这是一个关于咖啡厅，陌生人和五英镑的故事。
如果我告诉你她不是J.K.Rolling, 不是特雷莎.梅，不是任何知名人士，而是一个最平凡的爱丁堡老夫人，希望你依然有足够的耐心和兴趣读下去。因为也许，我们大多数注定平凡，而又在平凡中闪着星星点点，人性的光辉。就是这星星点点的光辉，让这个世界温暖与灿烂。
Now, let's begin the story.
周二的中午，陪女儿游泳完毕。回家取上馨儿的白色斑点狗狗（因为今天学校要举行Teady bear picnic），把她送到幼儿园。馨儿没有说再见，直接消失在了同学和老师的围绕中。面对馨儿的合群，独立，我摇摇头。想着这丫头估计没多久就要从我这个老母亲身边飞到更广阔的天空了。
包里放了手机，冲电器，瑞典语书，耳机，这就打算去馨儿幼儿园附近的星巴克用功了。短暂的从家的空间抽离，做个脑子不锈的文艺女青年，我喜欢这所谓的小资情调。
因为靠近爱丁堡大学的George Square 校区，Nicolson大街上的这个星巴克向来坐无虚席。很多的学生，往往是拿了个手提电脑，买一杯咖啡，直接坐到‘作业写完，地老天荒’。那时候大桌子也多，只留一条狭窄的过道。整个咖啡厅，给人的感觉更像是个诺大的，cosy 的自习室。我在这约见过老公，Sun, Vicky, Neil，瑞士的博士。更有在馨儿状况突发时，来这如厕，确实算是个老顾客了。可能是咖啡厅厌倦了自己的“自习室”功能，于是进行了改装，大桌子都被撤掉，只留下一个个吧台大小的小桌子，总共能容纳20来个人吧。宽敞的过道，把点餐台趁得像hotel 的前台。而顾客则像是来这找寂寞与咖啡的souvenir shopper. 总之，重新装修过的这家星巴克怎么就少了之前可以让人来此避雨思考的温暖，舒适感。果真，来这约会聊天的更少了，虽然桌子过小，手提电脑呆着偏委屈，还是有个别同学前来自习。
点了一杯绿茶，拿了一包坚果，一根香蕉。我选择了仅有的一张四座长桌坐下。“May I share the table with you? ”“Of course, I will move my bag”.
我微笑着，不禁打量起身边的这位老年女性起来。
她上身穿着蓝色的防雨小棉袄，银白的头发修剪得整整齐齐，瘦削的脸庞轮廓分明。棕色的大眼睛乎闪着，上下睫毛都仔细涂着黑色的睫毛膏，没有丝毫的晕妆。脸已谈不上紧崩，但因保养得当，依旧白皙有弹性，更重要的是没有明显的鱼尾纹和法令纹。手上挎着一个黑色的小messenger 包包，合适，雅致。
“Oh, there used to be two decent tables, just behind this one ? Have you been here before? I dislike the so small ones ” 她说。
“Yes, seems they have changed a lot. I do remember those big tables since I am an old customer too. ” 我回答道。
“It is not a very good change,which means it is not comfy anymore if I bring all the grand children here. ”
“Oh, agree. I means I can meet another two mums together with their children either. ”
“I just like the taste of the coffee here. What are you writing? ”
“About my cat. He is so special that he followed my daughter and I to the swimming pool today. I was so afraid that he is going to cross the road like he did before. However, he waited for us at the corner for one and half hours. And he did the same thing last week when my husband I accompanied our daughter to the Garden party”. 有时，陌生人之间的距离竟然可以拉近得如此之快。热茶都还是滚烫的，我们就这么聊开了。
“Oh, a cat behaved so like a dog. I heard that before. Lucky you. While I have a dog, I am here to wait for her. She is getting clipping now. ”
于是，她打开手机给我看了她家狗狗的照片，那是一只貌似爱丁堡名人“Bobby”的狗狗，长长的白毛一缕缕，卷卷的像美女的长发，黑色的小鼻子湿湿的，不像Bobby 的铜像，已经被游客们抚摸地发亮。黑色的两个圆圆的小眼珠，闪着忠诚与狡黠的亮光。
“I love to make my dog tidy, I even give him a bath every month. I love my pets from the beginning, especially now the dog became my grandkids good friend. ” Then, she showed me her grandchildren's photos. She has eight grandchildren. Five girls and three boys. Three girls and two boys from her youngest daughter, who is 39 years old now and thinks it is fun to get children.
I admired and said that her youngest daughter must have been blessed to be so productive. She smiled, nodded and said yes, thinking her eldest daughter does not have any family and lives alone in the U. S. A. The youngest daughter's youngest son is five years old, who is so weird that he usually calls her sweetheart' on the phone. For example, he will say“Granny, today a little girl from class wanted to kiss me all over the face, but I refused since only mummy and you can kiss me. I don't want to be her boyfriend. By the way, granny, I am taking a bath now. Talk to you later, sweetheart ”.
老太太的眼角有点湿润， “I married twice. The first marriage lasted for 28 years and my second lasted for 15 years, till my second husband's death. ”老太太吸了一口气，继续说道：“When he was alive, he used to say, take care, 'sweetheart' .It is interesting that my grandson call me”.
有些吃惊，我也同样感叹上帝的安排，说：“Maybe your grandson is just like your husband, I mean the gene. ”
她说其实她和第二个丈夫没有孩子，她的三个女儿都是跟第一个丈夫生的。而在小外孙出生之前，她的第二个丈夫就已经去世了。但他们就是以同样的口吻叫着她“sweetheart ”. 她又说起另一个大一点的外孙有autism, 如果去Cameron toll购物有音乐响起，有灯光在闪，他就去发疯，吼叫。“现在是怎么了?各种奇怪的病，我另一个朋友的孙子也是autism. 哪来的这么多autism.我们那个时代都没听说过。Though life is always difficult and complicated ”虽然生活总称不易的，她摇摇头。
“May I have a look at your wee one? ”
我于是打开手机给她看了馨儿穿着泳装的照片，顺带着也展示了Mr. Stanley 的照片，考虑到他的地位确实越来越像我家儿子了。
“Are you a student? How do you like Edinburgh? Where are you from? ” 说着老太太把椅子朝我旁边了拉。
我说我不是学生，但我的爱人在爱丁堡大学工作。我们一家从瑞典过来。爱丁堡是个不错的地方，但天气有些差。我们喜欢阳光。
她说她从来没去过瑞典，但她曾经遇到过一个德国的姑娘。她以为德国姑娘一定更喜欢自己的国家。不料她却说：“I love living in Edinburgh, since it gethers those who don't belong anywhere and then feel they themselves belong to Edinburgh. Interesting talking I think. ” 爱丁堡聚集了一群不属于任何地方的灵魂，然后让她们觉得自己属于爱丁堡。也许吧，如果不是我们一家早前就被瑞典征服，也许吧，我们会在这找到归属感。我回答道。
“另外我非常讨厌爱丁堡的老鼠。”我斩钉截铁地说。
“Maybe you think I am mad, but I am OK with them. When I turned 60, my daughter asked me what I want. I said an African hedgehog. They are so cute. I put him into a heating box closure I even gave him a bath now and then.”“Of course, I need to put on gloves when I touch it. ”
想象刺猬的那些个刺，嗯，她确实需要戴手套。她说她也允许小刺猬上她的床。爱心满满的老太太，说起她的宠物来就想我谈起馨儿一样，眼里放着光。她还告诉我她的珍宝还有两只金鱼。她又打开照片给我展示，说颜色便红的那只今年已经18岁了，便黄的那只4岁。我从不知鱼可以有如此之长的寿命，这也算是见识了。
我之前听说鱼可以残忍地吞噬自己的幼崽，于是问眼前的专家此事是否属实。她摇头道，从未见过她的鱼下崽。希望我们也不要用有色眼镜看鱼了。
我们谈爱丁堡的变化，她说之前Nicolson 的一条街都是非常漂亮的家居店，服装店。甚至富裕的Morningside, 以前多漂亮，现在已然全是清一色的二手慈善店。说得像二手店就像入侵的毒瘤，吞噬着爱丁堡的优雅与繁华。
我说这是因为爱丁堡在贯彻环保领先意识吧？她说这是“disgraceful ”丢脸的。我不做argue, 点点头。她说她喜欢王子街的Marks & Spencer, 就那样的综合商场才像样。但现在王子街的很多店都拆了，建了一个hotel, God knows 王子街会没落成什么样。她问我一般去哪购物，我说Jenners 吧。她说Jenners 自从被人take over 之后也是每况俞下了（她讲的是爱丁堡的Jenners 年初被一个做体育的商人购买了）。她说之前很多年，Jenners玩具区有一个特别特别大的熊。每次她带大外孙子们去逛店，孩子们都特别开心。而这唯一有特色的装饰在近些年也被拿走了。她说曾经还开玩笑说等本外婆发财了，就把熊给娃哇们买回家呢。现在算是彻底没戏了。
跟Neil一样，老太太推荐我一定要去哥拉斯哥。容易相处的人们，漂亮的商店。真好。
还有人们的Manners 也在倒退。她丈夫死后，她去cancer research 捐献他生前的遗物，很多是她曾经精心为他挑选，他珍藏着从未穿过的。能够理解她当时去捐献时心情是何等的复杂。由于丈夫死于癌症，所以她要把这些对她来说如此重要的物件捐献给cancer research charity (癌症研究慈善基金会) 。但是店员竟然看都没看她的脸，更没有一声谢谢。于是她当即决定把这些东西送给另一个charity shop, the Salvation army. “Manners are so small things, however, people just choose to ignore. My mum used to teach us to give the seats to the needed and I think it is good. ”
说着，有人推着轮椅要进咖啡厅。老太太起身要去帮忙，我抢先帮轮椅人士开了门。
宠物店打来电话，她的狗狗终于梳妆完毕。走前她坚持要给我5镑钱，说要我put into Emma's bank，因为她的妈妈so so lovely. 我说那怎么行？请留下您的facebook给我，我们保持联系。她说自己太old fashioned, 不用Facebook, 但写了电话和地址给我。也许我路过Liberton hospital, 请她喝一杯咖啡。
今天下午，我遇到一个平凡的爱丁堡老太，一个我愿意去聆听的灵魂。
她的名字叫Liz wortson。
有缘，再见。
Libby
June 25th, Starbucks