CINDY, CLAIRE, AND I had finished most of our Coronas1 and a plate of wings by the time Jill arrived. She hung her coat and came up warily2 to the booth, the nerves easy to read in her thin smile.
"So," she said, dumping her briefcase3, and tossed herself next to Claire, "who wants to be first to prod4?"
"No dissection," I said. "Wings... and here..." I tilted5 what was left of a beer into her glass.
We all raised our glasses, Jill a little hesitantly. We had this moment of quiet, everybody trying to figure out just what was right to say. How many times had we met together before? At first, four women with tough jobs who had come together just to pool our resources, solve a crime.
"To friends," Claire said. "Ones who will be there for one another. That means for anything, Jill."
"I'd better drink this," Jill said, her eyes starting to grow moist, "before I run my nose in it."
Jill drained about a third of the glass in a deep swallow. She drew a breath. "Okay, no reason to beat around the bush, right? You all know?"
Everyone nodded.
"Telephone, telegraph, tele-Boxer." Jill threw a wink7 my way.
"If you're in pain, we're all in pain," Claire said. "It would be the same for you if the roles were reversed."
"I know it would." Jill nodded. "So I guess what happens next is that you guys tell me I don't exactly fit the profile of the typical battered8 spouse9."
"I think the only thing that's next," I said, wetting my lips, "is for you to tell us how you feel."
"Yeah." She drew a tight breath. "First, I'm not battered. We fight. Steve's a bully10. He's never hit me with a fist. He's never struck my face."
Cindy moved to object, but Claire held her back.
"I know that doesn't exonerate11 him, or justify12 anything. I just wanted you to know." She bit her bottom lip. "I guess I can't describe how I feel. I've tried enough of these cases to know the range of emotions. Mostly, I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed to admit that this is me."
"How long has it been going on?" Claire asked.
Jill leaned back and smiled. "You want the truthful13 an-swer to that question, or the one I've been telling myself the past few months? The truthful one is, from before we were married."
I felt myself clench14 my teeth.
"It was always something. What I would wear, something I would buy for the house that didn't fit his style. Steve's very big on telling me I'm stupid."
"Stupid?" Claire gasped15. "You run intellectual rings around him."
"Steve's not dumb," Jill said. "He just doesn't see a lot of possibilities. At first, he would just squeeze me, like here, in the shoulders. Always pretend that it was inadvertent. Once or twice he threw things when he had a fit. My purse. Once, I remember" - she started to laugh - "it was this slab16 of Asiago cheese."
"Why?" Cindy shook her head, incredulous. "Why would he do these things to you?"
"Because I paid a bill late. Because I splurged on a pair of shoes when we were starting out and low on funds." She shrugged17. "Because he could."
"This has been going on since we've known you?" I said, stunned18.
Jill swallowed. "Guess I've been holding out on you guys, huh?" The waitress had brought some quesadillas and there was a Shania Twain song in the background. "It's like you're bribing19 me." She dipped a quesadilla in some guacamole and laughed. "New interrogation method. `Yes, I know where Osama bin20 Laden21 is hiding, but please, another one of those little cheesy things if you would....'"
We laughed. Jill always knew how to make us laugh.
"It's never the big things," Jill said. "It's always something trivial. The big things, I truly feel we really are partners in life. We've been through a lot together. But the small things...I accept a date for dinner with people he doesn't like. I forget to tell the housekeeper22 to take in his shirts. He
makes me feel like I'm a stupid child. Ordinary."
"You're anything but ordinary," Claire said.
Jill dabbed23 at her eyes and smiled. "My cheerleaders...I could shoot the son of a bitch and you'd be praising my aim."
"We've already been discussing that option," Cindy said.
"You know I've actually thought about it." Jill shook her head. "About who would try my case. Hey, I think I've let things get a little melodramatic."
I asked, "How would you counsel a woman who came to you with the same predicament? Jill the prosecutor24 now. Not Jill the wife. What would you say?"
"I'd tell her I'd slap a suit on him so fast, it would be stick-ing to his ass6 the next time he took a shit," she said, and laughed.
One by one, we all laughed, too.
"You say you need a little more time," I said to Jill. "We're not here to make you change your life today. But I know you. You're staying around because you feel it's your responsibility to make this work. I want your promise, Jill. He doesn't even have to close his fist. If there's one more incident, I'll come and pack your things myself. My place, Claire's place, Cindy's... Well, forget Cindy's... it's a dump. But you've got choices, hon. I want you to promise, the next time he even threatens you, you're gone."
There was a sheen on Jill's face, a glimmer25 in those sharp blue eyes. Something made me think I had never seen her look prettier. Her bangs curled a little over her eyes.
"I promise," she finally said, blushing behind a smile.
"This is for real," Cindy pressed her.
Jill raised her palm. "The Highland26 Park Brownies, swear on your sister and never betray; otherwise, your face will break out with huge zits, oath."
"That sounds sufficient," Claire said.
Jill took our hands in the middle of the table. "I love you guys," she said.
"We love you, Jill."
"Now, can we goddamn order," she said. "I feel like I just took the law boards again. I'm starved."
收听单词发音 |
1
coronas
|
|
| n.日冕，日华( corona的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
2
warily
|
|
| adv.留心地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
briefcase
|
|
| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
prod
|
|
| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
tilted
|
|
| v. 倾斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
ass
|
|
| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
wink
|
|
| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
spouse
|
|
| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
bully
|
|
| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
exonerate
|
|
| v.免除责任，确定无罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
justify
|
|
| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
truthful
|
|
| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
clench
|
|
| vt.捏紧（拳头等），咬紧（牙齿等），紧紧握住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
slab
|
|
| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
stunned
|
|
| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bribing
|
|
| 贿赂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
bin
|
|
| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
laden
|
|
| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
housekeeper
|
|
| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
dabbed
|
|
| （用某物）轻触( dab的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻而快地擦掉（或抹掉）； 快速擦拭； （用某物）轻而快地涂上（或点上）… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
prosecutor
|
|
| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
glimmer
|
|
| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
highland
|
|
| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |