經典科幻文學:《 基本上無害 Mostly Harmless》 第2章7

‘You have a nice day now,’ said the receptionist.

“那麼祝你今天過得愉快。”接待說。

Tricia didn’t particularly want to have a nice day. She was busy.

崔茜卡並不特別想要過得愉快。她很忙。

She also didn’t want to talk to Gail Andrews. She had a very strict cut-off point as far as fraternising with the Christians was concerned. Her colleagues called her interview subjects Christians and would often cross themselves when they saw one walking innocently into the studio to face Tricia, particularly if Tricia was smiling warmly and showing her teeth.

她也不想見蓋爾?安德魯斯。崔茜卡不喜歡跟對手搞什麼親善友好，在這種問題上，她歷來是非常嚴格地點到爲止。如果需要採訪一個自己討厭的傢伙，她的同事會代她聯繫；然後，等看見那人一派天真地走進演播室面對崔茜卡的時候，同事們常常會在胸前畫個十字，如果崔茜卡熱情洋溢地衝人家露出一口白牙就更是如此。

She turned and smiled frostily, wondering what to do.

她轉身冷峻地一笑，不知道該如何是好。

Gail Andrews was a well groomed woman in her mid-forties. Her clothes fell within the boundaries defined by expensive good taste, but were definitely huddled up at the floatier end of those boundaries. She was an astrologer – a famous and, if rumour were true, influential astrologer, having allegedly influenced a number of decisions made by the late President Hudson, including everything from which flavour of cream whip to have on which day of the week, to whether or not to bomb Damascus.

蓋爾?安德魯斯四十多歲，修飾得很不錯。她的衣着處於昂貴而有品位的界限之內，更貼近昂貴那一頭。她是個占星術士——名氣不小，而且如果謠言準確的話，還很有影響力。據說，她曾經影響了前總統哈德遜的好些決定，包括從每星期的哪一天該吃什麼口味的奶油點心到要不要轟炸大馬士革在內的所有問題。

Tricia had savaged her more than somewhat. Not on the grounds of whether or not the stories about the President were true, that was old hat now. At the time Ms. Andrews had emphatically denied advising President Hudson on anything other than personal, spiritual or dietary matters, which did not, apparently include the bombing of Damascus. (‘NOTHING PERSONAL, DAMASCUS!’ the tabloids had hooted at the time.)

崔茜卡剛剛狠狠地噴了她一身唾沫。說的倒不是總統那檔子事兒，那已經是舊聞了。安德魯斯女士以前就着重強調過，自己只是針對總統先生的個人情況提供一些靈性和飲食方面的建議，其中顯然不包括轟炸大馬士革之類的問題（當時各家小報都使勁兒起鬨說：“咱不是針對你，大馬士革！”）。

No, this was a neat topical little angle that Tricia had come up with about the whole issue of astrology itself. Ms. Andrews had not been entirely ready for it. Tricia, on the other hand, was not entirely ready for a re-match in the hotel lobby. What to do?

不，崔茜卡是拿整個占星術做文章，搞得乾淨利落。當時的安德魯斯女士並沒有完全做好準備。反過來說，崔茜卡對在酒店大堂裏的加賽也沒有完全準備好。怎麼辦？

‘I can wait for you in the bar, if you need a few minutes,’ said Gail Andrews. ‘But I would like to talk to you, and I’m leaving the city tonight.’

“如果你需要幾分鐘的話，我可以在酒吧等你。”蓋爾?安德魯斯說，“但我希望今晚能跟你談談，趕在我離開紐約之前。”

She seemed to be slightly anxious about something rather than aggrieved or irate.

她看起來倒不像是憤憤不平或者怨氣連天，只是爲什麼事兒稍稍有些焦心。

‘OK,’ said Tricia. ‘Give me ten minutes.’

“好吧，”崔茜卡說，“給我十分鐘。”

She went up to her room. Apart from anything else she had so little faith in the ability of the guy on the message desk at reception to deal with anything as complicated as a message that she wanted to be doubly certain that there wasn’t a note under the door. It wouldn’t be the first time that messages at the desk and messages under the door had been completely at odds with each other.

她上樓進了自己的房間。前臺那傢伙實在讓人放心不下，估計那人沒法搞定像代客留言這麼複雜的活兒，所以她必須再確認確認，看門底下有沒有塞着張紙條什麼的。這種事她過去也遇到過，有時候前臺的留言跟門底下的留言完全水火不容。

There wasn’t one.

沒有紙條。