《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》03 My Un-wedding Day

　　Unit 3
My Un-wedding Day
The local bishop¹ in the western Canadian city of Nelson, was going to perform the ceremony. July 18, 1987, would be the day, just before my 37th birthday, when I would get married for the first time.
Her name was Helen. She was a hairstylist, and we had met in Cuba in March 1986. Three months later, we were engaged. Then, in her Vancouver flat 11 months later, she said she couldn't marry me.
The drive back to my home was an endless journey of destructive emotions and thoughts. The hurt had already set in, but the humiliation² was still ahead.
"Yes, time will heal the pain." I told friends. I vowed³ it would be a long time before I let myself be hurt like that again. But I came to understand that the prospect⁴ of leaving her family, friends and job must have scared her deeply. Better before the marriage than after.
As the date of our wedding approached, I decided⁵ that I still wanted it to be a special day. Rather than spending it dwelling⁶ on what might have been, I wanted to celebrate my friendships with all the people who would have been at the party.
I had wedding-style invitations printed: "Mr. Raymond Turchansky will not be getting married on Saturday, July 18, 1987. So he requests the honor of your presence at the party on that day. Lunch and Champagne⁷ at 4 pm".
The party was a blast. I wore a tuxedo⁸, had my photo taken with my brother, Larry, who would have been my best man. I played Pachelbel's Canon, a piece I wanted to be my wedding music, a piece she had dismissed as "nice music to dust by".
Some 40 people came -- friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. They brought a cake -- with just a groom⁹ on it -- reading, "Oh, it's great to be single." Rather than roses, they offered stinkweed. We ate. We drank. And best of all, we laughed.
A month later, I was covering the Canadian Amateur Gold Championship. Filling in for another reporter who couldn't make it at the last minute was a woman named Lorraine. She already had a cassette tape filled with versions of Pachelbel's Canon. She wanted to learn how to play golf. She said I made her laugh. I knew that would be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Two years later, we spent our honeymoon¹⁰ along the Mississippi River. When Lorraine says she will marry a person, she does it. I like that in a woman.
We recently revisited the American South for our tenth anniversary. Our sons are eight and six years old, and only every second or third day do they say we are the worst parents in the world.
As for Helen, I haven't seen her since I drove off into that Vancouver fog.

1 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

2 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 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。

6 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

7 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

8 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

9 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

10 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。