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.

他在一次晚会上遇见了她。她很迷人，有很多男孩子追求，但是却没有任何人注意到他。晚会结束后，他请她出去喝咖啡，这让她很吃惊。出于礼貌，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.”

他们坐在一家幽雅的咖啡店里。他紧张得说不出话来，而她也感到很拘束。突然，他叫来服务生，说道：“给我在咖啡里加点盐，好吗?”

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.”

她和服务生都看着他。他脸红了，盐端上来了，他往咖啡里放了一些，喝了起来。她好奇地问：“为什么在咖啡里放盐呢?”他解释说：“小时候，我住在海边，喜欢在那里玩耍……海水是咸的，就像这杯咸咖啡。每次喝咖啡时，我就想起了童年和家乡。我怀念这种味道，想念那里的父母亲。”

She was deeply¹ touched. A man who can admit that he’s homesick² must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible³.

她被深深地感动了。一个有思乡情结的男人一定很爱家，很关心家人。他一定是值得信赖的。

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

于是，她也谈起了遥远的家乡，她的童年和家人。他们的爱情故事就这样拉开了帷幕。

They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements⁴. He was tolerant⁵, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee!

之后，他们常常约会。她发现他宽容、善良、热情而细心，这些正符合她的标准。她想，若不是那杯咸咖啡，她或许就错过了他。

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，他们结婚了，幸福地生活在一起。每每给他冲咖啡时，她总会放些盐，因为他喜欢喝咸咖啡。

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

40年后，他去世了，留了一封信给她，信中的内容是这样的：

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.

亲爱的，请原谅我——有一个谎言，我隐瞒了你整整一生。还记得我们的第一次约会吗?我很紧张，原想要糖，却说成了盐。

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.

再改过来很难，我只好将错就错。我从未想过要喝咸咖啡。许多次，我都想告诉你真相，但又担心说出来一切会化为泡影。

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 means⁶ that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.

亲爱的，我并不喜欢喝咸咖啡，但你很在乎这个，我已经学着接受它了。与你在一起是我一生最大的幸福。倘若我能重生，我希望还能和你在一起，即使这意味着余生都要喝咸咖啡，我也心甘情愿。