Chapter 8 Chapter VII

That's ridiculous, do I make you think I'm the most famous playboy in all of New York?Actually I'm not like that, I just seem to keep falling in love, there's a difference between the two.You are right, Dr. Freud, I have to seek compensation for my mother's emotional withdrawal; you are right, Dr. Jung, I cannot reconcile with my negative personality; you are also right, Father, I am guilty , everything I did was wrong, even what I didn't do was wrong.But I must insist that it's not just about sex.The best sex life I've ever had was with my ex-wife Emmarie, but apparently that wasn't enough because I've been out and about since the early days of our marriage and I think I've clearly explained that this sort of thing Not hard to do in New York City.

My current girlfriend, Ingrid, is a good example.The clever and impatient reader might think, oh, he doesn't want to talk about Bustrow's niece Miranda, he's stalling.That's right, just wait slowly.I might die, but I don't know that I'm dying like poor Brace Godou, and maybe I still have a lot of time. Ingrid's husband is Guy, a successful TV station management elite, and the two have had a happy married life for twelve years.Guy was doing well in TV, a prince in every sense of the word, especially compared to many men in the business.But then, at the age of fifty-two, he woke up one morning, went into the bathroom to shave, and something popped in his head and died instantly, with no prior symptoms, perfectly healthy, normal blood pressure , low cholesterol, but he died like this.For the next three full years, Ingrid was in a period of sad mourning.Then her sunny nature returned and she decided to move on with her life.In the previous three years, she had never accepted any social invitations, but now she decided to return to society, and accepted an invitation to attend an award presentation or a fundraising dinner for an unknown award, anyway, it was the kind of event where the rich A place where people mingle with creative people so that rich people can inject a little divine inspiration into their lifeless lives.She first went to the beauty center for maintenance, cut her hair in the hottest hair salon, and bought new clothes to dress herself up.

She was good-looking: only forty, quite tall, perhaps a little too plump for a top dancer, which is why she switched to choreography early on.Her hair is cut short like a boy, light brown and very fluffy, and she has slender gray eyes like a wolf; The figure of the dancer.It happened that I also attended the banquet that day, because I am also a rich person who needs to experience real life.As soon as I saw her, I grabbed the firm's partner Xue Li.Grossbart's hand and asked him who the woman was, since he knew everyone in the music business.He had to think before he answered: God, it looks like Ingrid.Kennedy, I thought she was dead.He introduced her to me, and we chatted about dancing and intellectual property, and how much dancing was intellectual property.The conversation was actually quite interesting, and I thought she was smart and sweet.I think she should feel the same way about me.

Later, when the two of us had finished two bottles of Krug Champagne, she stared straight at me with her thin gray eyes and asked if she could ask me a personal question.I said yes.She asked: Do you like to fuck women? If the other party is suitable, I still like it very much. In that case, she said: I haven't had sex since my husband passed away three years ago.You seem like a nice guy, and I've been wanting it so much lately that masturbation doesn't seem to be working. I replied that masturbation didn't work for me either. Then she said: You haven't had an STD or anything, have you?I assured her no.She added: My family lives in Taree, but for these occasions I always book a room at a hotel so I don't have to drive home drunk.I hope to meet a nice man today and take him upstairs.

Yes, she was drunk, but not so drunk as to pass out.We slipped out of the ballroom and, without further ado, boarded the elevator.She has always laughed a lot, and in my experience I have never encountered a more rare orgasm sound than this, not the disgusting laughter of the actors in the movie "The Three Stooges", but a lingering smooth laughter, as if Someone pressed her laughing hole, but it wasn't giggling like a little girl going crazy with joy.It takes some getting used to, but it's fun, like you're with a real friend and haven't gotten into the battle of the sexes yet.

So that's how our relationship started.Ingrid and I have nothing in common, we spend most of our time talking about ex-partners and sometimes weeping.I usually have several girlfriends at the same time, but now it's different, I don't think I'm suddenly committed to a relationship, it's just because I'm tired.Some of my male friends (like Mitch Haas) are very passionate about maintaining a web of cheating between several different girlfriends, inciting one woman against another, and stirring up bloody scenes, but not me, I Not even a qualified prodigal.The reason is very simple, I just simply have no resistance to women.According to common secular standards, it should be a man who takes the initiative to pursue a woman, but I don't think it should be so.In the story of Ingrid and me, the pattern is not unique, or even rare: they look at you, they talk, their bodies move in certain ways, and they emit pheromones that declare their will, Then someone will say, why not do it?Or else just say: I do.

The only woman I ever tried to seduce was my wife Emily, whose maiden name was Pfannen Steiner.Before I move on to Miranda's story, I must tell this story. (Pretending time pauses, Miranda and I are still in the library showroom, our hands touching, electricity rushing like Hoover Dam water, pheromones beading up all the smooth surfaces. ) Well, my first job out of law school was at Sauber.Tanis.Cary & Co., a lawyer, is on Beaver Street in the Financial District.This company is small in terms of trademarks and copyrights, but anyone could see that the future of intellectual property law was bound to be popular, and that was more than two decades ago.And I, like any rookie lawyer, frantically buried in H.It was the height of the first sexual revolution in modern history, when any self-reliant young man could have impromptu sex with women other than prostitutes and courtesans.In pursuit of this sweet thriller relationship, I checked in almost every night to the East Village and Uptown salons, where people joked about the flesh market, and there I continued my revenge on girls.

One Saturday morning, I was still hungover. I rushed out of the office the night before to go to a carnival, so I left some work unfinished, so I had to go to the office on Saturday morning to deal with it.I was alone in the office library when I heard a distant sound which I quickly knew was coming from the locked door outside, I went to check and found a young girl standing in an empty hallway superior.I recognized her as someone from a financial management company next door. Like our company, it was on the fourteenth floor, and we often took the elevator together.She was quiet and neat, with an expression on her face that men couldn't look at directly, as if she was wearing the burqa that Afghan women often wear.

After introducing herself, she said she had locked herself out of the office.I could tell she was feeling sad and embarrassed, especially since it happened to her to go to the bathroom.Charming red flowers bloomed on her cheeks as she described her situation.She has beautiful platinum-blonde hair, twisted into two buns around the ears, like the protagonist of a children's book, Pippi Longstocking, wearing white jeans and a black T-shirt of the Power Plant Orchestra, on which the black font is covered by her beautiful and firm chest It was stretched out of shape.It was a Saturday outfit, not the conservative suit she usually wears to work.Her eyes were unnaturally large as if she were wearing goggles, her mouth was like a small pink bud, and she looked about seventeen (I later found out closer to twenty-six) and probably shorter than me Five inches tall, tall for a girl, and athletically built (I later learned that she played winter sports, too, because she was Swiss).The waist is slender and the legs are long.

I invited her into our office so she could call the maintenance department of the building and they said they would send someone over, but it would take a while.She was really nervous because she left her bag in the office with all her money and documents in it.She was their boss's personal secretary and was studying international financial affairs.Does she like international finance?No, she thought it was stupid, she couldn't get excited about money.She said that if one earns enough money, poverty is terrible; but if one wants more, it is not healthy, even a bit evil.She's cute when she talks and wrinkles her nose.She asked me what I do in the firm, and I told her I was in charge of intellectual property cases, and I told her I probably wouldn't be able to be a good intellectual property lawyer because most of the cases were idiotic and related to intellectual property cases. The actual intent of the law is irrelevant at all.Intellectual property law should be about making sure ideas get paid, so that most of the profits go back to the real creators.I told her that this ideal is not the same as reality, quite literally the opposite.She said: Well, you should change this reality.

She spoke with such confidence that she almost assumed: first, that such a transformation was possible; and second, that I was the one to do it.I probably gasped, but she smiled, and it was like a light that illuminated this horrible room, and that horrible place in my head.I felt an unfamiliar shock.Trying to regain my composure, I asked her if she had ever been really slutty, and she said she had, too, because everyone said it was fun, but it wasn't fun at all, more disgusting than anything else, and she Hate strangers poking her. stamp?I asked her to explain the word with doubts, and it turned out that she meant touch.A small typo.But all in all, she left sleazy Zurich for naughty New York.Her family was devoutly Catholic, and she considered herself to be, but she longed for some adventure in her life.Is that right?Is it fun? Yes, that's right, I'm sure she's right.And I told her today was her lucky day, because I'm sort of the sluttiest guy in New York, and I'd be happy to take her deep into booze and meat, to experience the depraved life, to provide fun, and not let people poke her unless she wanted to.Of course it was my evil plan, but I didn't say it.Her eyes lit up and she smiled again, radiating kindness and unraveling my deeply furrowed brow. And just like that, my first date with Emma began.I thanked him inwardly for the slow arrival of the building administrator, and to pass the time we talked about the one thing we discovered we had in common (awesome!), that we had both competed in the Olympics, and she He once represented Switzerland in the Sapporo Olympic competition slope skiing.We also talked about our family, mostly hers, almost like the story of Heidi, the Alpine maiden. (When she brought her bag back later, she showed me a photo of a group of wealthy middle-class Swiss in colorful snowsuits, standing on a slope, eating raclette in front of a chalet. Liar, they Not eating raclette, but they do, and we used to eat it after we got married.) I didn't expect there to be Catholics in Switzerland, because in my mind, this little mountainous republic, and the strict Calvinism Associatively, but of course the Pope's Swiss guards are also produced here, they are really Swiss, Emma's uncle is one.The Pfannen-Stenler family has a very high status, but what about your family, Jack? Oh what the heck is my mom passed away, my dad was traveling, my brother and brother were studying in Europe (I'm bragging a bit here), as for my sister I would have lied but I've never been able to, I mean private life aspect.As a lawyer, of course, he is very good at talking nonsense and fabricating lies at work.So I just said that my sister is Mi Rui.Delaware, in New York at the time, unless you were blind or totally ignorant of pop culture, it was impossible not to know who this guy was.Seeing that she was expressionless, I added that she was the model, and I mentioned the names of several other popular supermodels, and she asked me, are these people my sisters?She should be the person I have never seen in my life who has the least interest in celebrities.Emmarie was a rather out-of-the-world person.I should have been wary earlier, but I didn't. The building manager came and opened the office door for her.Leave when we finish the finishing touches on the job.I had a BMW at the time and I rode it to work in almost any weather and she climbed into the back seat and I started the engine and she put her hand lightly on my waist. Is there anything better in the world than this?Riding a powerful motorcycle with a girl on the back seat clinging to you with her thighs next to your buttocks, you can subtly aggravate the feeling of pressure if you like by braking a little harder Just a little.Is there anything better in the world than this?I haven't found it yet.I took her to Union Square, where there was an oversized liquor billboard covering the entire building, with a blonde woman in a silky black evening gown.I stopped and pointed to the sign and said, that's my sister.Emma laughed, pointing to another billboard featuring a topless male model in jeans, who she said was her brother, and laughed again.I went on the road, a little deflated, but feeling good.Having such a younger sister has allowed me to succeed many times. In this city, everyone is eager to get involved with celebrities, even if it is not a direct relationship.But this time I feel a little bit happier, with a girl who doesn't care about that kind of vanity at all, I feel very happy. Long story short, I walked her home to a rental apartment on First Avenue and Seventy-eighth Street, and all I got was a crisp Swiss handshake and a peck on the cheek.I was surprised and a little bit upset.The second date was like that, and the third, and after that, a little bit of petting, but she just wouldn't hit base.She said when she was a student she slept with a boy and he broke her heart and she knew she wasn't like those other girls or the movies, she just couldn't do it without commitment make love.Although she did not fully agree with what the church taught, she believed that the church was right in this matter, and she has been abstinent ever since.Waiting for Prince Charming?I asked her and she ignored my sarcasm and said yes. I should add that I dated at least four women at the same time, all of whom were lovely and willing to sleep with me, but whose faces and names I barely remember now.Emmarie took complete control of my emotional life.That sexual revolution had taken hold, and I kept letting the girls know that there were other people, and I let Emma know.To my amazement, she said that if I wanted to get involved with her, I had to stop seeing other people, and what was even more amazing was that I did exactly that, that is, I called my girlfriends one by one and talked to them. They kiss goodbye. In the end I got her, in the most traditional, ancient and honorable way, and we got married in Munich's Frauenkirche that winter.Her large swiss swiss family was in full attendance, a banker father and a linguistics professor mother, six blond-haired rose-cheeked siblings, no one thought she had caught a rich man, but everyone did what they could. Show courtesy and behave appropriately.My older brother and younger sister are also here. Mi Rui happened to be in Paris for a fashion photoshoot with her husband, a European junkie. My older brother Paolo is studying in Italy, so it was very convenient to come over.I didn't invite Dad, he wasn't invited and he didn't come.Actually the whole wedding was over in a blink of an eye, I imagined the wedding was for the two protagonists, but the only thing I remember is Paul grabbed my elbow and said, this is a good opportunity, boy, don't do it Fucked; Miri cried, and as far as I know, she was drug-free until after the wedding. We went to Zermatt, Switzerland for our honeymoon, stayed in their family cottage and went skiing, or rather she went skiing and I kept falling most of the time and then watched her slide beautifully down the slopes.Then having sex together, I thought it was the best experience of my life then and it still is.She cums like a carpipe.Almost from the moment we started doing it, she would make noises like pigeons, whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow(eeeeeeee.com, almost epileptic crescendo.Time almost stops when the two are together, it's like being in heaven.Of course, we hadn't been married for six months, and I naturally started having affairs again.There is no excuse, this is evil, my heart is as dark as the night.I did screw up, just like Paul feared.That's why he grabbed me so hard on my wedding day and left me with a bruise. After destroying my paradise, after all these years I longed to return to it, but only if my spiritual outlook didn't have to change too much.I'm also dying to find a new Emmay, someone who's not so kind, who's closer to who I am, but not too much like me, if you know what I mean.That is to say, she has the same electric current as me, but it will not make me feel unbearable guilt, just like the relationship between me and my wife.That's why I've been off topic for so long before I can put it in Brooke.What happened in Astor's reading room is explained clearly.It was a fresh start, and the woman with her little blond bun and features like Emmay's gave me goosebumps on my arms when I shook hands with her. I asked what she was doing.She pointed to a thick book that was open on the table.She said, my uncle wanted me to study some things, family history or something.I motioned for the two of us to sit down, because this is the library, so we talked very quietly, and I had to keep my head closer to her side, a little closer than normal conversation.She put on a light perfume, which smelled like flowers. I guess, you're a scholar too? No, I work for the Toronto School Board.This time it was an unexpected situation, more like doing him a favor. But he has passed away. Yes, though, I think I can finish the work, arrange for it to be published in his name, and I think he'll be very happy. So you guys are close, right? yes. Although there is an ocean between the two of you? That's right.Probably a little impatient, a small wrinkle appeared on her beautiful high forehead. Mr. Mishkin, Uncle Andrew is a very important person in my life.My father left my mother when I was four years old, and we were financially struggling.My biological father was a bohemian who had no interest in being a father, he was dead, and so was my mother.It was Uncle Andrew who paid for my tuition and took me to England every year for summers from the age of eight, and God, why am I telling you this?I guess I still haven't recovered from the shock of his passing, and I'm sorry I didn't mean to rant. It doesn't matter.I say the death of a close relative in a violent crime is a big blow. You sound like you have a lot of experience. indeed.The tone of my answer implied that she should stop asking.To change the subject, I asked her: How long have you been in the city? Toronto? no here.Sorry, when New Yorkers say the city, they mean the island of Manhattan. She smiled and for the first time we laughed at the same time.Counting from Sunday, two days. do you live in a hotel Yes, the Marquis Hotel on Eighth Avenue.I was going to stay at Uncle Andrew's house, but there are legal issues, it's still a crime scene, and they won't allow me to take anything, but Professor Haas was kind enough to take me to his office and take a few things Personal belongings. Are you comfortable living there?God knows what I'm thinking when I say this, I probably just want her to keep talking for a longer period of time.I also think it's ridiculous, but it's true. She replied: Honestly, very uncomfortable.That hotel should be considered cheap, but I still can't afford the cheap prices in New York, especially if you exchange Canadian dollars for US dollars. Ever seen the police? Yesterday, I thought I'd have to identify the body like it was on TV, but it was taken care of.They asked some questions.It really sucks. They think he was killed in some sort of gay sex ritual? right.But, God, I told them, Uncle Andrew wasn't like that at all.He doesn't shy away from his sexuality, but he's loyal to Ollie.He taught at Oxford, and the two of them were like an old married couple.Her tone changed suddenly, and she asked: Can we get our business done today? Business means? A manuscript owned by Uncle Andrew. Oh, that one!So I asked her how much she knew. He didn't tell me much, except that it was a Jacobean document and he paid thousands of dollars for it, but he thought the manuscript was probably worth much more than the purchase price, but there were still some Doubts remain to be clarified. What doubts? I don't know, he didn't say.There was that lovely line on her forehead again.Honestly, I don't see what this has to do with you, it's my property. In fact, Miss Kellogg, I said in a sanctimonious tone: it is the property of the state.If you want to claim ownership, you must first prove that you are who you are talking about, and you must be Andrew.The sole heir of Buszrow, to prove this point, you have to get a will and have it verified by the New York State Court. Only in this way, the executor of the will will have the power to order me to give you this state property. God, does such a procedure take forever? maybe.It could take weeks, months, or even years if there is a problem with the will, or if there is a fight over it.Just like Dickens wrote in the novel "Bleak House". Hearing this, she sighed in disappointment, bit her lips, and covered her face with her hands.The counter person at the table looked at us with a very unhappy expression. I can't wait that long.She moaned: I can only take a few days off, and I have to go back to Toronto on Monday.I can't afford to stay in a hotel that long, and she stops and looks down, kind of like she's about to say something she shouldn't.That's funny, and I think that's one of the reasons why she doesn't want to come to my office, so I decided to press on. what else? fine.I can't lie, I thought, and I noticed a slight blush on her chin. Absolutely something.You asked me to meet you in a hidden space, looking around at the door all the time, as if someone would break in at any time, and now you have something to hide from me, coupled with your uncle's bizarre death, the situation can even be said to be shocking frightened.You're like a woman in trouble, with all due respect you need Need a lawyer?Are you recommending yourself? Absolutely not, you need a real estate attorney to help you with verification issues, and I'm not that kind of attorney, but I have some great people in my firm.I just want to recommend myself as your friend. Do you think I need friends? What about you?I think someone is after you because of this manuscript, and with bad intentions. She nodded sharply, the bun on her head was shaking a little, it was so pretty. Yes, right after the police called me to tell me about my uncle's death, a man with a low voice and an accent called me. British accent? No, like a Slavic or Middle Eastern accent, I yelled at him because I really found it annoying.I just found out that my uncle died, and immediately there was this vulture hovering, so I hung up.Unexpectedly, he dialed again right away. I felt that his tone seemed to be threatening me. Maybe I was stupid to say this, but I really felt that way.He offered $50,000 CAD for the manuscript, and I told him I would consider it. He was not happy to hear my answer, and said something, I don’t remember much, like saying that I’d better agree to his conditions. Yeah, it sounds like a line from The Godfather, the kind of request you can't refuse, so unreal, I almost laughed out loud.Then after coming to the Marquis Hotel where I was staying, he called again.How do they know where I live?No one in my family knew where I lived. No other special friends know?I suppressed the hope in my breath. No, but I have my cell phone number in my office.Anyway, when I left the hotel this morning, there was a large black SUV parked at the intersection of the hotel, the windows were all black, and there was a big man in sunglasses leaning against the vehicle, I looked back when I passed him, he Give me a horrible smile and get in the car.I came here by bus, and when I arrived, that bus followed. Terrible.I said. Indeed.She was silent for a while before responding, her voice trembling a bit. Alright, I said: Suppose the police got your uncle's death wrong and he was killed because of this document, which sounds like a serial, but it does happen, so let's assume for the time being that this document was A cause is very valuable, much more expensive than $50,000.The criminal somehow knew about it and wanted to get it by any means possible.Does that make sense? She nodded slowly, I think she was shaking, I really wanted to put my arms around her, but I had to bear it. It makes sense, a terrible truth.She replied: But I can't think of what the manuscript might be.I mean what the hell is it worth?Uncle Andrew said that he spent several thousand yuan, which should be worth so much, otherwise why would the seller be willing to make a deal?Even if for some reason, that manuscript is really valuable, why would a criminal be involved? Of course, this is a problem.But I don't think this document itself is of great value, but what this document can lead people to find.Has your uncle ever told you anything? No, all I know is that it is a Jacobean letter of purely academic value.He was really excited and went back to England last year to investigate some related things, but he never hinted that the manuscript had any special value.Did he tell you what it was?I mean what does the manuscript lead one to find? Yes, he said that manuscript could lead to a manuscript written by Shakespeare himself, but I think he was overly optimistic.Later I told Mickey.Haas talked about it, he said it was impossible, he said your uncle seemed to be in a hurry, as if he was in a hurry to get back the money he spent. He was, and he had been since that cheating scandal.You know about that, right? I know.He must also know that there are criminals coveting such things, so he sent me such a damn thing, he must be worried that he will be attacked and want to prevent this thing from being taken away.So the top priority now is to ensure your safety, you can't go back to that stupid hotel, we can change to another hotel. I can't afford it, I've already paid for the room.God, it feels like a nightmare Or, if you prefer, I have a big two bedroom apartment downtown that my kids come to live in for the holidays, and you can live in one of them.Although it may be as awkward as the Marquis Hotel, it is free.I have a driver who can take you anywhere in town, and he used to be a bodyguard. bodyguard?She screamed and asked me: Who did he protect? Former Palestinian leader Arafat, but we want to keep this matter secret.I can't think of a safer place than here.Except you can't hide from me.But don't talk about it now.Really, I really didn't think of that aspect when I suggested it, and I still remember the horror on her uncle's face, and I didn't want that expression on her face.After you are safe, let's think about it again. Is there any way to find clues about those people from the car? I will tell the police about these things and let them track them down. After some polite refusal, she agreed.We walked out of the reading room and library, and as we approached the stairs I pulled her into the shadow of the doorpost, looking out over Fifth Avenue first, without seeing the black SUV with the darkened windows.I called Omar and told him to pick us up on the Forty-second side, and we walked quickly across Bryant Park, waiting for the Lincoln to show up. My apartment is on Franklin Street and Greenwich Avenue, in a building that used to be a trouser factory, then a warehouse, and is now full of wealthy people.I lived in it before the real estate prices in the inner city skyrocketed, and it cost me a lot of money at that time, and another amount of money for decoration, maintenance, etc.We used to live here as a family, Emma and I plus the kids until she moved out.Usually divorces are men who move out, but Emma knew that I really liked this place, and that she wanted to live close to her children's school, which was on Sixty-eighth Street and Lexington Avenue.The three of them now live in a brown stone building on Seventy-sixth Street on the East Side, and each pays half of all living expenses, because Emma makes a good salary and she thinks that even if I'm a jerk who goes around sleeping with women, she won't. Reasons to take everything from me. I wasn't thinking about the past in my mind at the time. I was taking Emma Two, Miranda.Kellogg, look at my apartment.She expressed admiration in the right tone, which was much better than Emmarie, who never expressed admiration for anything money could buy.I ordered Chinese food delivery, and the two sat at a low table, eating by candlelight, with a beautiful little piece of riverside view.I'm a gentleman, and I'm quite honest when I talk about the past over dinner.She turned out to be a trained child psychologist and is now a mid-level civil servant.We talked about my son Niko and his problems, and she was mildly sympathetic.Looking at her face for a long time, I found that she is not as much like Emmale as I imagined, not every feature is the same, but when I look at her, I still have a bubbling feeling of excitement, just like a love song Same.Between lovers, we know so little, but we can discover so much. She yawned, and I tidied up Imogen's room for her, quite politely.I gave her a brand new t-shirt for pajamas and of course a new toothbrush for the kids.She was sleepy, but thanked me anyway and planted a kind kiss on my cheek.Which kind of perfume?It's vague, yet familiar. We woke up early the next day and had croissants and coffee for breakfast.I must admit, it was more relaxing than the morning after work.She has an air of aloofness that makes it difficult to seek further intimacy with her, and it reminds me of the old Emmarie.She was dressed the same as yesterday, a wool dress from a department store.After the driver Omar picked us up at my office, I introduced her to our smart real estate lawyer, Jasmine.Ping En, let them study the mysterious procedure of verification, and at the same time arrange to transport Booth Zhuo's body back to England. According to my notebook, I spent the morning convincing a writer not to accuse another writer of stealing her idea and to write a book that was more successful than her own.Then called someone at the USTR to arrange a meeting on Chinese piracy (what else could be the subject?).Very ordinary morning.At around 12:30, Miranda showed up in my office. I suggested we go to lunch. She refused, and while I persisted, she had to admit embarrassingly that she was still too scared to Show up in public and expect to eat at the office or go back to the apartment. So we ordered delivery.While waiting, Miranda talked about the manuscript.She wanted to see the manuscript, for she had been able to read Jacobean manuscripts under her uncle's tutelage.Although I was a little hesitant, I couldn't find a reason to refuse. Heirs usually have their own special views on the items they are about to inherit.So I asked Miss MacDonald to get the manuscript from the vault. That's when the food arrived and we ate at the glass coffee table.她吃飯的動作很精準，小口小口地吃。我們談著智慧財產權，還有她舅舅來找我的事；但是，為何她舅舅需要一位智財權律師，她也不清楚。隨後麥唐那多小姐就帶著文件夾回來。 米蘭達先戴上棉質手套，才開始翻動這些文獻；她拿起好幾張紙，對著窗戶檢驗水印，但是天色已經黑了，外面又在下雨，她只好用檯燈代替天光。 Interesting.她說，再一次把紙張放在燈前：這張比較重的紙，就是所謂的皇冠四開本用紙，上頭有阿姆斯特丹的記號，這是一家很有名的紙廠標記，在十七世紀很常見。這些書頁看起來像是從會計帳本被剝下來的，另外這些書頁像是印刷廠的存檔，跟其他的文件無關。她提到某個製紙家，但是我忘了名字，然後她簡短敘述了紙張的出處，我則是左耳進右耳出。她從皮包裡拿出放大鏡，問說：你介意嗎？ Of course I don't mind.看著她研究這些書頁，我覺得很滿足，我研究她如天鵝一般的頸項，空調系統吹送的微弱風中也帶來她淡淡的頭髮香，時間一分一秒過去了，我雖然沒辦法專心，還是處理了一些文書工作，辦公室門外的噪音好像來自另一個世界。她讀了四頁，偶爾會喃喃自語，然後她倒抽了一口氣。 What's wrong? 寫這些東西的人，理查．布瑞斯葛斗，他宣稱自己曾和十七世紀的英國航海大英雄喬治．薩默斯司令一起出海，他曾經搭過海上冒險號！我的天啊，我的手在顫抖。 我問她，到底有什麼重要的，竟然可以使她的手顫抖。 因為海上冒險號事件太有名了，維吉尼亞殖民地的總督當時也在船上，結果因風暴而擱淺在百慕達，然後逃到島上建造了一條船回到維吉尼亞。其中有些人留下了記錄，我們相信莎士比亞《暴風雨》劇本中的普羅斯帕羅島嶼，就是根據這些人的記錄寫出來的。但是如果布瑞斯葛斗這個人如他所宣稱的，在一六一〇年認識莎士比亞，我是說，他說不定跟劇作家在一起，當莎翁寫作時，他在一旁說著熱帶島嶼的事情，光是這樣就已經讓這份文件聽著，米希金先生， 妳是我家的貴賓，叫我傑克就好。 好吧，傑克，我必須要研究這份文件的內容，我們可以把文件帶回你家嗎？ 我身為律師的第一直覺當然是拒絕。律師可以輕易接近別人的金錢和值錢的東西，這點大家都知道。走在這條危險路上的第一守則，就是用最堅決、毫不講情的態度處理公務。如果今天一個律師讓某位女繼承人將一份手稿帶出辦公室，沒多久之後他就會把當事人擁有的雷諾瓦名畫掛在自己家臥室，或者在當事人過世之後，帶著家人搭著當事人的船出海度假。 That's right.規矩就是規矩。但是她帶著希望看著我，臉頰仍因發現驚奇的快樂而紅潤。然後我想到艾瑪麗，她從來不開口跟我要求任何事，而是希望我能跟她心有靈犀，主動明白她要的是什麼，只是我永遠也做不到，我還是希望對方能開口明說比較好。最後我說，應該沒有關係吧，法律上這樣還可以視為在我的管理範圍之內。我打電話給歐馬，拿起雨傘和公事包，交代麥唐那多小姐很多事情之後，就和米蘭達一起離開辦公室。剛好那天我答應孩子們去學校接他們，並且帶他們回媽媽家，這有一點尷尬，但是她畢竟只是個當事人而已，也沒有跟爸爸有什麼親近的關係（應該說是還沒有）。我接了孩子，把她介紹給孩子們，整趟車程都非常愉快。伊莫珍跟平常很不一樣，相當乖巧可人，她問米蘭達說，既然她是加拿大人，那她會不會說法文，米蘭達害羞地說她對語言沒有天分；尼可用一條繩示範打了很多繩結，從繩結的起源一直講到繩結的用法和拓撲學特色，以此娛樂大家。我很高興米蘭達對尼可的態度親切，很多人都對尼可不好，就連我都沒辦法常常對他好，我覺得這是個好預兆。 孩子們下車後，我們繼續開往南邊開，車速很慢，因為天開始黑了，雨越來越大。她禮貌性地對我的孩子讚美一陣之後，便開始狂講有關布瑞斯葛斗的事蹟。這段對話我記得並不太清楚，反正呢，最後我們到家了，歐馬開車離開。 車的尾燈一消失在街角，我們就聽到輪胎輾過溼溼的磚頭路上，發出吵雜的聲響。眼前出現一輛大型休旅車，從格林威治街街角開過來，在我們前方停住。三個穿著有帽兜的運動衣和戴著皮手套的人下車，向我們衝過來。其中一個人抓住米蘭達，我用雨傘刺向他的臉，但好像沒什麼用，其他兩個人當中有個塊頭比較大的傢伙奪走了我的傘，另一個溜到後面抓住我的手臂。大塊頭靠過來，朝我的腰部重重一擊，讓我失去了行動能力，也許因為我拿雨傘刺人的動作，他還想要多揍幾拳。 我不是什麼鬥士，但是經常流連在酒吧裡。世界上就有一些人，矮小卻愛鬥，看到高大的傢伙就忍不住想打架，特別是如果高大的人像我這樣身材已經走樣，又一點也不像阿諾．史瓦辛格。因此，我和其他的律師同僚不同，我對肢體暴力略有涉獵。世界上重量級的舉重選手並不多，眼前這些壞蛋恐怕根本就不知道我的身手。 我先縮起手臂，掙脫後面那個人的擒抱，下一秒我就蹲下，腳跟一轉，面對剛剛抓住我那傢伙的大腿，我伸手從膝蓋處抱住他的雙腿，我的手很大，而且很有力量。我這麼一轉，剛好就背對著那個大塊頭，此時我感覺到那個大塊頭開始勒住我脖子，但是我又站起來，兩手高舉過頭，剛才抓住的那個男的大概才一百八十磅重，所以我很容易就把他抱起來，我退一步，又再轉換重心，抓住那傢伙的頭部撞向大塊頭。人的身體部位是很沒效率的武器，但是說到展示力量又打擊對手信心，特別是被當作武器的那個人，沒什麼能跟這招式比。大塊頭被撞得往後退，滑倒在濕濕的鋪磚道上，一屁股跌坐在地上。我將手中的武器在頭頂甩了幾圈，然後把他甩到街上。 遺憾的是，我在打鬥的時候把公事包放在一旁，結果抓住米蘭達的人把她丟在我家房子的牆邊，抓起公事包用某種外語向同伴吼叫，然後衝向休旅車。其他人從地上爬起來，一邊尖聲咒罵我，一邊快步逃走。那輛車開得很快，我來不及記下車牌。我過去看米蘭達是否沒事，她除了手腕瘀青，還有手和膝蓋有點擦傷外，並無大礙。 我關心她是否受傷，但她有點不耐煩，不太想理睬我，只是問道：他們拿走你的公事包了嗎？ I'm afraid it is.真可惡，居然拿走我的公事包，從我通過律師考試之後就用到現在了。 但是手稿她嗚咽一聲。 手稿很安全，我向她保證，我藏在雨衣的夾層口袋裡。我剛想告訴她，我總是把特別貴重的東西藏在身上，因為我還在念法學院的時候，曾把公事包忘在波士頓的地鐵裡，裡面放著一份枯燥的憲法報告，我花了幾百了小時才完成，而且僅此一份。話還來不及說，她捧住我的臉，親吻了我的嘴。 布瑞斯葛斗的第七封信 我們到這裡已經幾個禮拜了，然後某天，基恩先生被一顆大砲彈炸死了。上一秒我還在跟他說話，下一秒他還站在那裡，但是頭已經不見，隨後就倒下去了。那我又該怎麼辦呢？大砲由另一位軍官接管，他派了自己的下屬來負責大砲，於是我待在斯魯伊斯，口袋裡沒剩幾毛錢，也不會說荷蘭話。不過有一天，我在港口邊閒晃，發現了青龍號，我就上船去找船長談話，說我是很傑出的砲手。他說，小子，我知道了，不過你知道我這船上是幹什麼的嗎？他的英文說得很好，於是我說不知道。他說：我是海盜兼走私商。我不知道走私是什麼意思，他跟我解釋說：就是欺騙國王陛下，避掉關税和船舶噸税等等的。然後他問我：所以，你要不要加入我們，擔任我們的砲手？我們經常見血，手段兇殘，但是可以賺不少金子。因為我實在很餓，所以就答應了，我暗中對自己說，好吧，反正我們只殺天主教徒，而我又很希望能賺到金子。 我們從斯魯伊斯港以及荷蘭的其他港口出航，我們就像是西班牙的噩夢，從北海航行到比斯坎灣，攻佔許多船艦，殺死許多西班牙人，還有一些法國人；我們也在晚上時溜進英國，就在海巡衛兵的眼底下，卸下一大櫃大櫃的絲綢、香料、葡萄酒和烈酒。就在我們停泊在港口的同時，我完成了夢想中的遠距象限儀，在鹿特丹找了個人幫我用黃銅打造了一架，象限儀上的溝線注入了濃硝酸，上頭還有一面小鏡子，這樣人只要看一眼就能看到兩邊的景象。我把儀器架上軌道，然後把所有大砲裝上去，放進足量的火藥，就能將砲彈射出一定的距離，我想應該有八百碼。全都裝設完畢之後，我從儀器上小孔望出去，事先算好了角度，將活動力臂移到適當的距離，然後往下盯著眼前的景象。當目標同時出現在鏡子兩面，而且影像清楚的時候，就表示已經進入射程，這時我就下令開火，所有砲彈便馬上命中目標，因為事先毫無預警，也無須發射決定射程的砲彈，對方被攻得措手不及，全軍覆沒，然後我們就能上船輕鬆取勝。 就這樣在海上過了兩年，我賺到了八十磅金幣，我把金子交給斯魯伊斯港的一個猶太人保管。在一六〇九年，我們都知道西班牙國王跟荷蘭簽訂合約，荷蘭總督下令禁止搶劫西班牙船隻，但青龍號的凡布里爾船長說：他們又沒說不能走私，這也不關總督的事，管他去死。於是我們繼續這樣的生活，但我覺得很不自在。有一天我去找那個猶太人，他寫了一張單據給我說，從葡萄牙到俄國，只要把這張單子給任何一個猶太人看，我就能拿到這麼多金子。一天晚上，我們到了英國。正在上岸交易貨品的時候，我不想幹了，於是跟幾個從普利茅斯來的傢伙一起走進黑夜裡。我想，我已經受夠走私了。 我在普利茅斯待了幾天，住在船錨旅店，想著接下來該做什麼，然後就來了個人要找水手和其他職員，要追隨海軍司令喬治．薩默斯去新世界維吉尼亞。我想這是上天在暗示我該怎麼做，於是我告訴來人自己是砲手，不管在海上或陸上都能工作，只要用直角器或反向高度儀測量所見星星的角度，就能測定緯度，如果需要的話，還可以做勘測工作。他說那你可不可以在水上走，還是需要派小船給你呢？跟他一起來的人都笑了，不過他還是帶我去見托利佛先生，他是艦隊旗艦海上冒險號的航海官。他對我很友善，跟我問好，要我向他展示能力，我照做了，而他也很滿意，因為我說得到就做得到，而且技藝高超，於是他讓我擔任砲手長，每天可以拿一先令又四便士。 我們在一六〇九年的六月二日出航。以前搭過的青龍號跟現在比起來，海上冒險號簡直就像國王的皇宮一樣，空間寬敞、設備完善，食物也更加美味，雖然沒有荷蘭起司、魚，也沒有白酒，可是有好喝的啤酒跟英國牛肉，所以我非常滿足。我跟托利佛先生成了好朋友，從他那裡學到很多東西，例如如何使用羅盤、反向高度儀，還有從星星測定經度，這件事情非常困難。以他的地位來說，他實在是個很奇怪的人，我以前從來沒遇過這種人，因為他不會讚揚上帝的恩典，還覺得不管信羅馬天主教那種迷信，或是改革後的新教都差不多，因為他相信上帝創造世界之後，就放著讓我們自由發展了，就像家裡的太太烤了蛋糕，就把蛋糕放在一旁冷卻，上帝根本一點都不關心我們這些生物。他永遠也不會接受聖經的權威地位，他說：聖經寫好的時候你在場嗎？no?那你怎麼知道那是上帝的話，而不是某個像你們這種笨蛋寫的？他也不怕地獄之火，說他從來沒見過惡魔和天使，也不認識有誰曾經見過的（除了幾個瘋子之外）。他覺得教堂對大部分的人都是無害的，所以星期天的時候會很樂意上教堂，但是一點也不在乎裡面進行什麼儀式或說了什麼道理，如果國王陛下說大家應該崇拜一顆石頭或是教宗，他很樂意照做，反正對他來說都一樣。我覺得很驚奇，大家都覺得這件事情是最重要的，可是他怎麼能夠不這麼想呢？而他這麼有智慧的人，怎麼還這麼善良仁慈呢？