There seems to be many more widows than widowers¹ in my community. So it was nice to see a couple I know, married 51 years, doing their weekly food shopping together at our local market.

我住的那一带，寡妇似乎要比鳏夫多得多。因此，看到我认识的一对结婚已经51年的夫妇，每周一次一起在当地的商场里采购食品，真让人感到高兴。

He pushed the grocery cart as his wife, shopping list in hand placed each item in- side. When they went to the counter, she discovered that she had forgotten to pick up a package of prunes².

丈夫推着购物车，妻子手里拿着购物单，将每一样东西放进车里。当他们最后快要去结帐时，妻子发现她忘了拿上一盒话梅。

"You get the eggs and milk，”she told her husband. "I' 11 go back for the prunes and then catch up with you.”

“你去拿鸡蛋和牛奶，”她告诉丈夫。“我去取话梅，然后来追你。”

A few minutes later, prunes in hand, she found her husband in conversation with a woman of about her age. She listened to them for a minute as she approached the cart，then tossed³ in the prunes.

几分钟以后，她手里拿着话梅回来时，发现她的丈夫正在和一个年纪和她差不多的女人谈话。她向购物车走过去，听他们讲了一会儿，然后将话梅丢进车里。

Annoyed, the woman nudged her aside, whispering，"Get lost. He's mine!"

那个女人被激怒了，将她推到一边，低声说道:“走开，他是我的!”