12:45 AM
IN the barn, Sophie had produced a bottle of vodka.
Craig's mother had ordered lights out at midnight, but she had not come back to check, so the youngsters were sitting in front of the television set, watching an old horror movie. Craig's dopey sister, Caroline, stroked a white rat and pretended she thought the film was silly. His little cousin Tom was pigging out on chocolates and trying to stay awake. Sexy Sophie smoked cigarettes and said nothing. Craig was alternately worrying about the dented2 Ferrari and watching for a chance to kiss Sophie. Somehow the setting was not romantic enough. But would it get any better?
The vodka surprised him. He had thought her talk of cocktails3 was just showing off. But she went up the ladder to the hayloft bedroom, where her bag was, and came back down with a half bottle of Smirnoff in her hand. "Who wants some?" she said.
They all did.
The only glasses they had were plastic tumblers decorated with pictures of Pooh and Tigger and Eeyore. There was a fridge with soft drinks and ice. Tom and Caroline mixed their vodka with Coca-Cola. Craig, not sure what to do, copied Sophie and drank it straight with ice. The taste was bitter, but he liked the warm glow as it went down his throat.
The movie was going through a dull patch. Craig said to Sophie, "Do you know what you're getting for Christmas?"
"Two decks and a mixer, so I can deejay. You?"
"Snowboarding holiday. Some guys I know are going to Val d'Isére at Easter, but it's expensive. I've asked for the money. So you want to be a deejay?"
"I think I'd be good at it."
"Is that, like, your career plan?"
"Dunno." Sophie looked scornful. "What's your 'career plan'?"
"Can't make up my mind. I'd love to play football professionally. But then you're finished before you're forty. And anyway, I might not be good enough. I'd really like to be a scientist like Grandpa."
"A bit boring."
"No! He discovers fantastic new drugs, he's his own boss, he makes piles of money, and he drives a Ferrari F50—what's boring?"
She shrugged4. "I wouldn't mind the car." She giggled5. "Except for the dent1."
The thought of the damage he had done to his grandfather's car no longer depressed6 Craig. He was feeling pleasantly relaxed and carefree. He toyed with the idea of kissing Sophie right now, ignoring the others. What held him back was the thought that she might reject him in front of his sister, which would be humiliating.
He wished he understood girls. No one ever told you anything. His father probably knew all there was to know. Women seemed to take to Hugo instantly, but Craig could not figure out why, and when he asked, his father just laughed. In a rare moment of intimacy7 with his mother, he had asked her what attracted girls to a man. "Kindness," she had said. That was obviously rubbish. When waitresses and shop assistants responded to his father, grinning at him, blushing, walking away with a distinct wiggle, it was not because they thought he would be kind to them, for God's sake. But what was it? All Craig's friends had surefire theories about sex appeal, and they were all different. One believed that girls liked a guy to be masterful and tell them what to do; another said that if you ignored them they would flock around you; others claimed girls were interested only in an athletic8 physique, or good looks, or money. Craig was sure they were all wrong, but he had no hypothesis of his own.
Sophie drained her glass. "Another?"
They all had another.
Craig began to realize that the movie was, in fact, hilarious9. "That castle is so obviously made of plywood," he said with a chuckle10.
Sophie said, "And they all have sixties eye makeup11 and hairstyles, even though it's set in the Middle Ages."
Caroline suddenly said, "Oh, God, I'm so sleepy." She got to her feet, climbed the ladder with some difficulty, and disappeared.
Craig thought, One down, one to go. Maybe the scene could turn romantic after all.
The old witch in the story had to bathe in the blood of a virgin12 to make herself young again. The bathtub scene was a hilarious combination of titillation13 and gross-out, and both Craig and Sophie giggled helplessly.
"I'm going to be sick," said Tom.
"Oh, no!" Craig sprang to his feet. He felt dizzy for a second, then recovered. "Bathroom, quick," he said. He took Tom's arm and led him there.
Tom started to throw up a fatal second before he reached the toilet.
Craig ignored the mess on the floor and guided him to the bowl. Tom puked some more. Craig held the boy's shoulders and tried not to breathe. There goes the romantic atmosphere, he thought.
Sophie came to the door. "Is he all right?"
"Yeah." Craig put on the air of a snooty schoolteacher. "An injudicious combination of chocolates, vodka, and virgin's blood."
Sophie laughed. Then, to Craig's surprise, she grabbed a length of toilet roll, got down on her knees, and began to clean the tiled floor.
Tom straightened up.
"All done?" Craig asked him.
Tom nodded. Sure? bure.
Craig flushed the toilet. "Now clean your teeth."
"Why?"
"So you won't smell so bad."
Tom brushed his teeth.
Sophie threw a wad of paper into the toilet and took some more. Craig led Tom out of the bathroom to his camp bed on the floor. "Get undressed," he said. He opened Tom's small suitcase and found a pair of Spider-Man pajamas14. Tom put them on and climbed into bed. Craig folded his clothes.
"I'm sorry I heaved," Tom said.
"It happens to the best of us," Craig said. "Forget it." He pulled the blanket up to Tom's chin. "Sweet dreams."
He returned to the bathroom. Sophie had cleaned up with surprising efficiency, and she was pouring disinfectant into the bowl. Craig washed his hands, and she stood beside him at the sink and did the same. It felt comradely.
In a low, amused voice, Sophie said, "When you told him to brush his teeth, he asked why."
Craig grinned at her in the mirror. "Like, he wasn't planning to kiss anyone tonight, so why bother?"
"Right."
She looked the most beautiful she had all day, Craig thought as she smiled at him in the mirror, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. He took a towel and handed her one end. They both dried their hands. Craig pulled the towel, drawing her to him, and kissed her lips.
She kissed him back. He parted his lips a little, and let her feel the tip of his tongue. She seemed tentative, unsure how to respond. Could it be that, for all her talk, she had not done much kissing?
He murmured, "Shall we go back to the couch? I never like snogging in the bog15."
She giggled and led the way out.
Craig thought, Fm not this witty16 when Fm sober.
He sat close to Sophie on the couch and put his arm around her. I hey watched the film for a minute, then he kissed her again.
收听单词发音 |
1
dent
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| n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展 | |
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dented
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| v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
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3
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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9
hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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10
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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11
makeup
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| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
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12
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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13
titillation
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| n.搔痒，愉快；搔痒感 | |
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14
pajamas
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| n.睡衣裤 | |
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15
bog
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| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
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16
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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