Miss. Mavis Freeman
文/1胡軍飛
我出生成長(zhǎng)在中國(guó)，2003 年我孤身一人到英國(guó)利茲大學(xué)求學(xué)。2004 年初我看到校園里的廣告，有國(guó)際學(xué)生俱樂(lè)部，就試著參加了。
在俱樂(lè)部里我遇到了Mavis，她是俱樂(lè)部的創(chuàng)始人之一，也是衛(wèi)理教的傳教士。俱樂(lè)部固定是每周三傍晚活動(dòng)，每周的活動(dòng)都不一樣，每學(xué)年重復(fù)一次。
記得春季的學(xué)期有一個(gè)活動(dòng)是參觀利茲市政廳，由利茲市長(zhǎng)親自接待，每年的活動(dòng)都雷打不動(dòng)，她很自豪的告訴我是她一手促成這項(xiàng)活動(dòng)。
自從我認(rèn)識(shí) Mavis 以后，每年圣誕，她都邀請(qǐng)我去她家過(guò)圣誕，一起到教堂禮拜。2007年夏，我因病住院，她親自到醫(yī)院看望我，陪我在醫(yī)院花園散步，此情此景，歷歷在目。
2010 年 5 月我提交論文以后就準(zhǔn)備去伯明翰大學(xué)工作，她把家里很多家居用品都給我，叫我?guī)У讲骱惨詡湫枨蟆? 月份我回利茲大學(xué)答辯通過(guò)后，10 月份我決定回中國(guó)，臨行前我在家里住了一夜，她給了我英文名字 Matthew JUN FEI Freeman。
回國(guó)后我到江西的一所高校任教授，這一年的圣誕，她依舊記得給我寄來(lái)圣誕卡片和她的一張相片。
2011 年我回利茲參加畢業(yè)典禮，她和 Philip 和 Janet 一起參加了。在典禮現(xiàn)場(chǎng)，她很高興的給我拍了一張又一張照片。畢業(yè)典禮快結(jié)束的時(shí)候還有個(gè)小插曲，在利茲，博士和學(xué)士的禮服不同，博士有帽子，學(xué)士沒(méi)有。一個(gè)學(xué)士生向我借了帽子，上演拋冒戲法，她大怒，向那個(gè)學(xué)士生吼道：“你可知道這頂帽子的價(jià)值嗎？”
2012 年我輾轉(zhuǎn)到蘇格蘭莫里郡工作和生活。每次回到利茲看望她，她都嘮叨某某某結(jié)婚了，有孩子了。后來(lái)她給我的信越來(lái)越少了。到 2018 年，我和前任女朋友去看望她，她已經(jīng)非常虛弱，但依然堅(jiān)持獨(dú)自生活。
2020 年封城后我空閑了一些，聯(lián)系到教堂的牧師，才了解到她已經(jīng)入住護(hù)理院了，最近常住醫(yī)院。
我不是基督徒，但我想禱告，愿她延年益壽。
In memory of Miss Mavis Freeman
By Matthew JUNFEI HU Freeman
24th November 2021
I was born and raised in China. In 2003 I went to the University of Leeds to study alone.
At the beginning of 2004, I saw an advertisement on campus that there was an international student club, so I tried to participate. In the club I met Mavis, one of the club’s founders and a Methodist missionary. The club was active every Wednesday evening, and the weekly activities were varied. I remember that there was a visit to Leeds City Hall in the spring semester, which was personally hosted by the Mayor of Leeds. Mavis was very proud to tell me that she had organized this activity.
Ever since I met Mavis, she would invite me to her house for Christmas. We’d worship together in church. In the summer of 2007, I was hospitalized due to illness. She personally visited me in the hospital and walked with me in the hospital garden. After I submitted my thesis in May 2010, I went to work at the University of Birmingham. She gave me many household items at home and asked me to take it to Birmingham for my needs. After I returned to Leeds University in September and passed my VIVA, I decided to return to China in October. I stayed at home for one night before leaving. Mavis gave me the English name Matthew JUN FEI Freeman. After returning to China, I went to a university in Jiangxi as a professor. That Christmas, she still remembered to send me a Christmas card and her photo.
In 2011, when I returned to Leeds to attend the graduation ceremony, Mavis attended with Philip and Janet. At the ceremony, she happily took pictures of me one after another. At the end of the graduation ceremony, there was an episode. In Leeds, the dresses for doctors and bachelors are different. Doctors have hats, but bachelors don't. A bachelor borrowed a hat from me and performed a trick. She was furious and shouted at the bachelor: "Do you know the value of this hat?"
In 2012, I moved to work and live in Morayshire, Scotland. Every time I went to Leeds to visit her, she nagged that XX was married and had children. Later she wrote me less and less letters. By 2018, my ex girlfriend and I went to see her. She was very weak, but she still insisted on living alone. After the lockdown in 2020, I had some free time, and I contacted the Minister of the church and learned that she has been admitted to a nursing home, and that recently she has been in a hospital.
I am not a Christian, but I wanted to pray that she may live longer.
