IT WAS AFTER SEVEN when I got to Susie’s. The patrons at the bar had achieved a high degree of merriment. I didn’t recognize the plinky tune¹ the steel band was playing, but it was all about sun and the sparkly Caribbean Sea.

  Made me want to move to Jamaica and open a dive shop with Joe. Drink passion fruit mai tais and grill² fish on the beach.

  I reached our table in the back room as Lorraine was clearing away a plate of chicken bones. She took my order for a Corona³ and dropped off the menu. Claire was taking up one side of our booth, what she called “sitting for two,” while Cindy and Yuki sat across from her - Yuki pressed up against the wall as if she’d been smushed there like a bug⁴.

  It looked like she’d lost a fight.

  I dragged up a chair, said, “What’d I miss?”

  “Yuki gave a great closing argument,” Cindy said, and then Yuki broke in.

  “But Davis obliterated⁵ it!”

  “You are nuts. You got the final damned word, Yuki,” Cindy said. “You nailed it.”

  I didn’t have to beg. As soon as we ordered dinner, Yuki launched into her impeccable L. Diana Davis impression, screaming, “Where’s the beef? Where’s the beef?”

  When Yuki paused for breath, Cindy said, “Do your rebuttal, Yuki. Do it like you mean it.”

  Yuki laughed a little hysterically⁶, wiped tears from her eyes with a napkin, downed her margarita - a drink she could barely handle on a good day. And then she belched⁷.

  “I hate waiting for a verdict,” she said.

  We all laughed, Cindy egging Yuki on until she said, “Okay.” And then she was into it, eyes glistening⁸

点击收听单词发音  

1 tune
n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整
参考例句：
He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。 The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 grill
n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问
参考例句：
Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。 I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

3 corona
n.日冕
参考例句：
The corona gains and loses energy continuously.日冕总是不断地获得能量和损失能量。 The corona is a brilliant,pearly white,filmy light,about as bright as the full moon.光环带是一种灿烂的珠白色朦胧光，几乎像满月一样明亮。

4 bug
n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器
参考例句：
There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。 The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

5 obliterated
v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭
参考例句：
The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。 He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 hysterically
ad. 歇斯底里地
参考例句：
The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 She sobbed hysterically, and her thin body was shaken. 她歇斯底里地抽泣着，她瘦弱的身体哭得直颤抖。

7 belched
v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气）
参考例句：
He wiped his hand across his mouth, then belched loudly. 他用手抹了抹嘴，然后打了个响亮的饱嗝。 Artillery growled and belched on the horizon. 大炮轰鸣在地平面上猛烈地爆炸。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 glistening
adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )
参考例句：
Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。 Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

9 defendant
n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的
参考例句：
The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。 The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。

10 indicted
控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。 He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

11 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。

12 dart
v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲
参考例句：
The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。 Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

13 confession
n.自白，供认，承认
参考例句：
Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。 The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。