The Wedding Reunion

Hannah almost doesn't recognize him at first, standing near the dessert table in a gray suit. It looks nothing like the school uniform she remembers. It's been nearly ten years since she last saw Emeka, back when they were fourteen and inseparable. His family moved across the country for his father's job.

汉娜起初几乎没认出他，他穿着一套灰色西装，站在甜点桌旁边。这和她记忆里的校服完全不一样。距离她上次见到埃梅卡，已经快十年了，那时他们都十四岁，形影不离。他的家人因为他父亲的工作搬到了国家的另一头。

They both happen to be at the same wedding. They are distant friends of the bride, from two completely different parts of her life. Neither of them expected to see a familiar face across the reception hall.

他们碰巧参加了同一场婚礼。两个人都是新娘的远房朋友，分别来自她生活中完全不同的两个阶段。谁也没想到会在宴会厅的另一头看到一张熟悉的面孔。

"I almost didn't say anything," Emeka admits, once they've found a quiet corner away from the dance floor. "I wasn't completely sure it was you until you laughed. You still laugh exactly the same way."

“我差点没开口，”他们在远离舞池的安静角落里找到位置后，埃梅卡承认道，“直到你笑了，我才确定是你。你笑起来还是跟以前一模一样。”

Hannah, a little embarrassed, asks about everything she's missed. Where did he study? What does he do now? Does he still play the guitar he used to bring to school every single day? He answers each question easily, clearly relieved someone remembers the small, specific details.

汉娜有点不好意思，问起了她错过的一切。他在哪里读的大学？现在做什么工作？还在弹他以前每天都带到学校的那把吉他吗？他轻松地回答了每个问题，显然很高兴有人还记得这些细小又具体的事情。

They talk through most of the reception, ignoring the dance floor entirely. They catch up on a decade in careful, overlapping pieces. Emeka mentions he moved back to the area just last month for a new job. Neither of them had any way of knowing that when they arrived tonight.

他们聊了大半个宴会，完全不去管舞池。十年的光阴，他们一点一点、细细地互相补上。埃梅卡说，他上个月刚为了一份新工作搬回这一带。他们今晚来的时候，谁也不可能知道这一点。

As the wedding winds down and guests start collecting coats, Hannah realizes something. She doesn't want the conversation to simply end here. It ended that way once already, a decade ago, without either of them choosing it.

婚礼接近尾声，宾客们开始取外套的时候，汉娜意识到了一件事。她不想让这场谈话就这样结束。十年前，它就已经这样结束过一次，而且根本不是他们任何一个人的选择。

"We should get coffee sometime," she says, "not just because we happened to be at the same wedding." Emeka smiles, already reaching for his phone. "I was hoping you'd say that before I had to."

“我们找个时间喝咖啡吧，”她说，“不要只是因为碰巧参加了同一场婚礼。”埃梅卡笑了，已经伸手去拿手机。“我正希望你能在我开口之前先说出来。”