小約翰肯尼迪 John F. Kennedy Jr.

I can't believe it has been 10 years since John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s plane crashed into the water off the coast of Martha's Vineyard! He was from my generation. He graced the cover of People magazines numerous times and girls like me followed his adventures and mis-adventures (not very many) whenever possible. I read stories of his prep school days, his time at Brown, his several attempts at passing the bar, and finally his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. I always knew people who knew people who knew him. There is always that 6 degrees of separation. But he seemed friendly and unattainable at the same time.

I still remembered the day he died. I was 7 months pregnant with my first baby and the 11 o' clock late night news was filled with the stories of his disappearance (or rather the disappearance of his plane). It was shocking to see a man at his peak ended his life this way. Two years before, it was Princess Diana.

It's hard to explain what role John Kennedy, Jr. played in our generation's psyche, but for those of us who grew up in the 1980s, he symbolizes youth and privilege. The Kennedy family is American royalty. The public's fascination with the Kennedy family did end with John Jr.'s death, but the myth continues. I feel compelled to write something about him on the 10th anniversary of his death. He would have been 49 this year.

十年前的今天, 小約翰肯尼迪所駕駛的小型飛機在大西洋墬毀。機上同行的有他結婚三年的太太及太太的姊姊。小約翰肯尼迪是要飛到瑪莎的葡萄園 (Martha's Vineyard) 去參加堂妹的婚禮。至今,記憶猶新,我還記得小約翰肯尼迪出事的那天晚上, 電視新聞不斷的播出小約翰肯尼迪飛機失蹤的消息。雖然沒有人說出口,可是大家心裏有數, 只是不太願意面對事實。我那時懷孕七個多月, 第一胎, 正在享受美好愉快的夏天。當小約翰肯尼迪的死訊被證實之後, 我的心情真的是很複雜。

我從小到大, 小約翰肯尼迪的故事一直是家喻戶曉的故事。在他成年之前, 因為有媽媽的保護,他鮮少出現在媒體中。可是我總是會從朋友那裏聽到有關他的故事。我的朋友的朋友認識他的朋友的朋友--所謂的第六度分離。所以我們是同個年代的人。出社會後, 小約翰肯尼迪常常出現在人物雜誌的封面。他的故事充滿了精彩的內容, 高潮迭起,不是一般人能過的生活。只是他這一路走來, 適應得很好, 眼看著就要到達他人生的巔峰。可是在那一瞬間,他永遠消失了! 人生的無常真讓人不勝稀噓。

今天是小約翰肯尼迪逝世十週年的記念日, 可是並沒有任何報章雜誌報導了有關他的故事。我想如果他能多活個十年, 創造出他個人的政治生涯或事業, 或許他就不會那麼快就被世人遺忘了。如果小約翰肯尼迪還活著, 他今年49歲!