3-13

 

13.

Just before Meg returned to Canada we went to Frogmore gardens for a walk.

It was on the way to the airport.

A favorite spot of mine, I said. It spoke¹ to her as well. She especially loved the swans, andespecially one that was very grumpy. (We named him Steve.) Most swans are grumpy, I said.

Majestic², but sourpusses. I always wondered why, since every British swan was the property ofHer Majesty³, and any abuse of them, thereby⁴, was a criminal offense⁵.

We chatted about Euge and Jack⁶, whom she loved. We talked about Meg’s work. We talkedabout mine. But mostly we talked about this relationship, a subject so immense it seemedinexhaustible. We continued the talk as we got back into the car and drove to the airport, and kepttalking in the car park, where I dropped her on the sly. We agreed that if we were serious aboutgiving ourselves a chance, a real chance, we’d need a serious plan. Which meant, among otherthings, making a vow⁷ never to let more than two weeks pass without seeing each other.

We’d both had long-distance relationships, and they’d always been hard, and part of the reasonhad always been lack of serious planning. Effort. You had to fight the distance, defeat thatdistance. Meaning, travel. Lots and lots of travel.

Alas⁸, my movements attracted more attention, more press. Governments had to be alertedwhen I crossed international borders, local police had to be notified. All my bodyguards⁹ had to beshuffled. The burden therefore would fall on Meg. In the early days, it would have to be herspending time on planes, her crisscrossing the ocean—while still working full-time¹⁰ on Suits. Manydays the car came for her at 4:15 a.m. to take her to set.

It wasn’t fair for her to shoulder the burden, but she was willing, she said. No choice, she said.

The alternative was not seeing me, and that, she said, wasn’t feasible. Or bearable.

For the hundredth time since July 1, my heart cracked open.

Then we said goodbye again.

See you in two weeks.

Two weeks. God. Yes.

 

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

3 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

4 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

5 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

8 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

9 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

10 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。