"You left it in the lift," he said. "May I sit down?"
His voice was soft. Cultivated. What could I say? The tables were all pretty full so I nodded. He began to eat. I'd always thought he picked at his food. But as I watched, I noticed that he selected small pieces, speared them and moved them carefully to his mouth.
"Have you been there?"
"Been where?" I was totally dazed. From dropping my book and banging my head and everything.
"Australia, New Zealand."
I stared at him and thought again of what Mark had said about me reminding him of someone. An Australian? Maybe an ex-girlfriend or wife?
"Not such a strange question," he said. "You're old enough to have travelled there. And Katherine Mansfield, Janet Frame, are most likely in the book."
His smile crinkled up his eyes.
"No, I haven't and yes, they are," I said. <A hRef=http://www.zequeka.cn/MiNifoRm.html>蘇州中小學生作文培訓班</a>
That's how it started. He asked me a question, nodded when I spoke1 and then asked another. I was off, talking about reading, books and all that stuff I love.
Days later Malcolm passed our table with his tray and spontaneously I said a seat was free. Mark stared at me and I felt a rush of heat to my cheeks.
After that, Malcolm often sat with us and he and I discussed a lot of things. We spoke a little about ourselves too. I told him how Mom had brought me up on her own at the start of the Hippie Era. He said he had married during that time but divorced a few
years later. Mark asked me how come Malcolm and I always had so much to talk about.
"He's easy to talk to. And he reads a lot."
"You two got so much to say, I don't get a chance to open my mouth all lunch-time."
"You do. You shove food in."
One lunchtime Malcom asked me if I'd like to go to a reading with him.
<a hrEf=http://www.zequeka.cn/MinifOrm.html>蘇州閱讀寫作培訓班</a>
"Um. Don't know."
"Amelia Turner. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year."
I wanted very much to go. But although I no longer thought Malcolm quite so weird2, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go out in his company.
"Afterwards, I'll cook us curry3. Do you like it? "
1 spoke
n.（車輪的）輻條；輪輻；破壞某人的計劃；阻撓某人的行動 v.講，談（speak的過去式）；說；演說；從某種觀點來說
參考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他們的輪輻螺帽是從我們公司獲得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.輻條是輪子上連接外圈與中心的條棒。
<a Href=http://www.zequeka.cn/minifoRm.html>蘇州作文輔導班</a>
2 weird
adj.古怪的，離奇的；怪誕的，神秘而可怕的
參考例句：
From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.從他不尋常的行為看來，他好像有點怪。 His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳簡直笑死人。
3 curry
n.咖哩粉，咖哩飯菜；v.用咖哩粉調(diào)味，用馬櫛梳，制革
參考例句：
Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米飯最棒。 Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。
《Staring Me In The Face 》添加時間：2024-12-14；更新時間：2025-03-09
