He met her at a
party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so
normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her
to have coffee with him, she was surprised but due to being polite, she
promised. They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything,
she felt uncomfortable, and she thought to herself, “Please, let me go home…”
Suddenly
he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in
my coffee.” Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red but still,
he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, “Why you
have this hobby?” He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I
liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the
taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always
think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much, I miss
my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his
eyes. She was deeply touched.
That’s his true
feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness,
he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, has responsibility of home…
Then she also started to speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her
childhood, her family.
That was a really
nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date.
She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had
tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful.
He
was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married
to the prince, and then they were living the happy life… And, every time she
made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that’s the
way he liked it.
After
40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said, “My dearest, please
forgive me, forgive my whole life’s lie. This was the only lie I said to
you—the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at
that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to
change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our
communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was
too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything… Now
I’m dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth, I don’t like the salty
coffee, what a strange bad taste… But I have had the salty coffee for my whole
life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having
you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second
time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have
to drink the salty coffee again.” Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?” She replied, “It’s
sweet.”
