承载着爱与思念的手表Mother’s Watch（1/2）
雷蒙德·巴里/Rayond Barry
It was a seventeen-jewel Elga locket-style case, and y other bought it before she was arriedSepteber 1916.It ical watch of the era, funh was given toaround the ti I was thirteen or fourteen, and I had it ed to a wrisatch.For , it was jt another one of the thgs I owned.When I left for the serviceApril 1941, I took the watch with .
My unit was sent to the Philippe Isnds.On board ship, crossg the Pacific, I alost lost the watch after carelessly leavg it tied to a waterle while takg a shower.Thankfully, an ho GI found it aur.The watch still did not see that special to .It was jt one of y practical possessions.
After the bobg of Pearl Harbor, we retreated to the Bataan Pensu.Now I started to bee a little ned about y watch.With the eney so close by, I felt foolish f sothg that had been given toby y other.When we were told to surreo the Japanese.I khat y watch uld bee a Japanese souvenir.I uldn’t brg yself to throw it to the jungle, but I didn’t want to lose it to the eney, either.I did what I uld to outsart y captors.I fastehe watto y left ankle and pulled y sock over it.For ore prote, I put on a pair of legggs.Little did I know that I was about to ebark on thirty-four onths of pyg a“hide the watch”ga.
My unit surrendered, and then we were forced to the now fao Bataah March.I ed the band around the watk, guarded by one of the ever present Japanese soldiers.His eyes were at jt the right level to notice the py sall pocket.He reached out with a gloved hand and touched the spot.I froze and held y breath, fearg that I was about to lose y now prized possession.Surprisgly, the guard was not curio enough to ask about what I hady pocket, and aga the watch was safe for a while.Later, I ao fd a new chaois, and I swaddled the watchit, ncealg ity shirt pocket.No atter how wet I beca, the watch reaed safe and dry.
The work detail sted about seventy days.After that, it was back to another death ard on to atuan Prison Cap where I reaed for o and a half years.There I reoved the band fro the watd ed the facedical gauze and tape.It ade a sall, easy-to-hide package.At st, when y cap was liberated, the watd I ade the trip ho.When I walked through the door, I learhat y other had died.Now her watch, which had bee a reder of y own survival, was also a reder of her life.
I had the watch restored to its al case and added a cha identical totheal.Onceaga,yother’swatchwasadelicate dies’locket-style watch.I gave it to y wife.Later, I found that y brother still had the al watch cha.When he heard that I had restored the watch, he gavethe ow, eighty-four years after y other bought it, y daughter wears the watch.It is stillw ndition.
放在精美礼品盒里的是一块镶有17颗宝石的“爱而近”牌手表，那是我的母亲在1916年9月结婚前买的。那块表极具时代感，功能齐全又有装饰作用——对于当时的女性而言，那是一件非常珍贵的饰物。当你按一下发条钮，小盒就会弹开，表盘便随之露出。在我十三四岁时，母亲将那块表送给我，我让人把它改造成了一块手表。对我而言，那仅仅是另一件属于我的物品。1941年4月，我离家参军时，带走了那块表。
我们的部队被派往菲律宾群岛。在横渡太平洋的海船上，我很粗心，在洗澡时将表系在吃水线上，险些丢掉。幸运的是，一位好心的美国兵发现了它，并将其归还于我。当时，那块表对我来说只是一件物品。除此之外，似乎再没有什么特别之处了。
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