Traveling in Taipei 7 / 台北城市生活旅行 7

向上帝借來的青春時光

八月的炎熱午後，我們倆吃完了永康街遠近馳名的牛肉麵，頂著大太陽，尋找一票人畫空間藝廊。短短的街，走到盡頭，在轉角處有間綠意盎然的店舖，裡面掛著姚俐吟小姐的畫作，我們心想：「哈，就是這裡了！」不過伸出手要推開門時，才發現老闆不在店裡，或者畫廊因為週一公休。我們不死心地在落地窗外跳啊跳的，還瞇緊雙眼，想看清楚最裡面的畫作長什麼樣，經過的路人應該注意到我們不尋常的舉動。

「如果只有買一幅畫的預算，你會挑哪一幅？」我們不知不覺玩起遊戲，並且認真地討論每一張圖，可能因為門關著，這是我第一次這麼認真看畫展，即使隔著重重的玻璃門。

八月的夏天，即將轉三十歲的夏天，我自在地消磨著時光，彷彿我的青春是無盡的。同齡的友人忙著帶小孩，而我的選擇附帶條件裡，上帝說，為了彌補我的孤獨，便借了我一點青春歲月，讓我還享有風般的自由。

Youth stolen from God

On the scorching hot summer afternoon, we risked getting a super tan roaming in Yon-kang Street after lunch in the famous beef noodle restaurant. We were looking for the gallery for Ms. Yao's exhibition. At the end of the famous yet short Yon-kang street lies a small square. The leafy plants in front of the mini-gallery welcomed our visit. We were quite delighted to have found the place like a breeze. Right when I held out my hand and grasped the doorknob, I realized that it was closed. We two were kind of disappointed, but it didn't stop us from guessing where the gallery owner had gone.

Knowing we wouldn't come back again, we leaned on the French windows and squinted our eyes to get a better view of the paintings inside. To be honest, I had never been so attentive in any exhibition. "Which painting would you buy if you had the budget?" We started a very serious discussion about the works and moved around to see every painting more clearly. Our loud talk and weird behavior must have aroused the curiosity of passers-by.

In the summer of August, in the summer before my 30th birthday, I take time with my life, as if I had endless youth. Friends of my age are busy raising kids. But in the choice I made, God decided to give me extended youth to make up for my solitude. And that is why I am as free as the wind...