hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第54节
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¨How long were you underwater？〃
¨I donˇt know。 I know I rested a long time with my arms on the logs before I tried to do anything else。〃
¨I like that story。 But it will make me have bad dreams。 Tell me something happy； Tom。〃
¨All right；〃 he said。 ¨Let me think。〃
¨No。 Tell one right away without thinking。〃
¨All right；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨When young Tom was a little baby〃
¨？Qu？ muchacho m？s guapo！〃 Honest Lil interrupted。 ¨？Qu？ noticias tienes de ？l？〃
¨Muy buenas。〃
¨Me alegro；〃 said Honest Lil； tears coming into her eyes at the thought of young Tom the flyer。 ¨Siempre tengo su fotograf？a en uniforme con el sagrado coraz？n de Jes？s arriba de la fotograf？a y al lado la virgen del Cobre。〃
¨You have great faith in the Virgen del Cobre？〃
¨Absolutely blind faith。〃
¨You must keep it。〃
¨And she is looking after Tom day and night。〃
¨Good；〃 said Thomas Hudson。 ¨Seraf？n； another of these big ones； please。 Do you want the happy story？〃
¨Yes； please；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨Please tell me the happy story。 I feel sad again。〃
¨Pues el happy story es muy sencillo；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨The first time we ever took Tom to Europe； he was only three months old and it was a very old； small； and slow liner and the sea was rough most of the time。 The ship smelled of bilge and oil and the grease on the brass of portholes and of the lavabos and the disinfectant they used that was in big pink cakes in the pissoirs〃
¨Pues； this isnˇt a very happy story。〃
¨S？； mujer。 Youˇre wrong as hell。 This is a happy story； muy happy。 I go on。 The ship also smelled of baths you had to take at regular hours or be looked down on by the bath steward and of the smell of hot salt water coming out of the brass nozzles of the bath fixtures and of the wet wooden grate on the floor and of the starched jacket of the bath steward。 It also smelled of cheap English ship cooking which is a discouraging smell and of the dead butts of Woodbines； Players； and Gold Flakes in the smoking room and wherever they were dropped。 It did not have one good smell； and as you know the English； both men and women； all have a peculiar odor； even to themselves； much as we have to Negroes； and so they have to bathe very often。 An Englishman never smells sweet as a cowˇs breath does and a pipe…smoking Englishman does not conceal his odor。 He only adds something to it。 Their tweeds smell good and so does the leather of their boots and all their saddlery smells good。 But there is no saddlery on a ship and the tweeds are impregnated with the dead pipe smell。 The only way you could get a good smell on that ship was when your nose was deep in a tall glass of dry sparkling cider from Devon。 This smelled wonderful and I kept my nose in it as much as I could afford。 Maybe more。〃
¨Pues； it is a little more happy now。〃
¨Here is the happy part。 Our cabin was so low； just above the water line； that the port had to be kept closed all the time and you saw the sea racing by and then you saw it solid green as the sea went past the porthole。 We had built a barricade with trunks and suitcases roped together so that Tom could not fall out of the berth and when his mother and I would come down to see how he was； every time we ever came； if he was awake； he was laughing。〃
¨Did he really laugh when he was three months old？〃
¨He laughed all the time。 I never heard him cry when he was a baby。〃
¨？Qu？ muchacho m？s lindo m？s guapo！〃
¨Yes；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Very high…class muchacho。 Want me to tell you another happy story about him？〃
¨Why did you leave his lovely mother？〃
¨A very strange combination of circumstances Do you want another happy story？〃
¨Yes。 But without so many smells In it。〃
¨This frozen daiquiri； so well beaten as it is； looks like the sea where the wave falls away from the bow of a ship when she is doing thirty knots。 How do you think frozen daiquiris would be if they were phosphorescent？〃
¨You could put phosphorus in them。 But I donˇt think it would be healthy。 Sometimes people in Cuba commit suicide by eating phosphorus from the heads of matches。〃
¨And drinking tinte r？pido。 What is rapid ink？〃
¨It is a dye to make shoes black。 But most often girls who have been crossed in love or when their fianc？s have not kept their promises and done the things to them and then gone away without marrying； commit suicide by pouring alcohol on themselves and setting themselves on fire。 That is the classic way。〃
¨I know；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Auto da f？。〃
¨Itˇs very certain；〃 Honest Lil said； ¨They nearly always die。 The burns are on the head first and usually all over the body。 Rapid ink is more of a gesture。 Iodine is au fond a gesture； too。〃
¨What are you two ghouls talking about？〃 Seraf？n the barman asked。
¨Suicides。〃
¨Hay mucho；〃 Seraf？n said ¨Especially among the poor； I donˇt remember a rich Cuban committing suicide Do you？〃
¨Yes；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨I know of several casesgood people； too。〃
¨You would；〃 Seraf？n said；
¨Se？or Tom？s； do you want something to eat with those drinks？ ？Un poco de pescado？ ？Puerco frito？ Any cold meats？〃
¨S？；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Whatever there is。〃
Seraf？n put a plate of bits of pork； fried brown and crisped； and a plate of red snapper fried in batter so that it wore a yellow crust over the pink…red skin and the white sweet fish inside。 He was a tall boy； naturally rough spoken； and he walked roughly from the wooden shoes he wore against the wet and the spillage behind the bar。
¨Do you want cold meats？〃
¨No。 This is enough。〃
¨Take anything they will give you； Tom；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨You know this place。〃
The bar had a reputation for never buying a drink。 But actually it gave an uncounted number of plates of hot free lunch each day； not only the fried fish and pork； but plates of little hot meat fritters and sandwiches of French…fried bread with toasted cheese and ham。 The bartenders also mixed the daiquiris in a huge shaker and there was always at least a drink and a half left in the shaker after the drinks were poured。
¨Are you less sad now？〃 Honest Lil asked
¨Yes。〃
¨Tell me； Tom。 What are you sad about？〃
¨El mundo entero。〃
¨Who isnˇt sad about the whole world？ It goes worse all the time。 But you canˇt spend your time being sad about that。〃
¨There isnˇt any law against it。〃
¨There doesnˇt have to be a law against things for them to be wrong。〃
Ethical discussions with Honest Lil are not what I need； Thomas Hudson thought。 What do you need； you bastard？ You needed to get drunk which you are probably doing even though it does not seem so to you。 There is no way for you to get what you need and you will never have what you want again。 But there are various palliative measures you should take。 Go ahead。 Take one。
¨Voy a tomar otro de estos grandes sin az？car；〃 he said to Seraf？n。
¨En seguida； Don Tom？s；〃 Seraf？n said。 ¨Are you going to try to beat the record？〃
¨No。 Iˇm just drinking with calmness。〃
¨You were drinking with calmness when you set the record；〃 Seraf？n said。 ¨With calmness and fortitude from morning until night。 And you walked out on your own feet。〃
¨The hell with the record。〃
¨Youˇve got a chance to break it；〃 Seraf？n told him。 ¨Drinking as you are now and eating a little as you go along； you have an excellent chance。〃
¨Tom； try to break the record；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨Iˇm here as a witness。〃
¨He doesnˇt need any witness；〃 Seraf？n said。 ¨Iˇm the witness。 When I go off Iˇll give the count to Constante。 Youˇre further along right now than you were the day you set the record。〃
¨The hell with the record。〃
¨Youˇre in good form。 Youˇre drinking well and steady and theyˇre not having any effect on you。〃
¨Fuck the record。〃
¨All right。 Como usted quiere。 Iˇm keeping count just in case you change your mind。〃
¨Heˇll keep count all right；〃 Honest Lil said。 ¨He has the duplicate tickets。〃
¨What do you want； woman？ Do you want a real record or a phony record？〃
¨Neither。 I want a highbalito with agua mineral。〃
¨Como siempre；〃 Seraf？n said。
¨I drink brandy； too。〃
¨I donˇt want to be here when you drink brandy。〃
¨Tom； did you know I fell down trying to get onto a streetcar and was nearly killed？〃
¨Poor Honest Lil；〃 Seraf？n said。 ¨A dangerous and adventurous life。〃
¨Better than yours standing all day in wooden shoes behind a bar and serving rummies。〃
¨Thatˇs my trade；〃 Seraf？n said。 ¨Itˇs a privilege to serve such distinguished rummies as you。〃
Henry Wood came over。 He stood； tall and sweating and newly excited by a change of plans。 There was nothing that pleased him； Thomas Hudson thought； like a sudden change of plans。
¨Weˇre going over to Alfredˇs Sin House；〃 he said。 ¨Do you want to come； Tom？〃
¨Willieˇs waiting for you at the Bar Basque。〃
¨I donˇt believe we really want Willie on this one。〃
¨You ought to tell him； then。〃
¨Iˇll call him up。 Donˇt you want to come？ This is going to be very good。〃
¨You ought to eat something。〃
¨Iˇll eat
