He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised. So as not to appear rude, she went along.

他在一次晚會上遇見了她。她很迷人，有很多男孩子追求，但是卻沒有任何人注意到他。晚會結束后，他請她出去喝咖啡，這讓她很吃驚。出于禮貌，她去了。

As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”

他們坐在一家幽雅的咖啡店里。他緊張得說不出話來，而她也感到很拘束。突然，他叫來服務生，說道：“給我在咖啡里加點鹽，好嗎?”

They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, “Why salt with coffee?” He explained, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea … I could feel its taste salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there.”

她和服務生都看著他。他臉紅了，鹽端上來了，他往咖啡里放了一些，喝了起來。她好奇地問：“為什么在咖啡里放鹽呢?”他解釋說：“小時候，我住在海邊，喜歡在那里玩耍……海水是咸的，就像這杯咸咖啡。每次喝咖啡時，我就想起了童年和家鄉(xiāng)。我懷念這種味道，想念那里的父母親。”

She was deeply touched. A man who can admit that he’s homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible.

她被深深地感動了。一個有思鄉(xiāng)情結的男人一定很愛家，很關心家人。他一定是值得信賴的。

She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.

于是，她也談起了遙遠的家鄉(xiāng)，她的童年和家人。他們的愛情故事就這樣拉開了帷幕。

They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee!

之后，他們常常約會。她發(fā)現(xiàn)他寬容、善良、熱情而細心，這些正符合她的標準。她想，若不是那杯咸咖啡，她或許就錯過了他。

So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.

最后，他們結婚了，幸福地生活在一起。每每給他沖咖啡時，她總會放些鹽，因為他喜歡喝咸咖啡。

After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:

40年后，他去世了，留了一封信給她，信中的內容是這樣的：

My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous I asked for salt instead of sugar.

親愛的，請原諒我——有一個謊言，我隱瞞了你整整一生。還記得我們的第一次約會嗎?我很緊張，原想要糖，卻說成了鹽。

It was hard for me to ask for a change, so I just went ahead. I never thought that we would hit it off. Many times, I tried to tell you the truth, but I was afraid that it would ruin everything.

再改過來很難，我只好將錯就錯。我從未想過要喝咸咖啡。許多次，我都想告訴你真相，但又擔心說出來一切會化為泡影。

Sweetheart, I don’t exactly like salty coffee. But as it mattered so much to you, I’ve learnt to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.

親愛的，我并不喜歡喝咸咖啡，但你很在乎這個，我已經(jīng)學著接受它了。與你在一起是我一生最大的幸福。倘若我能重生，我希望還能和你在一起，即使這意味著余生都要喝咸咖啡，我也心甘情愿。

（兼職編輯：楊帆）