It is cold, so bitter cold, on this dark, winter day in 1942. But it is no different from any other day in this Nazi concentration camp. I stand shivering in my thin rags, still in disbelief that this nightmare is happening. I am just a young boy. I should be playing with friends; I should be going to school; I should be looking forward to a future, to growing up and marrying, and having a family of my own. But those dreams are for the living, and I am no longer one of them. Instead, I am almost dead, surviving from day to day, from hour to hour, ever since I was taken from my home and brought here with tens of thousands other Jews. Will I still be alive tomorrow? Will I be taken to the gas chamber tonight?
Back and forth I walk next to the barbed wire fence, trying to keep my emaciated body warm. I am hungry, but I have been hungry for longer than I want to remember. I am always hungry. Edible food seems like a dream. Each day as more of us disappear, the happy past seems like a mere dream, and I sink deeper and deeper into despair. Suddenly, I notice a young girl walking past on the other side of the barbed wire. She stops and looks at me with sad eyes, eyes that seem to say that she understands, that she, too, cannot fathom why I am here. I want to look away, oddly ashamed for this stranger to see me like this, but I cannot tear my eyes from hers.
Then she reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a red apple. A beautiful, shiny red apple. Oh, how long has it been since I have seen one! She looks cautiously to the left and to the right, and then with a smile of triumph, quickly throws the apple over the fence. I run to pick it up, holding it in my trembling, frozen fingers. In my world of death, this apple is an
The next day, I cannot help myself-I am drawn at the same time to that spot near the fence. Am I crazy for hoping she will come again? Of course. But in here, I cling to any tiny scrap of hope. She has given me hope and I must hold tightly to it.
And again, she comes. And again, she brings me an apple, flinging it over the fence with that same sweet smile.
This time I catch it, and hold it up for her to see. Her eyes twinkle. Does she pity me? Perhaps. I do not care, though. I am just so happy to gaze at her. And for the first time in so long, I feel my heart move with emotion.
For seven months, we meet like this. Sometimes we exchange a few words. Sometimes, just an apple. But she is feeding more than my belly, this angel from heaven. She is feeding my soul. And somehow, I know I am feeding hers as well.
One day, I hear frightening news: we are being shipped to another camp. This could mean the end for me. And it definitely means the end for me and my friend.
The next day when I greet her, my heart is breaking, and I can barely speak as I say what must be said: "Do not bring me an apple tomorrow," I tell her. "I am being sent to another camp. We will never see each other again." Turning before I lose all control, I run away from the fence. I cannot bear to look back. If I did, I know she would see me standing there, with tears streaming down my face.
Months pass and the nightmare continues. But the memory of this girl sustains me through the terror, the pain, the hopelessness. Over and over in my mind, I see her face, her kind eyes, I hear her gentle words, I taste those apples.
And then one day, just like that, the nightmare is over. The war has ended. Those of us who are still alive are freed. I have lost everything that was precious to me, including my family. But I still have the memory of this girl, a memory I carry in my heart and gives me the will to go on as I move to America to start a new life.
Years pass. It is 1957. I am living in New York City. A friend convinces me to go on a blind date with a lady friend of his. Reluctantly, I agree. But she is nice, this woman named Roma. And like me, she is an immigrant, so we have at least that in common.
"Where were you during the war?" Roma asks me gently, in that delicate way immigrants ask one another questions
"I was in a concentration camp in Germany," I reply.
Roma gets a far away look in her eyes, as if she is remembering something painful yet sweet.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I am just thinking
Roma sighs heavily and continues. "It is hard to describe how we felt
With my heart pounding so loudly I think it wil1 explode, I look directly at Roma and ask, "And did that boy say to you one day, 'Do not bring me an apple tomorrow. I am being sent to another camp'?"
"Why, yes," Roma responds, her voice trembling.
"But, Herman, how on earth could you possibly know that?"
I take her hands in mine and answer, "Because I was that young boy, Roma."
For many moments, there is only silence. We cannot take our eyes from each other, and as the veils of time lift, we recognize the soul behind the eyes, the dear friend we once loved so much, whom we have never stopped loving, whom we have never stopped remembering.
Finally, I speak: "Look, Roma, I was separated from you once, and I don't ever want to be separated from you again. Now, I am free, and I want to be together with you forever. Dear, will you marry me?"
I see that same twinkle in her eye that I used to see as Roma says, "Yes, I will marry you," and we embrace, the embrace we longed to share for so many months, but barbed wire came between us. Now, nothing ever will again.
Almost forty years have passed since that day when I found my Roma again. Destiny brought us together the first time during the war to show me a promise of hope and now it had reunited us to fulfill that promise.
Valentine's Day, 1996. I bring Roma to the Oprah Winfrey Show to honor her on national television. I want to tell her infront of millions of people what I feel in my heart every day:
"Darling, you fed me in the concentration camp when I was hungry. And I am still hungry, for something I will never get enough of: I am only hungry for your love."
相关单词：Nazi
Nazi解释：n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的
Nazi例句：
They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。
相关单词：chamber
chamber解释：n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所
chamber例句：
For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
相关单词：forth
forth解释：adv.向前；向外，往外
forth例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
相关单词：emaciated
emaciated解释：adj.衰弱的，消瘦的
emaciated例句：
A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。
相关单词：edible
edible解释：n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的
edible例句：
Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。
相关单词：mere
mere解释：adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
mere例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
相关单词：fathom
fathom解释：v.领悟，彻底了解
fathom例句：
I really couldn't fathom what he was talking
What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。
相关单词：drawn
drawn解释：v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
drawn例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
相关单词：scrap
scrap解释：n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废
scrap例句：
A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
相关单词：belly
belly解释：n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛
belly例句：
The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。
相关单词：standing
standing解释：n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
standing例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
相关单词：fulfill
fulfill解释：vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意
fulfill例句：
If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
