The Envelope信封

A co-worker invited my husband andme to his son’s wedding reception1. We’dworked in the same office with thegentleman for several years. Althoughneither of us had met his son， we felt likewe knew him from listening to his dad talkabout him so often.

We arrived at the banquet2 center andwalked into a gorgeously3 decorated4ballroom. I glanced around for fellow co -workers， hoping they’d saved us a seat， butdidn’trecognizeasoul.

Scanning the room again， I noticed thegift table， its beautifully decorated boxes，and a white trunk5 for wedding cards. Iwalked over and put my envelope in thetrunk before joining my husband at the openbar. We enjoyed cocktails and helpedourselves to mouth-watering appetizers6.

一位同事邀请我和丈夫参加他儿子的婚宴。我们和这位先生在同一间办公室工作了好几年。虽然我们都没有见过他的儿子，但听他父亲经常谈论他，我们感觉好像认识他。

我们到达宴会中心，走进一个装饰华丽的宴会厅。我环顾四周寻找同事，希望他们能给我们留一个座位，但我一个人也没认出来。

我再次扫视了一下宴会厅，注意到了礼品桌，上面摆放着包装精美的盒子和一个装结婚贺卡的白色箱子。我走过去，把信封放进箱子里，然后和丈夫一起去了露天酒吧。我们一边享用鸡尾酒，一边品尝令人垂涎的开胃菜。

The wedding party waltzed7 in， andthe beaming8 couple greeted guests asthey made their way to the head table. Thegroom9 shook hands with us and thankedus both for sharing their special day.

My husband said， “You sure looklike your dad.”

I nodded in agreement and added，“Same personality， too.”

The bride10 smiled knowingly.“That’swhat they all say.”

We found two seats at an empty tableand then joined the long buffet11 line thatstretched past an open doorway. I lookedup just as a woman from our office andher husband walked by. Stepping out ofline， I craned12 my neck and watchedthem enter the ballroom down the hall.

In a slight panic13， I tugged14 on myhusband’s sleeve. “Honey，”I whispered，“we’re at the wrong reception！ ”

He shook his head and laughed.“Inever thought of you as a weddingcrasher.”

“How was I supposed to know therewere two banquet rooms？ Follow me.”

婚礼队伍轻快地走了进来，这对喜气洋洋的新人在走向主桌时向客人们致意。新郎和我们握手，并感谢我们分享他们的特殊日子。

我丈夫说：“你长得真像你爸爸。”

我点头表示同意，并补充道：“性格也一样。”

新娘会心一笑。“他们都这么说。”

我们在一张空桌子旁找到了两个座位，然后加入了长长的自助餐队伍，队伍一直延伸到一个敞开的门口。我抬起头，正好看到我们办公室的一位女士和她的丈夫走过。我走出队伍，伸长脖子看着他们进入了走廊那头的宴会厅。

我有点惊慌，扯了扯丈夫的袖子。“亲爱的，”我低声说，“我们走错了婚宴！”

他摇摇头，笑了。“我从没想过你是个婚礼的不速之客。”

“我怎么知道这里有两个宴会厅？跟我来。”

As we moved silently toward theexit15， he asked，“What about the card？”

“Shhh！ Someone might hear you，”Iwarned before sheepishly16 making myway to the gift table. I looked left andright， waiting for the coast to clear. Handsshaking， I tried to lift the metal clasp17 onthe white trunk but failed. I moved closerand hit a tall， thin box， causing it totopple18 forward. From out of nowhere， aman with a good head of salt-and-pepperhair appeared by my side and caught thebox before it hit the floor.

Raising an eyebrow， he asked，“Isthere something I can help you with？”

Busted19！ When all else fails， tellthe truth. I pulled the invitation from mypurse. By the time I finished explainingthat I’d already placed my card in thetrunk before I realized we were at thewrong reception，the man’s icystare had slowlydisappeared.

当我们悄悄移向出口时，他问道：“那张贺卡呢？”

“嘘！有人可能会听到的。”我警告道，然后不好意思地走向礼品桌。我左顾右盼，等待着无人靠近再行动。我的手颤抖着，我试着拨开白色箱子上的金属扣，但是拨不动。我移得更近，撞到了一个又高又薄的盒子，导致它向前倾倒。不知从哪里冒出来的一位头发斑白的男士出现在我身边，在盒子落地之前抓住了它。

他扬起眉毛问道：“有什么我能帮你的吗？”

被抓了个现行！怎么也搞不定的话，就说实话。我从钱包里掏出了邀请函。当我解释完我已经把贺卡放进箱子里后才意识到走错了婚宴时，这位男士冰冷的凝视已经慢慢消失了。

He unlocked the trunk and laughed.“My son and his new wife will get a kickout of this.”

Heat crept from my neck to my cheeksas I dug through the pile looking for theone with the wrong “Mr. & Mrs.”scrawled20 across the top. After whatseemed like forever， I found the envelopeand held it up for inspection21. Then Irushed over to join my partner-in-crimewho’d hidden his six-foot-five body behinda column. I took his hand and said，“Comeon， Clyde. Let’s make our getaway.”

“Right behind you， Bonnie. I justhope we make it in time for the maincourse.”

他打开箱盖并且笑了。“这件事会给我儿子和他的新婚妻子带来极大的乐趣。”

当我在成堆的东西中翻找着上面潦草地写着错误的“先生和夫人”的时候，热量从我的脖子蔓延到我的脸颊。似乎过了很久之后，我找到了信封，并把它拿起来检查。然后我冲向我的“犯罪伙伴”，他把他六英尺五英寸的身体藏在了一根柱子后面。我拉住了他的手说：“来吧，克莱德。我们逃走吧。”

“就在你身后，邦妮。我只希望我们能赶得上主菜。”

（英语原文选自：chickensoup.com）