Losing Teeth

 　　It seemed like every time I looked at my girlfriend Cindy she was missing another tooth.

　　"Oh Cindy," I said, and we hugged and cried, and then we went to her dentist and ex-husband, Dr. Martin Peterborough.

　　My Cindy had taken up drinking. She was a bad drunk, a terrible drunk, a falling down losing her teeth kind of drunk.

　　Cindy used to be a hand model. She had perfectly¹ lovely hands, white and smooth as porcelain². Her fingers were long and delicate. She had shapely nails--always beautiful manicured, polished a clear, natural color. Her hands had been on the cover of magazines, sporting the worlds biggest diamond, the largest emeralds and rubies³. Her hands had been in the movies, caressing⁴ the torsos and genitalia of famous movie stars. Cindy earned a stunning⁵ amount of money off her hands.

　　I spotted⁶ her on line at a house ware⁷ store, buying woven place mats. She was lovely. The way her fingers stroked the place mats as she stood in line. Is these love at first sight? I followed her from the store into a nearby café where she bought a chocolate croissant. Heartbreakingly lovely.

　　The drinking started only after the accident. Her lovely hands were ruined in an elevator fire. After years of protecting those soft, beautiful hands, refusing to wash a dish, open a package, shovel⁸ a sidewalk, they were ruined in a day by a crazed elevator operator, a union man, who set himself on fire. Cindy was standing⁹ next to him. She caught on fire too. Her left hand engulfed¹⁰ in the flames. The burns would heal, but there would always be scars. Just like that, Cindy's career was over. All over.

　　Dr. Peterborough still had feelings for Cindy. He also cried while he repaired the damage. His assistant wiped the tears from his face while he worked on Cindy's moth¹¹. After replacing the caps on Cindy's front teeth the second time in two weeks, Dr. Peterborough asked me to step out of the office for a friendly conversation. During our so-called friendly conversation, he asked me to step out of the relationship. ASAP. Pronto. Without delay.

　　"Dr. Peterborough?" I said. "Really?"

　　Perhaps I should mention that Cindy was old enough to be my mother. She was lovely in an older woman kind of way. I had never been so at ease with a girlfriend before. Cindy was grateful, whereas young girlfriends demand more and more. Dancing, phone calls, presents, commitment, money, presents, a real commitment. Late nights at the disco. With Cindy, I could relax. She reminded my of my mother but only prettier.

　　Dr. Peterborough wrote me a large script for pain killers¹². He thought I would leave Cindy for a whole mess of hydrocodone. I looked at Cindy, passed out on Dr. Peterborough's waiting room couch, curled up like a little girl. Her tooth was fixed¹³, again. Until the next time. The bandage on her hand was yellow and black with grime. She was less lovely. There was toilet paper in her hair.

　　I thought I loved Cindy. I stayed after the accident, when her left hand was ruined, when her finances became tight and she spent all her liquid resources on booze. I didn't run. I took her to the dentist when she came home from a night's drunk, bloody¹⁴, with her teeth in her pocket. Love with a capital L. But Dr. Peterborough was right. I wanted Cindy to take care of me. I was twenty-six years old. I had never been to Paris.

　　I walked out of the dentist's office and never looked back. I wish I had taken the pills but I am also glad that I didn't.

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

3 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

4 caressing   

爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的

参考例句：

• The spring wind is gentle and caressing. 春风和畅。
• He sat silent still caressing Tartar, who slobbered with exceeding affection. 他不声不响地坐在那里，不断抚摸着鞑靼，它由于获得超常的爱抚而不淌口水。

5 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

6 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。

7 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

8 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。

9 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。

10 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

12 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

13 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

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。