在曼哈顿把自己嫁出去（一）
How to Marry a Man in Manhattan—My Way
在曼哈顿把自己嫁出去
A couple of months ago, an announcement appeared in the New York Times that "Cindy Ryan" (not her real name) had gotten married. There was nothing particularly interesting or unusual about it, except to people who had known Cindy and lost contact with her, like me, to whom the news was 1)astounding. Cindy had gotten married! At forty! It was nothing short of inspirational.
数月前，《纽约时报》上刊载了一则小启事，上面说辛迪?赖安（化名）结婚了。事情本身并不有趣稀奇，但对那些认识她，并且和她失去联络的人来说，比如说我自己，这则消息就显得非同寻常。辛迪居然结婚了？在她40岁的时候？这个消息实在太具启发性了。
You see, Cindy was one of those New York women who had been trying to get married for years. We all know them. They're the women we've been reading about for the past ten years, who are attractive (not necessarily beautiful) and seem to be able to get everything—except married. Cindy sold advertising for a car magazine. She knew stereo equipment. She was as big as a man. She shot guns and traveled (once, on her way to the airport, she had to punch out a drunk cab driver, throw him in the back seat, and drive herself to the airport). She wasn't exactly the most feminine woman, but she always had men.
你要知道，辛迪是那些多年来一直试图把自己嫁出去的纽约女人中的一员。其实我们都认识她们。在过去的十年间，这些女人的消息总是不绝于耳——她们非常迷人（不一定漂亮），除了婚姻，她们似乎可以得到任何其他的东西。辛迪替一家汽车杂志社卖广告，通晓立体声装置。她有着和男人一样魁梧的身材，懂得射击，还外出旅行（有一次，在去机场的路上，她一拳打翻了酒醉的出租车司机，还把他扔到了后座，然后自己驾车到了机场。）虽说她并不是特别有女人味的人，可她身边却从不缺男人。
But every year, she got older, and when I would 2)run into her at an old friend's cocktail party, she'd 3)regale me and everyone else with stories of the big one who got away. The guy with the 4)yacht. The CEO who came to bed in mouse slippers.
但是每过一年，她便衰老一分。每当我和她在一个老朋友的鸡尾酒会上不期而遇的时候，她总会汇声汇色地跟我们描述刚刚与她分手的男友的趣闻——那个拥有游艇，穿着老鼠拖鞋上床的总裁。
And, you couldn't help it. You'd look at her and feel a mixture of admiration and 5)revulsion. You'd walk away thinking—she'll never get married. If she does marry, it's going to have to be some boring bank manager who lives in New Jersey. And besides, she's too old.
可渐渐地，你开始受不了她。你以一种复杂的眼神打量着她，有敬佩，也夹杂着丝缕的反感。你离开她的时候不禁在想：她可别指望能嫁出去。如果她真出嫁的话，老公一定是新泽西乡下地方某个俗不可耐的银行经理。再说，她年纪也太大了。
Then you'd go home and lie in bed, and the whole thing would come back to haunt you, until you had to call up your friends and be a nasty little cat and say, "Sweetie, if I ever end up like her, be sure to shoot me, huh?"
然后你回到家，躺在床上，整件事情又会在你脑海中重新呈现出来，直到你不得不打电话给你的朋友，像一只顽皮小猫一样跟她们说：“亲爱的，如果哪天我也沦落到她今天的下场，你可要记得一枪毙了我，嗯？”
Well, guess what. You were wrong. Cindy got married. He's not the kind of guy she ever thought she'd end up with, but she's happier than she's ever been in her life.
可是，你知道吗？大家都错了，辛迪真的结婚了。虽说那人并不是她所设想的要与之携手偕老的类型，可她比过往生命中的任何一刻都要快乐。
It is time. Time to stop complaining about no good men. Time to stop calling your machine every half hour to see if a man has called. Time to stop identifying with Martha Stewart's lousy love life even if she is on the cover of People magazine.
是时候了，让我们不再抱怨世间没有好男人；让我们不再每隔半小时就检查家里的电话留言，就为了要弄清到底有没有男人打来电话；让我们不再相信玛莎?斯图亚特蹩脚的爱情故事，管她有没有上《人物》杂志的封面。
（编辑:youke）
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