2-49

 

49.

My mates came to me and reminded me of the Plan.

The Plan?

You know, Spike¹. The Plan?

Oh, right? The Plan.

We’d talked about this before, months earlier. But now I wasn’t sure.

They gave me the hard sell. You’re going to war. Staring death in the face.

Right, thanks.

You have a duty to live. Now. Seize the day.

Seize the—?

Carpe diem.

OK…what?

Carpe diem. Seize the day.

Ah, so it’s two ways of saying the same thing then—Vegas, Spike! Remember? The Plan.

Yes, yes, The Plan, but…seems risky².

Seize the—!

Day. Got it.

I’d had an experience, recently, that made me think they weren’t altogether wrong, that carpediem was more than empty words. Playing polo that spring in Brazil, to raise money for Sentebale,I’d seen a player take a hard fall from his horse. As a boy, I’d seen Pa take that same fall, the horsegiving way, the ground simultaneously³ smacking⁴ and swallowing him. I remembered thinking:

Why’s Pa snoring? And then someone yelling: He’s swallowed his tongue! A quick-thinkingplayer jumped from his horse and saved Pa’s life. Recalling that moment, subconsciously⁵, I’ddone likewise: jumped off my horse, run to the man, pulled out his tongue.

The man coughed, began to breathe again.

I’m fairly sure he wrote a sizable check later that afternoon to Sentebale.

But equally valuable was the lesson. Carpe your diems while ye may.

So I told my mates: OK. Vegas. Let’s go.

A year before, after exercises in Gila Bend, my mates and I had rented Harleys, ridden fromPhoenix to Vegas. Most of the trip went unnoticed. So now, after a farewell weekend withCressida, I flew to Nevada to do it again.

We even went to the same hotel, and all chipped in on the same suite⁶.

It had two levels, connected by a grand staircase of white marble, which looked as if Elvis andWayne Newton were about to descend⁷ arm in arm. You didn’t need to take the stairs, however,since the suite also had a lift. And a billiard table.

The best part was the living room: six massive windows looking onto the Strip, and arrangedbefore the windows was a low L-shaped sofa where you could gaze at the Strip, or the distantmountains, or the massive wall-mounted plasma⁸ TV. Such opulence⁹. I’d been inside a few palacesin my time, and this was palatial¹⁰.

That first night, or the next—it’s a bit of a neon blur—someone ordered food, someone elseordered cocktails¹¹, and we all sat around and had a loud chat, catching¹² up. What happened toeveryone since we’d last been in Vegas?

So, Lieutenant¹³ Wales, raring to go back to war?

I am, I really am.

Everyone looked taken aback.

For dinner we hit a steakhouse, and ate like kings. New York strips, three kinds of pasta, reallynice red wine. Afterwards, we went to a casino, played blackjack and roulette, lost. Tired, Iexcused myself, went back to the suite.

Yes, I thought with a sigh, sliding under the covers, I’m that guy, turning in early, tellingeveryone to please keep it down.

The next morning we ordered breakfast, Bloody¹⁴ Marys. We all headed off to the pool. It waspool-party season in Vegas, so a big blowout was raging. We bought fifty beach balls and handedthem out, as a way of breaking the ice.

We really were that nerdy. And needy¹⁵.

That is, my mates were. I wasn’t looking to make new friends. I had a girlfriend, and I aimedto keep it that way. I texted her several times from the pool, to reassure¹⁶ her.

But people kept handing me drinks. And by the time the sun was dipping over the mountains Iwas in rough shape, and filling up with…ideas.

I need something to commemorate¹⁷ this trip, I decided¹⁸. Something to symbolize¹⁹ my sense offreedom, my sense of carpe diem.

For instance…a tattoo²⁰?

Yes! Just the thing!

Maybe on my shoulder?

No, too visible.

Lower back?

No, too…racy.

Maybe my foot?

Yes. The sole of my foot! Where the skin had once peeled away. Layers upon layers ofsymbolism!

Now, what would the tattoo be?

I thought and thought. What’s important to me? What’s sacred?

Of course—Botswana.

I’d seen a tattoo parlor²¹ down the block. I hoped they’d have a good atlas²², with a clear map ofBotswana.

I went to find Billy the Rock to tell him where we were going. He smiled.

No way.

My mates backed him up. Absolutely not.

In fact, they promised to physically²³ stop me. I was not going to get a tattoo, they said, not ontheir watch, least of all a foot tattoo of Botswana. They promised to hold me down, knock me out,whatever it took.

A tattoo is permanent, Spike! It’s forever!

Their arguments and threats are one of my last clear memories from that evening.

I gave in. The tattoo could wait till the next day.

Instead, we trooped off to a club, where I curled into the corner of a leather banquette andwatched a procession of young women come and go, chatting up my mates. I talked to one or two,and encouraged them to focus on my mates. But mostly I stared into space and thought aboutbeing forced to forgo²⁴ my tattoo dream.

Around two a.m. we went back to our suite. My mates invited four or five women who workedat the hotel to join us, along with two women they’d met at the blackjack tables. Soon someonesuggested we play pool, and that did sound fun. I racked the balls, started playing eight-ball withmy bodyguards²⁵.

Then I noticed the blackjack girls hovering²⁶. They looked dodgy. But when they asked if theycould play I didn’t want to be rude. Everyone took turns, and no one was very good.

I suggested we up the stakes. How about a game of strip pool?

Enthusiastic cheers.

Ten minutes later I was the big loser, reduced to my skivvies. Then I lost my skivvies. It washarmless, silly, or so I thought. Until the next day. Standing²⁷ outside the hotel in the blinding desertsun I turned and saw one of my mates staring at his phone, his mouth falling open. He told me:

Spike, one of those blackjack girls secretly snapped a few photos…and sold them.

Spike…you’re everywhere, mate.

Specifically what was everywhere was my arse. I was naked before the eyes of the world…seizing my diem.

Billy the Rock, now studying his phone, kept saying: This isn’t good, H.

He knew this was going to be hard for me. But he also knew it wasn’t going to be any fun forhimself and the other bodyguards. They could easily lose their jobs over this.

I berated²⁸ myself: How had I let it happen? How had I been so stupid? Why had I trusted otherpeople? I’d counted on strangers having goodwill²⁹, I’d counted on those dodgy girls showing somebasic decency³⁰, and now I was going to pay the price forever. These photos would never go away.

They were permanent. They’d make a foot tattoo of Botswana look like a splodge of Indian ink.

My sense of guilt³¹ and shame made it hard at moments to draw a clean breath. Meanwhile, thepapers back home had already begun skinning me alive. The Return of Hooray Harry³². PrinceThicko Strikes Again.

I thought of Cress reading the stories. I thought of my superiors in the Army.

Who would give me the heave-ho first?

While waiting to find out, I fled to Scotland, met up with my family at Balmoral. It was Augustand they were all there. Yes, I thought, yes, the one thing missing from this Kafkaesque nightmareis Balmoral, with all its complicated memories and the pending³³ anniversary of Mummy’s deathjust days away.

Soon after my arrival I met Pa at nearby Birkhall. To my surprise, to my relief, he was gentle.

Even bemused. He felt for me, he said, he’d been there, though he’d never been naked on a frontpage. Actually, that was untrue. When I was about eight years old a German newspaper hadpublished naked photos of him, taken with a telephoto lens while he was holidaying in France.

But he and I had both put those photos out of our minds.

Certainly he’d felt naked many times before the world, and that was our common ground. Wesat by a window and talked for quite a long time about this strange existence of ours, whilewatching Birkhall’s red squirrels frolic on the lawn.

Carpe diem, squirrels.

 

1 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

4 smacking   

活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的

参考例句：

• He gave both of the children a good smacking. 他把两个孩子都狠揍了一顿。
• She inclined her cheek,and John gave it a smacking kiss. 她把头低下，约翰在她的脸上响亮的一吻。

5 subconsciously   

ad.下意识地，潜意识地

参考例句：

• In choosing a partner we are subconsciously assessing their evolutionary fitness to be a mother of children or father provider and protector. 在选择伴侣的时候，我们会在潜意识里衡量对方将来是否会是称职的母亲或者父亲，是否会是合格的一家之主。
• Lao Yang thought as he subconsciously tightened his grasp on the rifle. 他下意识地攥紧枪把想。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

6 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

7 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

8 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

9 opulence   

n.财富，富裕

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence.他从未见过这样的财富。
• He owes his opulence to work hard.他的财富乃辛勤工作得来。

10 palatial   

adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的

参考例句：

• Palatial office buildings are being constructed in the city.那个城市正在兴建一些宫殿式办公大楼。
• He bought a palatial house.他买了套富丽堂皇的大房子。

11 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

12 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

13 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

14 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

15 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

16 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。

17 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

20 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

21 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

22 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。

23 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

24 forgo   

v.放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• Time to prepare was a luxuary he would have to forgo.因为时间不够，他不得不放弃做准备工作。
• She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.只要她的父母停止争吵，她愿意放弃生日宴请。

25 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

26 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

27 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

28 berated   

v.严厉责备，痛斥( berate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Marion berated Joe for the noise he made. 玛丽昂严厉斥责乔吵吵闹闹。 来自辞典例句
• It berated Mussolini for selling out to Berlin. 它严厉谴责了墨索里尼背叛、投靠柏林的行径。 来自辞典例句

29 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

30 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

31 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

32 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。

33 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。