1-10

 

10.

A month later it was half-term. I was going home at last.

Wait—no, I wasn’t.

Pa, apparently¹, didn’t want me to spend the break wandering aimlessly around St. James’sPalace, where he’d been mostly living since his breakup with Mummy, and where Willy and I hadlived whenever it was our allotted² time with Pa. He feared what I might get up to in that big palaceall by myself. He feared I might glimpse a newspaper, overhear a radio. More, he feared I mightbe photographed through an open window, or while playing with my toy soldiers in the gardens.

He could imagine reporters trying to speak to me, shouting questions. Hi, Harry³, do you miss yourmum? The nation was in a state of hysterical⁴ grief, but the press’s hysteria had veered⁵ intopsychosis.

Worst of all, Willy wouldn’t be at home to watch over me. He was at Eton.

So Pa announced that he’d be taking me with him on a planned work trip. To South Africa.

South Africa, Pa? Really?

Yes, darling boy. Johannesburg.

He had a meeting with Nelson Mandela…and the Spice Girls?

I was thrilled. And baffled. The Spice Girls, Pa? He explained that the Spice Girls were givinga concert in Johannesburg, so they were calling on President Mandela to pay their respects. Great,I thought, that explains why the Spice Girls are going to be there…what about us? I didn’t get it.

I’m not sure Pa wanted me to get it.

The truth was, Pa’s staff hoped a photo of him standing⁶ alongside the world’s most reveredpolitical leader and the world’s most popular female musical act would earn him some positiveheadlines, which he sorely needed. Since Mummy’s disappearance⁷ he’d been savaged⁸. Peopleblamed him for the divorce and thus for all that followed. His approval rating around the worldwas single digits⁹. In Fiji, to pick just one example, a national holiday in his honor had beenrescinded.

Whatever the official reason for the trip, I didn’t care. I was just glad to be going along. It wasa chance to get away from Britain. Better yet, it was proper time with Pa, who seemed sort ofchecked out.

Not that Pa hadn’t always been a bit checked out. He’d always given an air of being not quiteready for parenthood—the responsibilities, the patience, the time. Even he, though a proud man,would’ve admitted as much. But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that.

To be fair, he tried. Evenings, I’d shout downstairs: Going to bed, Pa! He’d always shout backcheerfully: I’ll be there shortly, darling boy! True to his word, minutes later he’d be sitting on theedge of my bed. He never forgot that I didn’t like the dark, so he’d gently tickle¹⁰ my face until I fellasleep. I have the fondest memories of his hands on my cheeks, my forehead, then waking to findhim gone, magically, the door always considerately left open a crack.

Other than those fleeting¹¹ moments, however, Pa and I mostly coexisted. He had troublecommunicating, trouble listening, trouble being intimate face-to-face. On occasion, after a longmulti-course dinner, I’d walk upstairs and find a letter on my pillow. The letter would say howproud he was of me for something I’d done or accomplished¹². I’d smile, place it under my pillow,but also wonder why he hadn’t said this moments ago, while seated directly across from me.

Thus the prospect¹³ of days and days of unrestricted Pa time was exhilarating.

Then came the reality. This was a work trip for Pa. And for me. The Spice Girls concertrepresented my first public appearance since the funeral, and I knew, through intuition, throughbits of overheard conversations, that the public’s curiosity about my welfare was running high. Ididn’t want to let them down, but I also wanted them all to go away. I remember stepping onto thered carpet, screwing a smile onto my face, suddenly wishing I was in my bed at St. James’sPalace.

Beside me was Baby Spice, wearing white plastic shoes with chunky twelve-inch platformheels. I fixated on those heels while she fixated on my cheeks. She kept pinching them. Sochubby! So cute! Then Posh Spice surged forward and clutched my hand. Farther down the line Ispied Ginger¹⁴ Spice, the only Spice with whom I felt any connection—a fellow ginger. Also, shewas world-famous for recently wearing a minidress made of the Union Jack¹⁵. Why’s there a UnionJack on the coffin¹⁶? She and the other Spices were cooing at me, saying things I didn’t understand,while bantering¹⁷ with the journalists, who were shouting at me. Harry, over here, Harry, Harry,how are you doing, Harry? Questions that weren’t questions. Questions that were traps. Questionsthat were flung at my head like cleavers¹⁸. The journalists didn’t give a toss how I was doing, theywere trying to get me to say something messy, newsy.

I gazed into their flashes, bared my teeth, said nothing.

If I was intimidated¹⁹ by the flashes, the Spice Girls were intoxicated²⁰. Yes, yes, a thousand timesyes, that was their attitude every time another flash went off. Fine by me. The more out-front theywere, the more I could fade into the woodwork. I remember they talked to the press about theirmusic and their mission. I didn’t know they had a mission, but one Spice compared the group’scrusade against sexism to Mandela’s struggle against apartheid.

At last someone said it was time for the concert to begin. Off you go. Follow your father.

Concert? Pa?

Impossible to believe. Even more impossible while it was actually happening. But I saw it withmy own eyes, Pa gamely nodding to the beat and tapping his foot:

If you want my future, forget my past

If you wanna get with me, better make it fastAfter, on the way out, there were more flashes. This time the Spice Girls weren’t there todeflect attention. It was just Pa and me.

I reached for him, grabbed his hand—hung on.

I recall, bright as the flashes: Loving him.

Needing him.

 

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 allotted   

分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I completed the test within the time allotted . 我在限定的时间内完成了试验。
• Each passenger slept on the berth allotted to him. 每个旅客都睡在分配给他的铺位上。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

5 veered   

v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• The bus veered onto the wrong side of the road. 公共汽车突然驶入了逆行道。
• The truck veered off the road and crashed into a tree. 卡车突然驶离公路撞上了一棵树。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

8 savaged   

（动物）凶狠地攻击（或伤害）( savage的过去式和过去分词 )； 残害； 猛烈批评； 激烈抨击

参考例句：

• The horse threw its rider to the ground and savaged him. 那马将骑马者摔在地上，乱踢他。
• The drink had savaged him. 酒使他变得野蛮。

9 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 tickle   

v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒

参考例句：

• Wilson was feeling restless. There was a tickle in his throat.威尔逊只觉得心神不定。嗓子眼里有些发痒。
• I am tickle pink at the news.听到这消息我高兴得要命。

11 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

12 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

14 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

15 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

16 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

17 bantering   

adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄

参考例句：

• There was a friendly, bantering tone in his voice. 他的声音里流露着友好诙谐的语调。
• The students enjoyed their teacher's bantering them about their mistakes. 同学们对老师用风趣的方式讲解他们的错误很感兴趣。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 cleavers   

n.猪殃殃（其茎、实均有钩刺）；砍肉刀，剁肉刀( cleaver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These monsters would not lay down their cleavers even when on the brink of their own destruction. 这些魔鬼临死也不会放下屠刀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 intoxicated   

喝醉的，极其兴奋的

参考例句：

• She was intoxicated with success. 她为成功所陶醉。
• They became deeply intoxicated and totally disoriented. 他们酩酊大醉，东南西北全然不辨。