66 years of hiding a love

He was an old black man, she was an old white woman. He and she, sitting by a flower bed. The bright sunlight of late spring in Australia stretched the shadows of the small two-story building of the old people's home in Sydney's Blacktown (a black ghetto) behind them. Ten paces away from them, I could see that he was talking about something, his mouth kept moving, and the corners of her eyes, and the corners of her mouth, were crowded with smiles.

I leaned in slightly and said, "I'm Leo, the new volunteer. Can I share your joy?" The old lady didn't object, the old man looked at me and nodded gently, "I'm telling you about my 66 years of love for her, would you like to listen?"

　　I didn't answer, I just quietly moved a chair, facing him and her, and sat down.

　　"I am Sudanese and came to Australia by ship in 1940, initially landing in Tasmania. Coincidentally, the rental house I live in is next to Hannah's home ......" The old man who was so excited to tell the story suddenly slammed on the brakes and he scratched the back of his head with an apologetic face, "I forgot to introduce our names. My name is Joshua and her name is Hannah."

　　"I've known Hannah since the first day I arrived in Tasmania. But, she didn't know me. At that time, I was only 13 years old and lived with my father and uncle. Hannah was a year older than me. She was learning to ride a bicycle. She couldn't ride well and she kept falling on the grass, but she never cried, and every time, I heard her giggle, get up, pick up her bike and keep riding.

　　"Hannah never found me. I always hid behind a tree, stuck my head out, and watched quietly. I knew that I was black. And Hannah, white and clean, with big, round eyes. Her hair was golden and golden, so long, and when the wind blew, the long hair swung in the wind, and you could imagine how beautiful it was!"

　　"She was an angel, and I was black, and I was afraid I would scare Hannah if I came out from behind the tree. It only took six days for Hannah to learn to ride her bike. She pedaled her bike as fast as she could and rolled past it like a gust of wind. I still hid behind the tree and watched in fascination. Alone, secretly, I said over and over again into the hole in the tree: 'Hannah, I love you.'"

　　When Hannah was 16, the family moved to Melbourne. I told my dad and uncle, who insisted on staying in Tasmania to make a living, that I was old enough to go out and make my way. Against their firm objections, I came to Melbourne on my own. I didn't know where Hannah lived, but I said to myself that I would find her.

　　"Later, I joined a shoe store as a worker, when I was 16 years old. I thought to myself, "Hannah is so beautiful, she must like to dress up as much as other pretty girls, so she will come one day. One morning, I had just gotten to work when a familiar figure barged into the shoe store. Oh my God, I was about to faint, it was the Hannah I had been thinking about all day! But I was soon in tears because Hannah's hand was tightly held by a tall guy. Oh, Hannah, she was in love!

　　"Hannah never came back to the shoe store, but I finally found her home. Every day after work, I walked three blocks from the shoe store, through a small garden, to look across the street to Hannah's house. I counted my steps each time, one step, one step, and one had 797 steps. Of course, it was not fixed, sometimes it was 789 steps, at most 811 steps, and I saw Hannah's house. Occasionally, I could see Hannah standing in front of her house, looking at her boyfriend. Sometimes, I couldn't see her, but I could hear her laughing in the house. More often than not, I couldn't see Hannah or hear her voice. I would stand in front of her house for a while, then turn around and walk back, back to the shoe store, up to the small attic to eat and sleep.

　　Later, Hannah got married and got a new home. I'm not sure how many steps it was to walk from the shoe store to Hannah's new house, but I know it took 12 minutes to drive there. Not every day, but often, I would drive to see Hannah. I stopped the car far enough away to look through the window, over the low wooden fence, to see Hannah and her husband watering and laughing in the garden. Soon a little girl joined Hannah and her husband's merry band, their child. I dare say she was the sweetest little angel I had ever seen. I was surprised that my heart had long since lost the feeling of being cut by a sharp knife, and the soreness had gradually disappeared without a trace, leaving only relief and uncontrollable joy. Every time I see Hannah's family, sweetly playing and laughing together, I feel sincerely happy.

　　It was fortuitous and sudden to learn that Hannah's husband and children had gone to heaven. I went back to Tasmania for two weeks because my father was seriously ill. When I returned to Melbourne, I rushed to attend the funeral of a friend's mother. At the cemetery, I saw Hannah unexpectedly. Poor Hannah, her face was so sad. My heart, in an instant, shattered into shards of glass.

　　Joshua raised his right hand to wipe his eyes, before continuing the second half of the story Hannah's husband drove the family out for a weekend and had a car accident. Hannah was injured, and her husband and child died of blood loss ......

　　I quit my job at the shoe store, put aside all my savings, and opened a fruit and vegetable store with a friend, which was a minute's walk from Hannah's house. Our fruit and vegetable store business lasted 26 years. In those 26 years, I never married and Hannah never remarried. I don't know if it was Hannah herself who didn't want to be a bride again, or if no one wanted to marry her. For 26 years, I appeared in front of Hannah twice a week as a volunteer, happily talking with her, taking care of the flowers and plants in the garden for her, and purchasing household goods.

　　After 26 years, I sold all my shares to my partners in the fruit and vegetable store. Because Hannah was moving to Sydney, I quietly followed her Sydney. In Sydney's Wanya, I began the happiest time of my life. Every day, I saw Hannah. Because we rented rooms door to door, when we opened the door, we saw each other. Hannah believed in the Lord and she went to church every weekend. I initially just followed her there, but later I also believed in Jesus and soon became the church's most passionate evangelism officer

　　"We came to Blacktown six years ago. It was my idea to come here. Because there were so many black brothers and sisters here that I knew and were close to, and I wanted to reach them with the gospel." As he spoke, Joshua suddenly turned and snickered, staring into my eyes with a look of joy, "Can you guess, I said to Hannah, let's go to Blacktown and preach the gospel. She didn't even hesitate for a second and came with me. It wasn't until two years ago that we got old and checked into this senior citizen's home. Would you believe that she never knew that I was her neighbor back in Tasmania who had quietly hidden behind a tree to watch her learn to ride a bicycle, or that I was a volunteer and neighbor who had insisted on helping her when she lived in Melbourne: much less that I was the one who followed her to Wanya and found a way to rent the house across the street from her door The only thing she knew for sure was that I was a believer in the Lord, just like her. "

　　My mouth dropped open.

　　Joshua sensed my confusion, and once again he rejoiced in triumph. He gestured with the corner of his mouth for me to look into Hannah's eyes. Hannah had a pair of teal presbyopic glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Frankly, I couldn't see the difference; I only noticed Hannah's full smile, which looked warm in the warm sunlight.

　　"In that car accident, she did not lose her life, but she has since lost her sight. Her big beautiful eyes are still there, but there is only chaos and darkness before her eyes. Her light, bright in her heart." Joshua said.

　　It dawned on me, "She is blind, but can listen. She must be full of spring because she is doubly sweet from hearing you tell her about decades of adoration."

　　Unexpectedly, Joshua shook his head: "No, or because of the car accident, Hannah's hearing is severely damaged. In previous years, she can still hear some sounds with hearing aids, in recent years, it is completely insulated from the sound a"

　　I was full of doubts again all running to my face, I stammered "But I see, she listened to your story while smiling."

　　"She listened with her hands," Joshua said. At that moment, I noticed that the two old people's hands, gently, but also tightly, were clasped together. One hand, black and white, rested quietly on the old man's left knee.