Now, I haven’t been home for a long time. Adding salt to the coffee is a way to express my homesickness, to bring the distance a little closer.”
She was suddenly touched because this was the first time she had heard a man say he missed home in front of her. She believed that a man who misses home must be a family-oriented man, and a family-oriented man must be a man who loves his home. She suddenly had an urge to confide in him, telling him about her hometown far away, and the cold atmosphere gradually became harmonious. The two chatted for a long time, and she did not refuse when he offered to take her home.
Later, the two frequently dated, and she found that he was actually a very good man in reality, generous, attentive, and considerate, meeting all the excellent qualities that she had seen in men. She was secretly grateful that her politeness beforehand had not let her pass him by. She took him to every café in town, and each time she would say, “Could you please bring some salt? My friend likes salt in his coffee.” Then, just like in a fairy tale book, “The prince and princess got married and lived happily ever after.” They indeed lived very happily, and it lasted for more than forty years until he recently passed away due to illness.
The story seems to be over if not for that letter.
The letter was written by him on his deathbed, to her: “Forgive me for deceiving you all along. Do you remember the first time I invited you for coffee? The atmosphere was terrible, and I was very uncomfortable and calm. I don’t know what I was thinking when I asked the waitress for salt. In fact, I don’t add salt, but since I had already said it, I had to go along with the mistake. I didn’t expect it to arouse your curiosity, and this led me to drink salted coffee for half my life. Many times, I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would be angry and even more afraid that you would leave me.
Now I’m not afraid anymore because I’m about to die, and the dead are easily forgiven, right? Gaining you in this life is my greatest happiness. If there is an afterlife, I still hope to marry you, but I don’t want to drink salted coffee anymore. You have no idea how hard it is to drink salted coffee. I don’t know what I was thinking when I first thought of adding salt to the coffee!”
The content of the letter surprised her and made her feel deceived. However, he didn’t know how much she wanted to tell him: “She was so happy that someone could make such a lifelong deception for her…”
This translation aims to convey the emotional depth and nuances of the original text while maintaining the poetic essence.