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Chapter 27
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We had one critical task to perform before leaving New Yorkthe following morning. Max Freyberg, the cosmetic1 surgeon andpotential biological father of Rosie, who was ‘booked solid’, hadagreed to see us for fifteen minutes at 6.45 p.m. Rosie hadtold his secretary she was writing a series of articles for apublication about successful alumni of the university. I wascarrying Rosie’s camera and would be identified as aphotographer.
Getting the appointment had been difficult enough, but it hadbecome apparent that collecting the DNA2 would be far moredifficult in a working environment than in a social or domesticlocation. I had set my brain the task of solving the problembefore we departed for New York, and had expected it to havefound a solution through background processing, but it hadapparently been too occupied with other matters. The best Icould think of was a spiked3 ring that would draw blood whenwe shook hands, but Rosie considered this socially infeasible.
214/290She suggested clipping a hair, either surreptitiously or afteridentifying it as a stray that would mar4 the photo. Surely acosmetic surgeon would care about his appearance.
Unfortunately a clipped hair was unlikely to yield an adequatesample – it needed to be plucked to obtain a follicle. Rosiepacked a pair of tweezers5. For once I hoped I might have tospend fifteen minutes in a smoke-filled room. A cigarette buttwould solve our problem. We would have to be alert toopportunities.
Dr Freyberg’s rooms were in an older-style building on theUpper West Side. Rosie pushed the buzzer6 and a securityguard appeared and took us up to a waiting area where thewalls were totally covered with framed certificates and lettersfrom patients praising Dr Freyberg’s work.
Dr Freyberg’s secretary, a very thin woman (BMI estimatesixteen) of about fifty-five with disproportionately thick lips, ledus into his office. More certificates! Freyberg himself had amajor fault: he was completely bald. The hair-plucking approachwould not be viable7. Nor was there any evidence that he wasa smoker8.
Rosie conducted the interview very impressively. Freybergdescribed some procedures that seemed to have minimal9 clinicaljustification, and talked about their importance to self-esteem. Itwas fortunate that I had been allocated10 the silent role, as Iwould have been strongly tempted11 to argue. I was alsostruggling to focus. My mind was still processing thehand-holding incident.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Rosie, ‘but could I bother you for something todrink?’
Of course! The coffee swab solution.
‘Sure,’ said Freyberg. ‘Tea, coffee?’
‘Coffee would be great,’ said Rosie. ‘Just black. Will you haveone yourself?’
‘I’m good. Let’s keep going.’ He pushed a button on hisintercom.
‘Rachel. One black coffee.’
215/290‘You should have a coffee,’ I said to him.
‘Never touch it,’ said Freyberg.
‘Unless you have a genetic13 intolerance of caffeine, there are noproven harmful effects. On the contrary –’
‘What magazine is this for again?’
The question was straightforward14 and totally predictable. Wehad agreed the name of the fictitious15 university publication inadvance, and Rosie had already used it in her introduction.
But my brain malfunctioned16. Rosie and I spoke17 simultaneously18.
Rosie said, ‘ Faces of Change.’ I said, ‘ Hands of Change.’
It was a minor19 inconsistency that any rational person wouldhave interpreted as a simple, innocent error, which in fact itwas. But Freyberg’s expression indicated disbelief and heimmediately scribbled20 on a notepad. When Rachel brought thecoffee, he gave her the note. I diagnosed paranoia21 and startedto think about escape plans.
‘I need to use the bathroom,’ I said. I planned to phoneFreyberg from the bathroom, so Rosie could escape while hetook the call.
I walked towards the exit, but Freyberg blocked my path.
‘Use my private one,’ he said. ‘I insist.’
He led me through the back of his office, past Rachel to adoor marked ‘Private’ and left me there. There was no way toexit without returning the way we had come. I took out myphone, called 411 – dir-ectory assistance – and they connectedme to Rachel. I could hear the phone ring and Rachel answer.
I kept my voice low.
‘I need to speak to Dr Freyberg,’ I said. ‘It’s an emergency.’ Iexplained that my wife was a patient of Dr Freyberg and thather lips had exploded. I hung up and texted Rosie: Exit now.
The bathroom was in need of Eva’s services. I managed toopen the window, which had obviously not been used for along time. We were four floors up, but there seemed to beplenty of handholds on the wall.
I eased myself through the window and started climbing down,slowly,216/290focusing on the task, hoping Rosie had escaped successfully. Ithad been a long time since I had practised rock climbing andthe descent was not as simple as it first seemed. The wall wasslippery from rain earlier in the day and my running shoeswere not ideal for the task. At one point I slipped and onlyjust managed to grasp a rough brick. I heard shouts frombelow.
When I finally reached the ground, I discovered that a smallcrowd had formed. Rosie was among them. She flung herarms around me.
‘Oh my God, Don, you could have killed yourself. It didn’tmatter that much.’
‘The risk was minor. It was just important to ignore the heightissue.’
We headed for the subway. Rosie was quite agitated22. Freyberghad thought that she was some sort of private investigator,working on behalf of a dissatisfied patient. He was trying tohave the security personnel detain her. Whether his positionwas legally defensible or not, we would have been in a difficultposition.
‘I’m going to get changed,’ said Rosie. ‘Our last night in NewYork City. What do you want to do?’
My original schedule specified23 a steakhouse, but now that wewere in the pattern of eating together, I would need to select arestaurant suitable for a sustainable-seafood-eating ‘vegetarian’.
‘We’ll work it out,’ she said. ‘Lots of options.’
It took me three minutes to change my shirt. I waiteddownstairs for Rosie for another six. Finally I went up to herroom and knocked.
There was a long wait. Then I heard her voice.
‘How long do you think it takes to have a shower?’
‘Three minutes, twenty seconds,’ I said, ‘unless I wash my hair,in which case it takes an extra minute and twelve seconds.’
The additional time was due primarily to the requirement thatthe conditioner remain in place for sixty seconds.
217/290‘Hold on.’
Rosie opened the door wearing only a towel. Her hair was wet,and she looked extremely attractive. I forgot to keep my eyesdirected towards her face.
‘Hey,’ she said. ‘No pendant.’ She was right. I couldn’t use thependant excuse. But she didn’t give me a lecture oninappropriate behaviour. Instead, she smiled and steppedtowards me. I wasn’t sure if she was going to take anotherstep, or if I should. In the end, neither of us did. It was anawkward moment but I suspected we had both contributed tothe problem.
‘You should have brought the ring,’ said Rosie.
For a moment, my brain interpreted ‘ring’ as ‘wedding ring’,and began constructing a completely incorrect scenario24. Then Irealised that she was referring to the spiked ring I hadproposed as a means of obtaining Freyberg’s blood.
‘To come all this way and not get a sample.’
‘Fortunately, we have one.’
‘You got a sample? How?’
‘His bathroom. What a slob. He should get his prostatechecked. The floor –’
‘Stop,’ said Rosie. ‘Too much information. But nice work.’
‘Very poor hygiene,’ I told her. ‘For a surgeon. Apseudo-surgeon.
Incredible waste of surgical25 skill – inserting synthetic26 materialspurely to alter appearance.’
‘Wait till you’re fifty-five and your partner’s forty-five and see ifyou say the same thing.’
‘You’re supposed to be a feminist,’ I said, though I wasbeginning to doubt it.
‘It doesn’t mean I want to be unattractive.’
‘Your appearance should be irrelevant27 to your partner’sassessment of you.’
218/290‘Life is full of should-be’s,’ said Rosie. ‘You’re the geneticist.
Everyone notices how people look. Even you.’
‘True. But I don’t allow it to affect my evaluation28 of them.’
I was on dangerous territory: the issue of Rosie’s attractivenesshad got me into serious trouble on the night of the faculty29 ball.
The statement was consistent with my beliefs about judgingpeople and with how I would wish to be judged myself. But Ihad never had to apply these beliefs to someone standingopposite me in a hotel bedroom wearing only a towel. Itdawned on me that I had not told the full truth.
‘Ignoring the testosterone factor,’ I added.
‘Is there a compliment buried in there somewhere?’
The conversation was getting complicated. I tried to clarify myposition. ‘It would be unreasonable31 to give you credit for beingincredibly beautiful.’
What I did next was undoubtedly32 a result of my thoughtsbeing scrambled33 by a sequence of extraordinary and traumaticincidents in the preceding few hours: the hand-holding, theescape from the cosmetic surgery and the extreme impact ofthe world’s most beautiful woman standing30 naked under atowel in front of me.
Gene12 should also take some blame for suggesting that earlobesize was a predictor of sexual attraction. Since I had neverbeen so sexually attracted to a woman before, I was suddenlycompelled to examine her ears. In a moment that was, inretrospect, similar to a critical incident in Albert Camus’ TheOutsider, I reached out and brushed her hair aside. But inthis case, amazingly, the response was different from thatdocumented in the novel we had studied in high school. Rosieput her arms round me and kissed me.
I think it is likely that my brain is wired in a non-standardconfiguration, but my ancestors would not have succeeded inbreeding without219/290understanding and responding to basic sexual signals. Thataptitude was hardwired in. I kissed Rosie back. She responded.
We pulled apart for a moment. It was obvious that dinnerwould be delayed. Rosie studied me and said, ‘You know, ifyou changed your glasses and your haircut, you could beGregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.’
‘Is that good?’ I assumed, given the circumstances, that it was,but wanted to hear her confirm it.
‘He was only the sexiest man that ever lived.’
We looked at each other some more, and I moved to kiss heragain.
She stopped me.
‘Don, this is New York. It’s like a holiday. I don’t want you toassume it means anything more.’
‘What happens in New York stays in New York, right?’ It wasa line Gene had taught me for conference use. I had neverneeded to employ it before. It felt a little odd, but appropriatefor the circumstances. It was obviously important that we bothagreed there was no emotional continuation. Although I did nothave a wife at home like Gene, I had a concept of a wife thatwas very different from Rosie, who would presumably step outon the balcony for a cigarette after sex. Oddly, the prospectdidn’t repel34 me as much as it should have.
‘I have to get something from my room,’ I said.
‘Good thinking. Don’t take too long.’
My room was only eleven floors above Rosie’s, so I walked upthe stairs. Back in my room, I showered, then thumbedthrough the book Gene had given me. He had been right afterall. Incredible.
I descended35 the stairs to Rosie’s room. Forty-three minutes hadpassed. I knocked on the door, and Rosie answered, nowwearing a sleeping costume that was, in fact, more revealingthan the towel. She was holding two glasses of Champagne36.
‘Sorry, it’s gone a bit flat.’
220/290I looked around the room. The bed cover was turned down,the cur-tains were closed and there was just one bedside lampon. I gave her Gene’s book.
‘Since this is our first – and probably only – time, and youare doubtless more experienced, I recommend that you selectthe position.’
Rosie thumbed through the book, then started again. Shestopped at the first page where Gene had written his symbol.
‘Gene gave you this?’
‘It was a present for the trip.’
I tried to read Rosie’s expression, and guessed anger, but thatdisappeared and she said, in a non-angry tone, ‘Don, I’msorry, I can’t do this. I’m really sorry.’
‘Did I say something wrong?’
‘No, it’s me. I’m really sorry.’
‘You changed your mind while I was gone?’
‘Yeah,’ said Rosie. ‘That’s what happened. I’m sorry.’
‘Are you sure I didn’t do something wrong?’ Rosie was myfriend and the risk to our friendship was now at the forefrontof my mind.
The sex issue had evaporated.
‘No, no, it’s me,’ she said. ‘You were incredibly considerate.’
It was a compliment I was unaccustomed to receiving. A verysatisfying compliment. The night had not been a total disaster.
I could not sleep. I had not eaten and it was only 8.55 p.m.
Claudia and Gene would be at work now, back in Melbourne,and I did not feel like talking to either of them. I considered itinadvisable to contact Rosie again, so I rang my remainingfriend. Dave had eaten already, but we walked to a pizzarestaurant and he ate a second dinner. Then we went to abar and watched baseball and talked about women. I do221/290not recall much of what either of us said, but I suspect thatlittle of it would have been useful in making rational plans forthe future.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 cosmetic qYgz2     
n.化妆品;adj.化妆用的;装门面的;装饰性的
参考例句:
  • These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
  • Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品,所以请尽情微笑吧!
2 DNA 4u3z1l     
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句:
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
3 spiked 5fab019f3e0b17ceef04e9d1198b8619     
adj.有穗的;成锥形的;有尖顶的
参考例句:
  • The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句
4 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
5 tweezers ffxzlw     
n.镊子
参考例句:
  • We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
  • Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。
6 buzzer 2x7zGi     
n.蜂鸣器;汽笛
参考例句:
  • The buzzer went off at eight o'clock.蜂鸣器在8点钟时响了。
  • Press the buzzer when you want to talk.你想讲话的时候就按蜂鸣器。
7 viable mi2wZ     
adj.可行的,切实可行的,能活下去的
参考例句:
  • The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
  • The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
8 smoker GiqzKx     
n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室
参考例句:
  • His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
  • He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。
9 minimal ODjx6     
adj.尽可能少的,最小的
参考例句:
  • They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
  • I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家,所以我的花费很小。
10 allocated 01868918c8cec5bc8773e98ae11a0f54     
adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
  • More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。
11 tempted b0182e969d369add1b9ce2353d3c6ad6     
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词)
参考例句:
  • I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
  • I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
12 gene WgKxx     
n.遗传因子,基因
参考例句:
  • A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
  • The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
13 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
14 straightforward fFfyA     
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
参考例句:
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
15 fictitious 4kzxA     
adj.虚构的,假设的;空头的
参考例句:
  • She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
  • The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。
16 malfunctioned 3382f43df02bbf0a078a163bd4af7dfd     
发生故障(malfunction的过去式与过去分词)
参考例句:
  • Is there any way the dye pack malfunctioned back at the bank? 什么能使爆色板在银行内就失效? 来自电影对白
  • The malfunctioned roller of his mouse is under repair. 他鼠标的滚轴失灵了,正在修呢。 来自互联网
17 spoke XryyC     
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。
18 simultaneously 4iBz1o     
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地
参考例句:
  • The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
  • The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。
19 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
20 scribbled de374a2e21876e209006cd3e9a90c01b     
v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 );乱画;草草地写;匆匆记下
参考例句:
  • She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
  • He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前,他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。
21 paranoia C4rzL     
n.妄想狂,偏执狂;多疑症
参考例句:
  • Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.她的洁癖近乎偏执。
  • The push for reform is also motivated by political paranoia.竞选的改革运动也受到政治偏执狂症的推动。
22 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
23 specified ZhezwZ     
adj.特定的
参考例句:
  • The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
  • It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。
24 scenario lZoxm     
n.剧本,脚本;概要
参考例句:
  • But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
  • This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。
25 surgical 0hXzV3     
adj.外科的,外科医生的,手术上的
参考例句:
  • He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
  • All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前,必须消毒。
26 synthetic zHtzY     
adj.合成的,人工的;综合的;n.人工制品
参考例句:
  • We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
  • It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。
27 irrelevant ZkGy6     
adj.不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的
参考例句:
  • That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
  • A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上,一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。
28 evaluation onFxd     
n.估价,评价;赋值
参考例句:
  • I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
  • The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。
29 faculty HhkzK     
n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员
参考例句:
  • He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
  • He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。
30 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
31 unreasonable tjLwm     
adj.不讲道理的,不合情理的,过度的
参考例句:
  • I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
  • They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。
32 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
33 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
34 repel 1BHzf     
v.击退,抵制,拒绝,排斥
参考例句:
  • A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
  • Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。
35 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
36 champagne iwBzh3     
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。


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