Chapter 28 28

"Oliver, how sure are you of your success in this operation?" "Marcy, I think it's a good ten." When I got home from New Haven, she was already waiting in the house, fresh as a souffle just out of the oven.You wouldn't think she had just flown from the West Coast to the East Coast, a whole day's flight. Even though my conversation with my dad was just one of many topics I reported to Marcie, she was thrilled to hear it. "Did you immediately decline without thinking?" "The refusal was clean and definitive," I said. That's when I remembered who I was talking to.

"Of course, if you were in my position, you would have accepted it, wouldn't you? Didn't you just take it all in back then?" "But I was holding back my anger back then," Marcie said with a heartfelt truth. "I am determined to do a good job and let people see." "Me too, that's why I refused." "Then are you willing to let such a large sum of money... um... the inheritance of your ancestors be wiped out like this?" "Returning the property of the ancestors - the first sweatshops in the United States!" "Oliver, that's a relic of the past. A unionized worker makes a lot of money today..."

"It's irrelevant." "Look at how many good things your family has done in society! Started a hospital, built such a building for Harvard. Donated money and materials..." "Okay, let's not talk about it, shall we?" "Why don't you talk about it? You are too naive! You are like some young radicals who know how to look backward!" Why is she working so hard to force me to join that hateful elite group in today's society? "You're such a mess, Marcie!" Suddenly the bell rang!We were like two jealous boxers who retreated to the "neutral corner" of the ring when the bell rang—but it was the phone.

"Shall I pick it up?" Marcy asked. "To hell with it - in the middle of the night!" "Maybe there's something important." "It won't be mine anyway," I said. "But I still live here," she said. "Then you go and pick it up," I shouted loudly.I was very angry in my heart: I thought that the reunion of Xiaobie should be full of affection, but who knew it would make such an angry stare. Marcy went to pick it up. "It's your call," she handed over the receiver as soon as she heard it. "Hey, what's the matter?" I said angrily after answering the phone.

"Oh, that's great! She's still with you!" came an enthusiastic voice. It was Philip Cavilleri.I couldn't help laughing. "Are you investigating me?" "Want to hear the truth? You're right. Tell me, how's it going?" "What do you mean by that, Philip?" He answered me twice: "Ding Dang, Ding Dang." "And what trick are you playing--is that your cuckoo clock at home telling the time?" "It's the wedding bell in the church! Tell me, when is it going to ring?" "Phil, anyway, I will be the first to notify you when the time comes."

"Then you'd better tell me right away, so that I can go to sleep with peace of mind." "Philip," I said in a mocking tone, "are you calling to broadcast your marriage advice program, or do you have something else to say?" "Right. Let's talk about turkey." ①In American colloquialism, "talking about turkey" means "speaking seriously" and "speaking directly".Here Philip really wanted to talk about treating him to turkey for Thanksgiving, but Oliver misunderstood it. "Phil, I told you..." "The turkey I'm talking about is a real turkey. It's stuffed and roasted. Thanksgiving, I gotta get a turkey."

"Oh!" But no, it's Thanksgiving next week. "I'd like to invite you and that soft-spoken lady to my family reunion on Thanksgiving." "Who was at your family gathering?" I asked. "The ancestors who came across the ocean back then! You don't care who it comes from, is it the same if there is one more or one less?" "Who did you have, Philip?" I still had to find out, lest there be a whole bunch of overzealous Cranstonians. "I'm the only one right now," he said. I responded with an "oh", and suddenly remembered: Philip was afraid of getting together with his relatives near and far during holidays. (He always complained: "I can't stand the crying of those damn little tricks." I knew it was his evasion, and I never disobeyed his meaning.)

"That's good. You can come to our place..." I glanced at Marcie, and Marcie's expression obviously agreed, but it also sent a signal: "Oops, who's going to cook ?” "Marcy would love to meet you," I added. "Oh, that won't work," said Philip. "Come on, come on." "Good. What time?" "How about an early afternoon?" I said. "But tell me which train you're coming by, so I can pick you up." "Can I bring some food? Don't forget, the pumpkin pie I made is the first in Rod Island."

"That's great." "I'll bring the turkey seasoning, too." "That's great." Marcy gestured desperately at me from the sidelines: "Please just use your brain!" "Uh...Phil, there is something I want to discuss with you. Can you roast a turkey?" "Good game!" he said. "And I can go to my old pal Angelo and get a good one. She really won't mind?" "Who are you talking about, Phil?" "Your lovely fiancée. There are some ladies who just hate having their kitchens broken into." "Marcy's pretty easy about that," I said.

Marcy was already jumping up and down with joy. "That's very nice. She must be a pretty girl, by the looks of it. Her name is Marcie, isn't she? Why, Oliver . . . Do you think she'd like me?" "Pack what you like." "Then pick me up at the station at 10:30. Are you sure?" "That's a deal." I was about to put down the receiver when I heard him calling me again: "Oh, Oliver!" "What's the matter, Phil?" "Thanksgiving is a great day to plan something." "See you later, Phil." We finally hung up the phone.I look at Marcie.

"Do you welcome him?" "As long as he doesn't dislike me, what do you think?" "Hi—don't worry." "As long as I don't cook, it seems hopeful." We smiled at each other.There is a grain of truth in this statement. "Wait a minute, Oliver," she said. "Aren't you supposed to go to Ipswich for the holidays?" correct.Thanksgiving is one of the four major holidays that the Barrett family routinely gathers.But now we encounter what our lawyers call "irresistible force". "I called and said that the case with the local board of education was going to be in court on Monday, and I couldn't get out of it for a while." Marcie's original schedule had to be adjusted a bit. “I was scheduled to be in Chicago that day, but I could catch a flight back for dinner and then take the last flight back. Thanksgiving is a crunch time for retail. Sales start a week earlier on Friday.” ①Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. "Fine. Phil would be so happy to see you." "That's good," she said. "Okay, everything is arranged," I said jokingly, "can you let me express my pent-up feelings now?" "Okay. What kind of feelings are still simmering in your heart?" "Oh... I'm so sad. Harvard lost to Yale. Today is a really bad day. Can you think of a little way to comfort me?" "You need therapy," she said. "Could you please go to bed and lie down with your arms and legs stretched out?" "Okay," I did.She also sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay, just do what's on your mind right now," she said. I obeyed. After that, we slept sweetly until dawn. Phil Cavilleri has been busy for a whole week preparing the delicacies and delicacies for the holidays.He didn't hesitate to spend a lot of phone bills, calling from time to time to ask questions. "Ask her if you want some walnuts with the turkey?" "She's at work, Phil." "Are you still at work at eight o'clock in the evening?" "She works the night shift on Wednesday," I made up an excuse. "What's her phone number?" He was anxious to know whether Marcy liked walnuts or other dried fruits. "What's she doing over there, Phil. Ah, yes—I remember. She's fond of pecans." "That's great!" The phone hung up.For now it's peaceful. But in the next few days, this kind of conference call has not been interrupted. Should I use fresh mushrooms? ?), anyway, all kinds of vegetables and fruits were asked. "My vegetables and fruits are definitely fresh from the garden," the long-distance call from Rod Island patted me on the chest. "It's not like what you New Yorkers eat, it's all frozen!" Whether Marcy loves this or that, of course, I can only "falsely preach the imperial decree".This week she happened to be going to Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Chicago.Although she and I talk on the phone frequently, and we spend at least an hour at night talking, Thanksgiving recipes are not much of our conversation. "How's the preparations for the local board of education suit, my friend?" "I'm all set. Barry's investigation is really silent. I just have to wait to plead in court. I have to find all the books on the banned list. They don't allow junior high school children to read Vonnegut. Special works ①. Even ② is not allowed to see!" ①Kurt Vonnegut (1922—): American black humor writer. ②A novel by American writer Jay Day Salinger (1919-).The Holden Caulfield mentioned by Marcy below is the protagonist of the book, an American teenager. "Oh, that was a sad book," said Marcie. "Poor Holden Caulfield, so lovely and so lonely!" "Don't you sympathize with me? I'm lonely enough!" "Why, Oliver, I have more than a little sympathy for you. My affection for you is not strong enough to hold in my arms." If someone taps my phone, the guy who taps it will be deprived of his soul if he hears Marcy's call every night. On the morning of Thanksgiving, a turkey at the door woke me up.It was Filippo Cavilelli, waving his turkey, greeting me.He didn't make up his mind until the last moment that he must catch the first train.Only in this way can there be enough time to arrange this feast in a decent way. (“I know that old gas range of yours—it reminds me of my dead oven.”) As soon as he put down the good things in both hands, he hurriedly asked: "Hey, where is she?" "Phil, she doesn't live here. And she's been to Chicago for the past two days." "What are you doing in Chicago?" "There is business." "Oh. She's in business?" He looked admiring.Followed by another question: "Does she admire you, Oliver?" My God, there will be no end to what he said! "Come on, Phil, let's hurry up and cook." Scrubbing is mine.He is in charge.I set the table.He arranged all the dishes that could be eaten cold plate by plate.By noon a feast was ready.Only the turkey, estimated to be roasted until 4:30, can be grilled until it is oily and crispy.Marcy's flight was due to arrive at LaGuardia at three-thirty.The traffic on the festival road will not be very crowded, so it is estimated that there should be no problem for us to sit and enjoy at five o'clock.While we were waiting, Phil and I watched the rugby game on TV.Although it was cold and sunny in November, he refused to go out for a short walk.The turkey-roasting connoisseur, who was devoted to the turkey, dared not stray from his post—he had to go and grease the turkey at any moment. Just after two o'clock, there was a phone call. "Oliver?" "Where are you, Marcy?" "At the airport. The airport in Chicago. I can't make it!" "What's the matter?" "It's not here. There's a problem at the store over there in Denver. I'm flying there in twenty minutes. I'll tell you the details tonight." "Is the problem serious?" "I think it's serious. I'm afraid it will take days to deal with it, but with luck we may be able to get it over with." "Is there anything I can do for you?" "Well... explain to Philip, please. Tell him I'm so sorry." "Okay. But I'm afraid it's not easy to say." There was a moment of silence.If she hadn't been anxious to get on the plane, this relatively silent time would have been much longer. "Hey, you sound a little annoyed." I try to be as measured as possible in what I say.She's got enough trouble on her hands, and I don't want to upset her any more. "It's just a bit of a bummer, Marcie. I mean, we... well, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it." "But don't be discouraged. I'll call you when I get to Denver. It's a long story." "Okay," I said. "Let me hear something nice, Oliver, please." "I hope you have turkey on the plane." It is not without comfort to me to enjoy this feast alone with Phil. It seems to be back to the old days.It's just the two of us together again. The beauty of the dishes is unspeakable.It's just that the thoughts in my heart are ups and downs, which is difficult to dispel. Philip tried to explain it to me, and persuaded me to think about it. "Well," he said, "that kind of thing happens a lot to people in business. You've got to run around in business. Well . . . you have to do business." "right." "Besides, there are still some people who can't go home to reunite. For example, aren't all the soldiers..." This analogy is wonderful. "Since she's indispensable there, it goes without saying that Marcie is an important person, don't you think?" I have nothing to say. "Is she some sort of manager?" "almost.", "Ah, she's a marvel, then. A new girl. Seriously, you should be proud. She's a successful girl. She's going to try to get promoted, isn't she?" "you could put it that way." "That's all right. Ambition! Ambition is something to boast about, Oliver." I nod.It was just to prove that I wasn't asleep. "When I was a kid," Phil said, "grown-ups were always proud to say, 'My boy has ambition.' Of course they usually meant boys. But these new school girls, they mean equality." yes, right?" "Exactly," I replied. When he saw me, he still didn't talk or laugh, and felt that if he continued talking like this, he wouldn't be able to dilute my depressed mood. "Well," he said, breaking out, "it won't be the case when you marry her." "What?" I pretended to be stupid, but tried not to show my face. "Because a woman is a woman after all. Once you get married, you have to stay at home, and you can't leave your husband and children alone. This is a natural principle.—— I don't want to contradict his natural logic. "I think it's all your own fault," he said. "If you simply marry her in a fair and just way..." "Phil!" "I'm not afraid to travel all over the world with reason!" He raised his voice in order to speak a few words of justice for a person he had never met. "I don't care what those women's lib men call me. I know what it says in the Bible anyway. A man is supposed to 'unite' with his wife. Am I right?" ① The word "united" comes from "Old Testament Genesis" 2:24. The term is also quoted in the New Testament (Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7). "Yes," I thought, as I followed his lead, he should be silent.He really didn't speak.But the mouth was only closed for a few seconds. "Hey, tell me, what does the word 'united' mean?" He asked me again. "It is inseparable," I replied. "Has she read the Bible, Oliver?" "You should see it." "You call her. Tell her there won't be a Gideon Bible in the hotel." ① There is a "Gideon Society" (now called "Gideon International") in the United States, which was established in 1899. One of its purposes is to put a "Bible" in each hotel room, known as Gideon's "Bible" . "Okay, I'll hit," I said.