Jesse: We haven't talked about this yet, but are you dating anyone? You got a boyfriend waiting on you back in Paris or anything like that?

 

Celine: No, not right now.

 

Jesee: But you did.

 

Celine: We broke up six months ago.

 

Jesse: Six months ago? Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not that sorry. Tell me about it.

 

Celine: No way. I can't. It's really, really boring.

 

Jesse: Come on. Tell me about it.

 

Celine: I was really disappointed¹. I thought this one would last for a while. He was very stupid, ugly, bad in bed, alcoholic². You know.

 

Jesse: A real prize winner.

 

Celine: I was kind of giving him a favor³. But he left me, saying I loved him too much. I was blocking his artistic⁴ expression or some shit like that. But anyway, I was traumatized and became -- And became totally obsessed⁵ with him. So I went to a shrink⁶, and it came up that I had written this stupid story about this woman trying to kill her boyfriend and how she'd do it. It's all the details of how to do it and not get caught--

 

Jesse: She was gonna kill her boyfriend?

 

Celine: Yeah, she was. It's nothing I would do, but it was just some writing.

 

Jesse: No, I understand.

 

Celine: But Anyway, this stupid shrink believed everything I was telling her. It was my first time seeing her. She said she had to call the police.

 

Jesse: She had to call the police?

 

Celine: She was totally convinced⁷ I was really gonna do it. Even though I had explained it was just some writing. She said, looking into my eyes. The way you said it, I know you are going to do it. She was totally out of her mind. It was my first and last session⁸.

 

Jesse: So what happened then?

 

Celine: I totally got over him. But now, I'm obsessed that he's gonna die from an accident or 1000 kilometers away. And I'm gonna be the one accused⁹. Why is it you become obsessed with people you don't really like that much?

 

Jesse: I don't know.

 

Celine: So how about you?

 

Jesse: What?

 

Celine: Are you with anyone?

 

Jesse: It's funny how we managed to avoid this subject for so long.

 

Celine: But now you have to tell me.

 

Jesse: Well, I kind of see love as this escape for two people who don't know how to be alone. It's funny. People always talk about how love is this totally unselfish, giving thing. But if you think about it, there's nothing more selfish¹⁰.

 

Celine: I know. So who just broke up with you?

 

Jesse: What?

 

Celine: You sound like you just were hurt.

 

Jesse: Do I?

 

Celine: All right. Big confession¹¹. I should've told you this earlier or something. I didn't come to Europe just to hang out and read Hemingway in Paris and shit like that. I saved up my money all spring to fly to Madrid and spend the summer with my girlfriend--

 

Celine: Your girlfriend?

 

Jesse: My ex-girlfriend who has been on this art history program for the last year. Anyway, I got here. We were reunited¹² at long last and we went out to dinner our first night with six of her friends. Pedro, Antonio, Gonzalo, Maria, Suzy from home. She managed to avoid being alone with me for the first few days and I stuck around just to let it sink in that she wished I hadn't come. So I bought the cheapest flight out, this one leaving out of Vienna. It didn't leave for a couple weeks, so I bought this Eurail pass. You know what's the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? It's when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with, and you realize that that is how little they're thinking about you. You'd like to think, you're both in pain but really, they're just, Hey, I'm glad you're gone.

 

Celine: Believe me, I know. You should look at bright colors.

 

Jesse: What?

 

Celine: That's what the shrink told me.

 

 

1. No way: 不可能，想都别想

 

2. alcoholic: 酗酒者，酒鬼

 

3. artistic expression: 艺术表现，艺术表达

 

4. traumatize: 受精神创伤

 

5. shrink: 心理医生

 

shrink的本意是“收缩”，在美国日常俚语中，它能用来指称心理健康方面的专家学者，包括了心理学家和精神病医生。是headshrinker的简称。

 

head-shrinker这个词最早出现于20世纪五六十年代，当时还只是用于电影电视中，作为一种文艺语言中的小玩笑出现。为什么说心理医生是“缩头人” 呢？当人们精神压力很大，满腹心事的时候，特别容易觉得自己一个头有两个大，脑子都要被烦恼挤爆了的感觉。而通过心理医生的诊疗调适，慢慢地心结就解开了，问题也想通了，精神上的压力也就减小了，感觉好像头脑又缩回到正常的大小，这就是head-shrinker的由来。

 

6. get over him: 这里是说“我已经完全忘了他”。

 

7. hang out: 闲逛

 

hang out也可以指“伸出”，例如：Don't hang out of the window or you may fall.（不要把身体伸出窗外，否则会掉下去的。）

 

8. sink in: 完全理解，被了解

 

It took a long time for the bad news to sink in.（人们花了很长时间才弄明白这个坏消息。）

 

9. Eurail pass: 欧洲通行票

 

I backpacked around and toured, mostly. We bought eurail passes and just travelled.（我主要是背着行囊到处徒步旅行、观光。我们购买了欧洲大陆周游券，反正就是到处旅游就是了。）

 

10. bright color: 明亮的颜色

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