3-52

52.

We didn’t want to wait. We both wanted to start a family straightaway. We were working crazy

hours, our jobs were demanding, the timing¹ wasn’t ideal, but too bad. This had always been our

main priority.

We worried about the stress of our daily lives, that it might prevent us getting pregnant. The

toll² was starting to be visible on Meg; she’d lost a great deal of weight in the last year, despite all

the shepherd’s pie. I’m eating more than ever, she reported—yet her weight kept dropping.

Friends recommended an ayurvedic doctor who’d helped them conceive. As I understood it,

ayurvedic medicine sorted people into categories. I don’t recall which category this doctor sorted

Meg into, but she did confirm our suspicion that Meg’s weight loss might be a barrier to

conceiving.

Gain five pounds, the doctor promised, and you’ll get pregnant.

So Meg ate, and ate, and soon put on the recommended five pounds, and we looked hopefully

at the calendar.

Towards the end of summer 2018 we went to Scotland, the Castle of Mey, to spend a few days

with Pa. The bond between Meg and Pa, always strong, grew even stronger during that weekend.

One night, over pre-dinner cocktails³, Fred Astaire playing in the background, it emerged that Meg

shared a birthdate with Pa’s favorite person: Gan-Gan.

August 4.

Amazing, Pa said with a smile.

At the memory of Gan-Gan, and the link between her and my bride, he suddenly became

buoyant, telling stories I’d never heard, essentially⁴ performing, showing off for Meg.

One story in particular delighted us both, captured our imagination. It was about the selkies.

The what, Pa?

Scottish mermaids⁵, he said. They took the form of seals and cruised along the shore outside the

castle, within a stone’s throw of where we were sitting. So, when you see a seal, he advised, you

never can tell…Sing to it. They often sing back.

Oh, come on. You’re telling fairytales, Pa!

No, it’s absolutely true!

Did I imagine—did Pa promise—that the selkies might also grant a wish?

We talked a bit during that dinner about the stress we’d been under. If we could just convince

the papers to back off, we said…for a little while.

Pa nodded. But he felt it very important to remind us—

Yes, yes, Pa. We know. Don’t read it.

At tea the next day the good vibes continued. We were all laughing, talking about one thing

and another, when Pa’s butler burst into the room, pulling a land line behind him.

Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty⁶.

Pa sat bolt upright. Oh, yes. He reached for the phone.

I’m sorry, sir, but she’s calling for the Duchess.

Oh.

We all looked stunned⁷. Meg tentatively reached for the phone.

It seemed Granny was calling to talk about Meg’s father. She was responding to a letter Meg

had written her, asking for advice and help. Meg said she didn’t know how to make the press stop

interviewing him, enticing⁸ him to say horrid⁹ things. Granny now suggested that Meg forget the

press, go and see her father, try to talk some sense into him.

Meg explained that he lived in a Mexican border town and she didn’t know how she’d ever get

through the airport, through the press surrounding his house, then through that part of town, and

back again, quietly, safely.

Granny acknowledged the many problems with this plan.

In that case, perhaps write him a letter?

Pa agreed. Splendid idea.

1 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 mermaids   

n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。 来自辞典例句
• This is why mermaids should never come on land. 这就是为什么人鱼不应该上岸的原因。 来自电影对白

6 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

7 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

8 enticing   

adj.迷人的；诱人的

参考例句：

• The offer was too enticing to refuse. 这提议太有诱惑力，使人难以拒绝。
• Her neck was short but rounded and her arms plump and enticing. 她的脖子短，但浑圆可爱；两臂丰腴，也很动人。

9 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。