3-14

14.

Soon after that day, Willy and Kate invited me over to dinner.

They knew something was going on with me and they wanted to find out what it was.

I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell them. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone else to know just yet. But

then, as we sat around their TV room, both kids tucked into bed, the moment felt right.

I casually¹ mentioned that there was…a new woman in my life.

They surged forward. Who is she?

I’ll tell you, but please, please, please, I need you both to keep it a secret.

Yes, Harold, yes, yes—who is it?

She’s an actress.

Oh?

She’s American.

Oh.

On a show called Suits.

Their mouths fell open. They turned to each other.

Then Willy turned to me and said: Fuck off!

What?

No way.

Sorry?

Impossible!

I was baffled, until Willy and Kate explained that they were regular—nay, religious—viewers

of Suits.

Great, I thought, laughing. I’ve been worrying about the wrong thing. All this time I’d thought

Willy and Kate might not welcome Meg into the family, but now I had to worry about them

hounding her for an autograph.

They barraged² me with questions. I told them a bit of how we’d met, told them about

Botswana, told them about Waitrose, told them I was smitten³, but overall what I told them was

heavily redacted. I just didn’t want to give away too much.

I also said I couldn’t wait for them to meet her, that I looked forward to the four of us spending

lots of time together, and I confessed, for the umpteenth⁴ time, that this had long been my dream—

to join them with an equal partner. To become a foursome. I’d said this to Willy so many times,

and he’d always replied: It might not happen, Harold! And you’ve got to be OK with that. Well,

now I felt that it was going to happen, and I told him so—but he still said to slow down.

She’s an American actress after all, Harold. Anything might happen.

I nodded, a bit hurt. Then hugged him and Kate and left.

1 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

2 barraged   

v.火力攻击（或阻击）( barrage的过去式和过去分词 )；以密集火力攻击（或阻击）

参考例句：

• We immediately barraged the enemy stronghold with a torrent of rifle fire. 我们立刻用密集的步枪火力攻击敌人据点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Our troops barraged against the enemy with a torrent of rifle fire. 我军以密集的步枪火力向敌人开火。 来自互联网

3 smitten   

猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。
• It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。

4 umpteenth   

adj.第无数次（个）的

参考例句：

• W; `Qmp`tinW/ pron, det: For the umpteenth time, I tell you I don't know! 我告诉你多少次了，我不知道！ 来自辞典例句
• Vera: That's the umpteenth suggestion I've made which you've turned down. 薇拉：这不知是我提出的第几个建议了，你全部不接受。 来自互联网