The Forgotten Anniversary

Trevor and Isabel had a small tradition. Every year, on the day they had first met, they bought each other a used book. They each wrote a note inside the front cover.

特雷弗和伊莎贝尔有一个小小的传统。每年在他们初次相遇的那天，他们都会互相送一本二手书，并各自在扉页里写一张便条。

This year, work had been busy for Trevor. He had a big project due, and his days had blurred together. He hadn't even noticed the date on the calendar until Isabel came home holding a small paper bag.

今年，特雷弗工作很忙。他有一个大项目要交，日子都混成了一团。直到伊莎贝尔拿着一个小纸袋回到家，他才发现日历上的这个日期。

"Happy book day," she said, smiling, and handed him a worn paperback with a note written inside.

“读书日快乐，”她笑着说，把一本旧平装书递给他，里面写着一张便条。

Trevor's stomach dropped. He had completely forgotten. "I… I'm so sorry, Isabel. I didn't get you anything. I lost track of the date."

特雷弗心里一沉。他完全忘了。“我……我真的很抱歉，伊莎贝尔。我什么都没给你准备。我忘了日期。”

Isabel's smile faded a little, though she tried to hide it. "It's okay," she said quietly. "It's just a small thing."

伊莎贝尔的笑容淡了一些，尽管她努力掩饰。“没关系，”她轻声说，“只是件小事。”

"It's not okay," Trevor said. "You remembered, and I didn't, and that matters to you. I need to start writing these things down."

“不是没关系，”特雷弗说，“你记得，我却忘了，而这对你很重要。我得开始把这些事写下来了。”

That night, Trevor couldn't stop thinking about it. The tradition wasn't really about the book. It was about the fact that they had both chosen to remember something small, year after year.

那天夜里，特雷弗一直在想这件事。这个传统真正在意的并不是书，而是他们俩年复一年，都选择记住一件小事。

The next morning, Trevor left work early and walked to the same bookstore where they had met. He searched the shelves for almost an hour before he found the right book. It was one Isabel had mentioned wanting to read months ago.

第二天早上，特雷弗提早下班，走到了他们初次相遇的那家书店。他在书架间找了差不多一个小时，才找到那本对的书。那是伊莎贝尔几个月前提过想读的一本。

He sat at the café next door and wrote a note inside the cover, longer than usual. In it, he explained how sorry he was. He also wrote how much their tradition meant to him.

他坐在隔壁的咖啡馆里，在封面内页写了一张便条，比往常都长。他在里面说明自己有多抱歉，也写下这个传统对他有多重要。

That evening, he handed her the book before she had even taken off her coat. "I know I'm a day late," he said, "but I didn't want to skip this."

那天傍晚，伊莎贝尔连外套都还没脱，他就把书递给了她。“我知道我晚了一天，”他说，“但我不想跳过这件事。”

Isabel opened the book and read the note slowly. When she finished, she looked up at him. "A day late," she said, "but you walked all the way back to where we started. That counts for something."

伊莎贝尔打开书，慢慢地读了那张便条。读完后，她抬头看着他。“晚了一天，”她说，“可你一路走回了我们开始的地方。这很有分量。”

She reached for his hand. Together, they sat down to read the first pages out loud, the way they always did.

她伸手握住他的手。他们一起坐下，像往常那样，大声读起了最初的几页。