Love England

1.

The skin can feel the warm sunshine, and there is no longer any dirty gray mist in the air. The road is flat and wide, and everyone on the street is dressed a little strangely. There are many cars and vehicles that he can't name on the road. A building not far away hung a "Welcome to America" ​​banner half-blocked by trees.Mr. Thornton looked at everything around him in surprise and curiosity, just like the people around him looked at him curiously—could this be America?Is he dreaming?Mr. Thornton wanted to go back to his study, he turned and opened the door to go in, but it was not his study when he walked in. It was full of books, neatly placed on the bookshelves, and there was almost no human breath in the room.

"Sir, what can I do for you? Are you looking for any books?" An old gentleman with glasses and an American accent similar to Cali came out from the depths of the pile of books. It was obvious that he was the owner of the place.

"Is this a bookstore?" Mr. Thornton asked sleepwalking.The shopkeeper was amused and surprised by such a question. He pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked up and down at the man in a Victorian dress with a distinct British accent.The shopkeeper noticed the man's slightly bewildered expression and trance-like eyes, and thought that he hadn't recovered from the drug in the morning after taking drugs at the masquerade party last night. He replied slightly mockingly: "Sir, this is not a bookstore and Where will it be?"

"Of course! Of course! I'm very sorry, sir! I've just come here and I'm not quite used to it. Please allow me to ask you one more question. What time is it?" Mr. Thornton asked again.Seeing this strange person being so polite, the owner of the store changed his opinion of this person slightly, but it was strange to hear this person still ask such a strange question. Could it be that the TV station secretly filmed some spoof program?But he suppressed his dissatisfaction, looked at his watch and replied, "It's 9:[-] in the morning, and I just opened the shop."

"Which month and day of the year is it?"

"You're not kidding me, sir! It's the 21st century, the fifth day after the new year! Do you still have to ask which country this is? Where is it? I can tell you once and for all, this is Kentucky, USA Campbell City! By the way, do you still need to ask about the house number and street?" The shopkeeper was really irritated, and his words became more and more agitated.Mr. Thornton knew that his problems seemed weird to normal people, but he did understand what he wanted to know-he really came to the place Cali once told him, which is not a fantasy.He quickly apologized to the shopkeeper, saying that he was a little confused when he woke up, and even politely expressed that he wanted to buy a book as compensation for answering his boring question just now, which appeased the bookstore boss who thought he was being teased.

"Then what book do you want to buy? Is it a novel or something else? I will help you find it!" Mr. Thornton thought for a while, and a title suddenly flashed in his mind, and he blurted out.

"North and South..."

"Of course, I have this book in my shop! Please wait a moment!" The shopkeeper turned and went behind the bookshelf, saying, "This is Mrs. Gaskell's masterpiece, and it is also a novel I like very much. Of course I prefer to read "The Life of Charlotte Bronte" written by her."

"Do you know the author, this Mrs. Gaskell, sir?"

"She is a very talented lady, you British, I think you must know it..."

"I don't know the writer, sir!"

"I'm not an expert either, but I roughly remember that she was born in 1810 and died in 1865. Her original name was Elizabeth Claygrain Stevenson. If I remember correctly, she married at the age of 22. I bought William Gaskell, the deputy head of the Unitarian Church in Manchester—of course, this is all I know about her just now." At this time, the shopkeeper walked up to him with a thick book in his hand, "I've got only South and North in paperback here, $2.67, sir."

"Thank you for your explanation. Have you ever heard of a lady named Calpernia Addams appearing in the book "South and North", and she is an American?" Mr. Thornton asked while taking money out of his pocket.

"No, sir! I understand that there is never an American in this novel." The bookstore owner answered and took three coins, which he had never seen before. "This is not Mr. Dollar!"

"Here are three guineas, sir, in British currency—I'm sorry I didn't exchange them for American currency in my haste, but I think it's worth the book!"

"It's really unreasonable!" The bookstore owner finally broke out, "Are you from the TV station, and you are here to punish people? I won't be deceived, it's really unreasonable! My bookstore doesn't welcome you, an English gentleman!" The bookstore owner called Thornton The gentleman pushed out the door of the store, and the nameless flames made Mr. Thornton confused. He couldn't understand what was a "television station" and what was a so-called "trickster". Due to the situation, he had no choice but to stop entangled with the bookstore owner and left the bookstore.

He walked along the road of the bookstore. Although the nervousness at the beginning was gone now, everything still surprised him. Many of them were things that he could not give his name. He also saw many people of different skin colors Together - black, Asian, white, all in peaceful coexistence, not a relationship of slavery and slavery.At this time, he came to the building with the banner that had attracted his attention a long time ago, and only then did he see clearly that the banner read "Welcome to the American Children's Home"-it turned out that this was a children's welfare institution.

"Mr. Thornton!? How did you get here?" A familiar female voice came from behind him.

Mr. Thornton turned, to his delight to find Miss Hale standing behind him.

2.

"Cali! Cali!"

I heard Mr. Thornton calling my name behind me, but I didn't want to stop.I had already made up my mind to leave. If he appeared in front of me again, I was afraid that I would change my original mind, so I chose to escape from his sight.I was running with my dance skirt on, squeezing through the crowd who were excited about the coming of the New Year, and the New Year’s bell was ringing in my ears, as if urging me to run fast, thinking that if I could go home immediately, what should I do? How wonderful, when I randomly opened a door, I found myself in a completely different world.

This is a small bedroom, which is very dim because there is no light. Fortunately, my eyes quickly adapted to the darkness. I turned around and found that I came out of the bathroom door attached to this room. And the modernity and familiarity of this bedroom made me sure I was back in my time, and when I saw the photo on the bedside table, I knew who it belonged to.I opened the door and walked out of the bedroom, the sound of rock music came from downstairs, and the dazzling lights downstairs gave a glimmer of light to the dim corridor.I lifted my long skirt and went downstairs along the light. The voices gradually became louder. Some men and women in modern clothes were drinking and chatting, some were dancing indulgently, and some were flirting with each other.

"Oh! My God! Cali! What a surprise! It's a New Year's miracle! Lester, honey! Come on, Cali is finally back!" Ginger shouted excitedly, squeezed through the crowd and took three steps towards me. Tsukuru ran over in two steps, hugged me warmly and said that the new year is coming. "This is such a surprise, didn't expect you to come to my house for my New Year's party, look how beautiful you are dressed, you look like a princess from Disney - where have you been in so long, dear What?" At this moment, I saw Ginger's concern like a family member, I couldn't say a word, but tears had already filled her eyes, she immediately panicked when she saw me like this, "What's wrong dear?"

"Hey! Cali, Happy New Year! Ginger always misses you!" Lester also came to me and found me crying, "My girl, who bullied you?" Seeing Ginger and Lester like brothers and sisters Caring, I can't bear to let my troubles worry them, and now is not the time to explain those things, I immediately wiped away my tears and said: "I just miss you so much, I know I have been away for too long, now It feels so good to be home!" I smiled, hugged Ginger again, gave Lester a soft kiss on the cheek, and said Happy New Year to them.

At this time, the sisters who used to work in the bar with me and Ginger (they are all people who have not yet fully transgendered) also found me, and they all gathered together and asked me where I had been for the past year, and whether I would do it again After leaving, they all missed me, and hoped that I could go back to the bar and perform on stage with them like before.I just told them that I would not leave again. I didn't want to answer too many other questions they asked in one breath. Fortunately, I found the extra ring on Ginger's hand and brought the topic to her.And Ginger happily told me that Lester had proposed to her, they planned to get married in May, and she invited me to be her bridesmaid.I was ecstatic to hear this news. I congratulate Ginger and Lester. They are both good people. I believe they will be extremely happy.

Ginger is gentle and considerate, kind and beautiful; Lester is honest, although a little stubborn, even not good at words, but understanding, helpful and manly.The two of them have overcome many difficulties to live together, and the combination of the two is commendable and logical. The happiness of Ginger and Lester is the envy of every sister present, because our identities are so different, it is the yearning of every sister to meet someone they like and be happy with them. Ginger told us about the wedding plan and plans for the future, hoping that the two of them will work hard to make money after being together, and go to New York to complete the operation after saving enough money.

"Although Lester never minded that, I feel that I am the real me only after the operation. Of course, it is superficial to think this way, because everyone often says to accept ourselves, but as women, we deserve to be treated by women." Everything you have, isn't it?" Ginger looked at me and laughed, and I hugged her with a few sisters, because we all felt the same way.

"Okay, girls! You all made the New Year's party sad! Let's go dancing! Lester has invited some handsome guys, and I don't think they would mind if a pretty girl invites them to dance!" Ginger said in a relaxed tone. Everyone cheered up, everyone laughed and dispersed, I also avoided the crowd, left Ginger's house, and walked towards my own home.

I hadn't been home for a long time, and when I was trying to find the key, I realized I had left my white drawstring bag at a 19th century ball. Luckily, my spare key had been hidden under the flower pot by the door.Walking into the home, an unprecedented sense of fatigue hit my body. I took off my dress, sat by the dressing table, and looked at myself in the mirror.The sparkling diamond earrings and diamond necklace were given to me by Mr. Bell after he proposed to me. The beautiful blue dance dress I took off was hung on the closet, and everything reflected in the mirror was so illusory.All my experience is really like a dream, like the shadow in the mirror, although I see it is real but not completely real - but I know it is not a dream, because the earrings, necklaces and dresses are real Literally.I can't be obsessed with that time, because it's not my time, it's not my real life, and I don't want to go back to my hopeless life, what should I do now?Dragging his tired body, he took off those illusory but real jewelry, and lay back on the bed.Although the new year has started, I have returned to my past life. Compared with the happiness of Ginger and Lester, I really feel a little hopeless.

When I woke up the next day and it was almost noon, I opened the refrigerator to look for food, and found that it was already empty. The hunger did not defeat the despair but became its accomplice.At this time, Ginger came to visit me alone, and she brought some leftover pies from last night's party. Ginger looked at me as I ate the pie she had brought with a hesitant look, and I knew she had a lot of questions.

"I found that you left the party very early. You must be tired. Although many people asked where you were going yesterday, you always avoided those questions very cleverly. If you didn't show up now, I thought You've been abducted by aliens! Of course, your strange British friend was also missing on your last return, did you know that?"

"Margaret left with me. I informed her of her mother's illness last time. This time I will not leave without saying goodbye like when I came back last time. As for where I went, I only know I can tell you that I went to England, and other things, you won't believe me if I tell you."

"Try it!" I had finished eating the pie at this time, wiped my mouth, and sighed, I didn't want to lie to her, since she wanted to hear it, I said it.

"I went to the world of "South and North". I met Mr. Thornton and Margaret—the same British girl who came here last time. I have been living in the world in the book."

"Ha! Cali, I still believe you're going to England! I won't ask you where you've been - you're going back to work in the pub? I think old Jack in the pub would like you to go back, I think you need to In this job, you have been the star of the stage."

"Ginger, I don't know if I will continue to be a song and dance actress. I have experienced too many things this year, and now I feel more and more confused about myself. I have never been so powerless. I don't want to go back. To the world I once dreamed of, and I don't want to stay here and live the life I used to—Ginger, I want to leave here..."

"Where are you going?" Ginger obviously didn't want me to leave, "You said you were going to be my bridesmaid! Although I don't know what you've been through this year, I know that no matter what life we've been through, we still have to go on. , you have many friends here, neither Lester nor I want you to leave!"

I laughed, "Ginger, I will keep my promise to be your bridesmaid, you are my best friend, I will not let you down!"

"But..." She raised her eyebrows and said, she had a premonition that there would be a turning point for me.

"Yes, but—I have already decided to leave here, and I haven't thought about where to go, maybe go back to my hometown, maybe go to New York—but don't worry, we are still good friends, and I will never forget you! "

"Cali, I really don't understand you sometimes, you are always so emotional, maybe you just read too much of those novels-maybe it's that "North and South" novel you always mentioned that got you. Okay Go! If you insist, I will not persuade you any more - I hope my next neighbor is a good person, not some LGTB-phobic patient!"

"I won't quit this house, I will keep it for Margaret, I think she will continue to live here instead of me."

"Well then, I like that English girl very much!"

"When I leave, please take good care of her for me and tell her not to try to find me. Ginger, this is my last request to you!"

"I will, Cali! I'm so sorry for you to leave! It's been a year since you left here, but this time it makes me sad to think you'll never come back!" Ginger and I gave a big goodbye hug . "When are you going to leave, Cali?"

"I will leave this afternoon! And, promise me, you will be happy with Lester!"