SHMILY by Olivia Wycech|爱，不言而喻

SHMILY

by Olivia Wycech

How can one silly word represent a lifetime of devotion and love?

　　When I was growing up, my grandparents played a special game that involved the word SHMILY. I never understood what that mysterious combination of letters meant, but they would leave it in places for the other to find. SHMILY would turn up in the sugar, written in the frost on the windows, and left on the mirrors after a hot shower, reappearing at the next bath. There would also be notes with SHMILY on them tucked into shoes or left under pillows. The word became as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture, and it also became a symbol of their devotion to one another.

　　It wasn't until I was older that I realized that my grandparents' game wasn't just silliness, but a way of life. It all came to light after my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She battled the disease for over 10 years, and my grandfather lovingly stood by her every step of the way. When she passed away, the word SHMILY was even scrawled on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet. At the funeral, my grandfather approached my grandmother's casket and, through tears and grief, he began to sing. The deep, throaty lullaby was in honor of the depth of their love, which was something that few people will ever experience, and I was privileged to share its unmatched beauty. The meaning of SHMILY was finally revealed to us as we listened to my grandfather sing his final words to my grandmother—see how much I love you.

 

爱，不言而喻

一个无聊的字如何能代表一辈子的忠诚和爱意呢？

　　在我成长的过程中，我的爷爷奶奶都在玩一个有关 SHMILY 这个字的特殊游戏。我从来无法理解那神秘的文字组合是什么意思，但他们会将这个字留在各个地方让对方去寻找。SHMILY 这个字会出现在糖罐里，写在窗户的白霜上，还会留在洗完热水澡后的镜子上，下回洗澡时会再次浮现。另外写了 SHMILY 字样的纸条会被塞进鞋子里，或是遗留在枕头底下。这个字就像家具一样成了爷爷奶奶家的一部份，而它也变成对彼此忠诚的一种象征。

　　直到我年纪比较大了，我才了解爷爷奶奶之间的游戏并不愚蠢，而是一种生活方式。这一切在我奶奶被诊断出患有乳癌后就真相大白了。她与病魔搏斗了十多年，而我爷爷一路走来都深情地长伴她左右。我奶奶过世时，SHMILY 这个字甚至还被涂写在我奶奶丧礼花束的粉红色丝带上。在丧礼上，爷爷走近奶奶的灵柩，含着眼泪并带着悲伤唱起了歌。这首低沉而嘶哑的摇篮曲是为了纪念他们的爱有多深，而这是鲜少有人会体验到的爱，我很荣幸能分享这份无与伦比的美丽。当我们听到爷爷向奶奶唱出的最后一句歌词，我们终于明白了 SHMILY 的含义――看看我有多爱妳。