3-3

 

3.

The traffic was terrible. It was Sunday night, people were streaming back into London from theirweekends in the country. Plus I had to get through Piccadilly Circus, a nightmare at the best oftimes. Bottlenecks¹, construction, accidents, gridlock, I ran into every conceivable obstacle. Againand again my bodyguards² and I would come to a full stop in the road and we’d just sit. Fiveminutes. Ten.

Groaning³, sweating, mentally shouting at the mass of unmoving cars. Come! On!

Finally it couldn’t be avoided. I texted: Running a bit late, sorry.

She was already there.

I apologized: Horrible traffic.

Her reply: OK.

I told myself: She might leave.

I told my bodyguards: She’s gonna leave.

As we inched towards the restaurant I texted again: Moving, but still slow.

Can’t you just get out?

How to explain? No, I couldn’t. I wasn’t able to go running through the streets of London. Itwould be like a llama running through the streets. It would make a scene, cause securitynightmares; never mind the press it might attract. If I was spotted⁴ high-stepping towards SohoHouse, that would be the end of whatever privacy we might briefly⁵ enjoy.

Also, I had three bodyguards with me. I couldn’t ask them suddenly to take part in a track-and-field event.

Texting wasn’t the way to convey this, however. So I just…didn’t answer. Which surelyirritated her.

At last I arrived. Red-cheeked, puffing⁶, sweaty, half an hour late, I ran into the restaurant, intothe quiet room, and found her at a small sitting area on a low velvet⁷ sofa in front of a low coffeetable.

She looked up, smiled.

I apologized. Profusely⁸. I couldn’t imagine many people had been late for this woman.

I settled into the sofa, apologized again.

She said she forgave me.

She was having a beer, some sort of IPA. I asked for a Peroni. I didn’t want beer, but it seemedeasier.

Silence. We took it all in.

She was wearing a black sweater, jeans, heels. I knew nothing about clothes, but I knew shewas chic⁹. Then again, I knew she could make anything look chic. Even a bivvy bag. The mainthing I noticed was the chasm¹⁰ between internet and reality. I’d seen so many photos of her fromfashion shoots and TV sets, all glam and glossy¹¹, but here she was, in the flesh, no frills, no filter…and even more beautiful. Heart- attack beautiful. I was trying to process this, struggling tounderstand what was happening to my circulatory and nervous systems, and as a result my braincouldn’t handle any more data. Conversation, pleasantries, the Queen’s English, all became achallenge.

She filled the gap. She talked about London. She was here all the time, she said. Sometimesshe just left her luggage at Soho House for weeks. They stored it without question. The peoplethere were like family.

I thought: You’re in London all the time? How have I never seen you? Never mind that ninemillion people lived in London, or that I rarely left my house, I felt that if she was here, Ishould’ve known. I should’ve been informed!

What brings you here so often?

Friends. Business.

Oh? Business?

Acting¹² was her main job, she said, the thing she was known for, but she had several careers.

Lifestyle writer, travel writer, corporate¹³ spokesperson, entrepreneur, activist¹⁴, model. She’d beenall over the world, lived in various countries, worked for the US embassy in Argentina—her CVwas dizzying.

All part of the plan, she said.

Plan?

Help people, do some good, be free.

The waitress reappeared. She told us her name. Mischa. East European accent, shy smile,many tattoos¹⁵. We asked about them; Mischa was more than happy to explain. She provided aneeded buffer¹⁶, a tapping of the brakes, a moment to take a breath, and I think she knew she wasfilling this role, and embraced it. I loved her for it.

Mischa left us and the conversation started to really flow. The initial awkwardness was gone,the warmth from our texting returned. We’d each had first dates on which there was nothing to talkabout, and now we both felt that special thrill when there’s too much to talk about, when thereisn’t enough time to say all that needs to be said.

But speaking of time…ours was up. She gathered her stuff.

Sorry, I have to go.

Go? So soon?

I have dinner plans.

If I hadn’t been late, we’d have had more time. I cursed myself, got to my feet.

A brief goodbye hug.

I said I’d take care of the bill and she said in that case she’d foot the bill for thank-you flowersto Violet.

Peonies, she said.

I laughed. OK. Bye.

Goodbye.

Poof, she was gone.

Compared to her, Cinderella was the queen of long goodbyes.

 

1 bottlenecks   

n.瓶颈( bottleneck的名词复数 )；瓶颈路段（常引起交通堵塞）；（尤指工商业发展的）瓶颈；阻碍

参考例句：

• Roadworks are causing bottlenecks in the city centre. 道路施工导致市中心交通阻塞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At five o'clock in the afternoon the city streets are a series of bottlenecks. 下午五点市中心的街道就成了拥挤不堪的窄路。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 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

3 groaning   

adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• She's always groaning on about how much she has to do. 她总抱怨自己干很多活儿。
• The wounded man lay there groaning, with no one to help him. 受伤者躺在那里呻吟着，无人救助。

4 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

8 profusely   

ad.abundantly

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture. 我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• He had been working hard and was perspiring profusely. 他一直在努力干活，身上大汗淋漓的。

9 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

10 chasm   

n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突

参考例句：

• There's a chasm between rich and poor in that society.那社会中存在着贫富差距。
• A huge chasm gaped before them.他们面前有个巨大的裂痕。

11 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

12 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。

13 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

14 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

15 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。