Stephen King - Английский язык с С. Кингом Верхом на пуле

“… a coupla weeks,” the driver was saying (на пару недель, — говорил /мой/ водитель; coupla — /разг., искаженное couple of/ пара; несколько ). He was smiling the way people do when they're telling a joke that really slays them (он улыбался так, как улыбаются люди, когда рассказывают шутку, которая по-настоящему сражает их = от которой они сами покатываются со смеху; to slay — убивать; сражать ). “And when he comes back (а когда он возвращается), he finds the car in the garage and his wife in the car (он находит машину в гараже, а свою жену в машине), she's been dead practically the whole time he's been gone (она была мертва практически все время, пока его не было /дома/). I don't know if it was suicide or a heart attack or what (я не знаю, было ли это самоубийство, или сердечный приступ, или что-то еще), but she's all bloated up (но она раздулась) and the car, it's full of that smell (а машина вся полна этого запаха) and all he wants to do is sell it, you know (и все, что он хочет, это продать ее).” He laughed (он засмеялся). “That's quite a story, huh (славная история, что скажешь; quite a — исключительный, необычный; заслуживающий внимания )?”

“Why wouldn't he call home (почему он не позвонил домой)?” It was my mouth, talking all by itself (это произнес мой рот, сам по себе: «это был мой рот, говорящий сам по себе»). My brain was frozen (мой мозг застыл). “He's gone for two weeks on a business trip (он уехал на две недели в командировку) and he never calls home once to see how his wife's doing (и ни разу не позвонил домой, чтобы узнать, как дела у его жены)?”

mileage ['maIlIG], garage ['gxrRZ], suicide ['sjuIsaId]

I looked out the window. I had heard the story before, years ago, probably while I was still in junior high. In the version I'd been told the car was a Thunderbird instead of a Caddy, but otherwise everything was the same. The kid says I may only be seventeen but I'm not an idiot, no one sells a car like this, especially one with low mileage, for only seven hundred and fifty bucks. And the guy tells him he's doing it because the car smells, you can't get the smell out, he's tried and tried and nothing will take it out. You see he was on a business trip, a fairly long one, gone for at least...

“... a coupla weeks,” the driver was saying. He was smiling the way people do when they're telling a joke that really slays them. “And when he comes back, he finds the car in the garage and his wife in the car, she's been dead practically the whole time he's been gone. I don't know if it was suicide or a heart attack or what, but she's all bloated up and the car, it's full of that smell and all he wants to do is sell it, you know.” He laughed. “That's quite a story, huh?”

“Why wouldn't he call home?” It was my mouth, talking all by itself. My brain was frozen. “He's gone for two weeks on a business trip and he never calls home once to see how his wife's doing?”

“Well (ну),” the driver said, “that's sorta beside the point (смысл не в этом: «это вроде как вне сути/смысла = к делу не относится»; sorta — /разг., искаж. sort of/ как бы, вроде; point — точка; пункт; суть, смысл ), wouldn't you say (так ведь)? I mean hey, what a bargain — that's the point (я имею в виду, что за сделка, вот в чем суть; bargain — торговая сделка; выгодная покупка; дешево купленная вещь ). Who wouldn't be tempted (кто бы не соблазнился)? After all, you could always drive the car with the fuckin windows open, right (в конце концов, можно всегда вести машину, с открытыми, к черту, окнами, верно)? And it's basically just a story (и, вообще, это просто история). Fiction (выдумка). I thought of it because of the smell in this car (я подумал о ней из-за запаха в машине). Which is fact (что является фактом).”

Silence (тишина). And I thought (и я подумал): He's waiting for me to say something (он ждет, чтобы я сказал что-то) , waiting for me to end this (ждет, чтобы я закончил это). And I wanted to (и я хотел /сделать это/). I did (правда хотел). Except... what then (но… что потом)? What would he do then (что он сделает потом)?

basically ['beIsIk(q)lI], fiction ['fIkS(q)n], silence ['saIlqns]

“Well,” the driver said, “that's sorta beside the point, wouldn't you say? I mean hey, what a bargain — that's the point. Who wouldn't be tempted? After all, you could always drive the car with the fuckin windows open, right? And it's basically just a story. Fiction. I thought of it because of the smell in this car. Which is fact.”

Silence. And I thought: He's waiting for me to say something, waiting for me to end this. And I wanted to. I did. Except... what then? What would he do then?

He rubbed the ball of his thumb over the button on his shirt (он потер подушечкой большого пальца значок на рубашке), the one reading i rode the bullet at thrill village, laconia (тот, на котором написано “я катался на Пуле в деревне развлечений в Лаконии”). I saw there was dirt under his fingernails (я увидел грязь под ногтями его пальцев). “That's where I was today (вот где я был сегодня),” he said. “Thrill Village (в деревне развлечений). I did some work for a guy (я делал кое-какую работу для /одного/ парня) and he gave me an all-day pass (и он дал мне билет на целый день; pass — проход; пропуск; контрамарка, бесплатный билет ). My girlfriend was gonna go with me (моя подружка собиралась пойти со мной; gonna = going to ), but she called and said she was sick (но она позвонила и сказала, что больна), she gets these periods that really hurt sometimes (у нее /опять/ эти месячные, которые иногда по-настоящему/очень болят; period — период; цикл; /мн. ч./ менструация ), they make her sick as a dog (от них она чувствует себя совсем погано: «они делают ее больной как собака»). It's too bad, but I always think, hey, what's the alternative (это очень плохо, но я всегда думаю, какова же альтернатива)? No rag at all, right, and then I'm in trouble, we both are (она вся на взводе, верно, и тогда у меня проблемы, у нас обоих /проблемы/; rag — лоскут; тряпье; to lose one's rag — разозлиться, выйтиизсебя; trouble — беспокойство; неприятность ).” He yapped, a humorless bark of sound (он испустил короткий смешок — невеселый звук, похожий на лай; to yap — взвизгнуть; лаять, тявкать; bark — лай; лающийзвук; резкийилиотрывистыйзвук ). “So I went by myself (и я поехал один). No sense wasting an all-day pass (никакого смысла терять билет на целый день; to waste — терятьдаром; тратитьвпустую ). You ever been to Thrill Village (ты когда-нибудь был в деревне развлечений)?”

fingernail ['fINgqneIl], alternative [Ll'tWnqtIv], yap [jxp]

He rubbed the ball of his thumb over the button on his shirt, the one reading i rode the bullet at thrill village, laconia. I saw there was dirt under his fingernails. “That's where I was today,” he said. “Thrill Village. I did some work for a guy and he gave me an all-day pass. My girlfriend was gonna go with me, but she called and said she was sick, she gets these periods that really hurt sometimes, they make her sick as a dog. It's too bad, but I always think, hey, what's the alternative? No rag at all, right, and then I'm in trouble, we both are. He yapped, a humorless bark of sound. So I went by myself. No sense wasting an all-day pass. You ever been to Thrill Village?”

“Yes,” I said. “Once (один раз). When I was twelve (когда мне было двенадцать).”

“Who'd you go with (с кем ты ходил)?” he asked. “You didn't go alone, did you (ты ходил не один, правда)? Not if you were only twelve (нет, если тебе было только двенадцать).”

I hadn't told him that part, had I (я не рассказывал ему эту часть = про возраст , ведь так)? No. He was playing with me, that was all (он играл со мной, вот и все), swatting me idly back and forth (лениво перебрасывая меня взад и вперед; to swat — ударять; бить /сильным ударом/ ). I thought about opening the door and just rolling out into the night (я подумывал о том, чтобы открыть дверь и просто выкатиться в ночь), trying to tuck my head into my arms before I hit (старясь спрятать голову в руках, прежде чем ударюсь; to tuck — подгибать, подворачивать; подбирать под себя; засовывать, прятать ), only I knew he'd reach over and pull me back before I could get away (но я знал, что он потянется за мной и втянет обратно /в машину/, прежде чем я смогу выбраться). And I couldn't raise my arms, anyway (и я не мог поднять руки в любом случае). The best I could do was clutch my hands together (лучшее, что я мог сделать = все, что я мог , — это сжимать руки вместе).

idly ['aIdlI], raise [reIz], anyway ['enIweI]

“Yes, I said. Once. When I was twelve.”

“Who'd you go with?” he asked. “You didn't go alone, did you? Not if you were only twelve.”

I hadn't told him that part, had I? No. He was playing with me, that was all, swatting me idly back and forth. I thought about opening the door and just rolling out into the night, trying to tuck my head into my arms before I hit, only I knew he'd reach over and pull me back before I could get away. And I couldn't raise my arms, anyway. The best I could do was clutch my hands together.