中尉好奇地問:「為什麼莫里森中士會在分別之前把筆記交給你?」
我其實也不知道莫里森中士當時的動機:「莫里森中士把筆記塞給我之後就下令我走上路離開,當時我還以為這本筆記是軍方文件。」
中尉:「上路?他當時的命令是什麼?」
「他說『You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road』❨你走上路,我會走下路。❩」
「Ahem..(咳嗽聲)」莫里森的父親清一清了喉嚨,打破了寂靜:「…well…we found out about my son a while back…may I ask what brought you all the way here from Hong Kong? (我們早前已經知道了我兒子的死訊,請問一位香港軍人遠道前來所謂何事?)」
我把那本筆記在背包拿出來放在枱上,輕輕推給莫里森的妻子,說:「Morrison gave me this pad before we went our separate ways, so I thought I should return this to his family.(莫里森中士生前把這本筆記交給我,我想我應該把它交給莫里森的家人。)」
莫里森的妻子接過筆記,滿載回憶的淚水充滿了她的眼眶。她以那水晶般的雙眼看著我,問我:「What else did he say to you? (他還有沒有和你說什麼?)」我解釋那時情況危急:「We were on the run…he just gave me this and told me to take the high road… (那時我們急於逃亡,他把這本筆記交給我後叫我走上路逃走。)」
「Wait…high road? What exactly did he say…?(上路?他當時的命令是什麼?)」莫里森的父親和上尉問了的問題,出乎意料地完全一樣。我也同樣答了同一個答案:「He said to me-『You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road』(他說『你走上路,我會走下路。』)」
「Isn’t that beautiful? Loch Lomond.(很漂亮吧?羅夢湖。)」她問我。我一時未來得及反應。她繼續問道:「Do you have lake this beautiful in your hometown? (在遙遠的東方有這樣美麗的湖嗎?)」
我回答她:「We have a harbour named after a Queen, not really a lake but it’s the most beautiful in my eyes.(在我的家鄉,也有一個以女王為名的海港,雖然不是湖,但也不比羅夢湖遜色。)」
她:「Interesting….are there any song named after the Harbour then? We have a song named after Loch Lomond in Scotland, not the most delightful song…but very famous. (那有沒有以她為名的歌?蘇格蘭有一首以羅夢湖為名的歌,雖然不是很快樂的歌,但非常出名。)」
她把雙手放在前面的枴杖上,以那年邁又響亮的聲音唱了這一小段的「羅夢湖」:
『O ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland a'fore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.』
(你會走上路,我會走下路,
我會比你先到達蘇格蘭,
但我和我的愛人不會再相見,
在那最美麗的羅夢湖岸上。)