I'm forty-five this year, and my mother is seventy-seven. She's widowed, and I'm divorced. We're not loving; we often argue, but we still go for walks together. If, in the heat of the moment, she says, "Okay, so this is the mother you got. Maybe a different one would be better, but it's terrible. This is the mother you have," and I nod and say, "You can say that again," we both burst out laughing. It seems neither of us wants to maintain the hostility in our conversation any longer than the other. We're so used to seeing each other as two women with similar limitations, bad luck, and shortcomings. Neither of us knows how to restrain ourselves to live an ideal and normal woman's life. In fact, neither of us has ever lived that kind of life.
今年我四十五岁，我母亲七十七岁。她丧偶，我离异。我们并不相亲相爱，常常冲对方发火，但我们还是会一起散步。如果她在唇枪舌剑中说：“好吧，这就是你得到的母亲，也许换一个会好一点，可是太糟糕了，你的母亲就是眼前这一位。”而我点点头：“你可以再说一遍。”我们就会一起哈哈大笑。 似乎我俩谁也不希望在对话中比对方持有更久的敌意。我们是如此习惯于将彼此视作两个女人，有着相似的局限，运气不好，能力欠佳。我们都不知道需要怎样约束自己，才能过上理想而正常的女性生活。事实上，我们终其一生，谁也没能过上这样的生活。
今年我四十五岁，我母亲七十七岁。她丧偶，我离异。我们并不相亲相爱，常常冲对方发火，但我们还是会一起散步。如果她在唇枪舌剑中说：“好吧，这就是你得到的母亲，也许换一个会好一点，可是太糟糕了，你的母亲就是眼前这一位。”而我点点头：“你可以再说一遍。”我们就会一起哈哈大笑。 似乎我俩谁也不希望在对话中比对方持有更久的敌意。我们是如此习惯于将彼此视作两个女人，有着相似的局限，运气不好，能力欠佳。我们都不知道需要怎样约束自己，才能过上理想而正常的女性生活。事实上，我们终其一生，谁也没能过上这样的生活。
