2-48

 

48.

The one good thing about Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber was that they made me ready forwar. They filled me with choking rage, always a good precursor¹ for battle. They also made mewant to be anywhere but England. Where are my goddamned orders?

Please send my orders.

And then, of course, as so often happens…

I was at a music festival and my cousin tapped me on the shoulder. Harry², this is my friendCressida.

Oh. Um. Hello.

The setting was inauspicious. Lots of people, zero privacy. Also, I was still suffering a brokenheart. On the other hand, the landscape was lovely, the music was good, the weather was fine.

There were sparks.

Soon after that day we went to dinner. She told me about her life, her family, her dreams. Shewanted to be an actress. She was so soft-spoken and shy, acting³ was the last profession I’d haveimagined for her, and I said so. But she confessed that it made her feel alive. Free. She made itsound like flying.

Weeks later, at the end of another date, I gave her a lift home. I’m just off the King’s Road. Wepulled up to a large house on a well-kept street.

You live here? This is your house?

No.

She explained that she was staying for a few days with an aunt.

I walked her up the steps. She didn’t invite me in. I didn’t expect her to, didn’t want her to.

Take it slow, I thought. I leaned in to give her a kiss, but my aim was off. I could take out a cactusfrom three miles away with a Hellfire missile but I couldn’t quite find her lips. She turned, I triedagain on the return trip, and we managed something like a graze. Painfully awkward.

The next morning I phoned my cousin. Discouraged, I told her the date had gone well, but theending had left something to be desired. She didn’t disagree. She’d already spoken to Cressida.

She sighed. Awkward.

But then came the good news. Cressida was game to try again.

We met days later for another dinner.

As it happened, her flatmate was dating my longtime mate Charlie. Brother of my late friendHenners.

I joked: Obviously this is meant to be. The four of us could have so much fun.

But I wasn’t totally joking.

We tried another kiss. Not so awkward.

I had hope.

For our next date she and her flatmate had Charlie and me over. Drinks, laughs. Before I knewwhat was happening, we were a thing.

Sadly, however, I could only see Cress at weekends. I was busier than ever, doing my finalpreps for deployment⁴. And then I got my official orders, my actual deployment date, and the clockwas now loudly ticking. For the second time in my life I needed to tell a young woman I’d justmet that I’d soon be going off to war.

I’ll wait, she said. But not forever, she added quickly. Who knows what’s going to happen,Haz?

Right. Who knows?

Easier to just tell myself, and others, that we’re not together.

Yes. That is easier, I suppose.

But when you’re back…

When. She’d said when. Not if.

I was grateful.

Some people said if.

 

1 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。