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47.

Chels and I learned an important lesson. Africa was Africa…but Britain was always Britain.

Soon after we arrived back at Heathrow we were papped.

Never fun for me, but not a shock either. There’d been a few years, after Mummy disappeared,when I’d hardly ever been papped, but now it was constant. I advised Chelsy to treat it like achronic illness, something to be managed.

But she wasn’t sure she wanted to have a chronic¹ illness.

I told her I understood. Perfectly² valid³ feeling. But this was my life, and if she wanted to shareany part of it, she’d have to share this too.

You get used to it, I lied.

Thereafter, I put the chances at fifty-fifty, maybe sixty-forty, I’d ever see Chels again. Oddswere, the press would cost me another person I cared about. I tried to reassure⁴ myself that it wasfine, that I didn’t really have time for a relationship just then.

I had work to do.

For starters, I was facing the entrance exams required for the Royal Military Academy atSandhurst.

They took four days, and they were nothing like exams at Eton. There was some bookwork,some written stuff, but mostly they were tests for psychological toughness and leadership skills.

Turned out…I had both. I passed with flying colors.

I was delighted. My trouble concentrating, my trauma⁵ over my mother, none of that came intoplay. None of that counted against me with the British Army. On the contrary, I discovered, thosethings made me all the more ideal. The Army was looking for lads like me.

What’s that you say, young man? Parents divorced? Mum’s dead? Unresolved grief orpsychological trauma? Step this way!

Along with news that I’d passed I received a report date, several months away. Which meantI’d have time to gather my thoughts, tie up loose ends. Even better, time to spend with Chels…ifshe’d have me?

She would. She invited me to come back to Cape⁶ Town, meet her parents.

I did. And liked them instantly. They were impossible not to like. They enjoyed funny stories,gin and tonics⁷, good food, stalking. Her father was bear-sized, broad-shouldered, cuddly⁸, but alsoa definite alpha. Her mother was petite, an amazing listener, and a frequent bestower of epic⁹ hugs.

I didn’t know what the future held, I didn’t want to put any carts before any horses, but I thought:

If you designed in-laws from the ground up, you couldn’t do much better than these guys.

 

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

4 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

5 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 tonics   

n.滋补品( tonic的名词复数 )；主音；奎宁水；浊音

参考例句：

• I think you have a prejudice against tonics. 我认你对补药有偏见。 来自互联网
• Two gin and tonics, please. 请来两杯杜松子酒加奎宁水。 来自互联网

8 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

9 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。