Grifter's Game《精彩的开局-骗徒的交心游戏?》

现在物质极大丰富，有机会有条件接触番石榴文学的骚人们未必听说过所谓的Original Gold Medal Novel。其实，老一辈译者很有几个家中藏有几本Original Gold Medal Novel的。当然，这种“文化私生活用品”，就跟你在被窝筒里边打电筒看的“好书”一样，不会每个人都变态到象施咸荣一样一边吆喝卖“黄色读物”，一边不忘画蛇添足地教训你要以批判的眼光打量全世界劳苦大众是如何生活在水深火热之中的……

以前物质极度匮乏，人力物力有限，不想浪费金钱时间；又不想畅开脑袋让庸人在自己脑袋里边跑马，打算找本消闲读物来打发一下午后的无聊时光或漫漫滴寂寞长夜，有些人会偷偷找本OGMN来打发时间。基本上能达到这个标准的，大约都等于十年前各大网文论坛各种榜单里的前十，怎么着看了都不会认为被炒作忽悠得严重伤害了自己的幼小心灵恨不能找消协投诉滴。

而Block年轻时为生活打拼，每天写的都是自己都不要回头看怕烂眼睛的廉价文字，当时最大的目标就是期望着有一天自己的烂笔头能达到OGMN的标准，就好比你要是能在故事会上登个长篇，就说明你无论功力也好人脉也好，都住够做一个合格的写手了。

其实老萝卜头对自己要求太高了，好几次其实都已经达到这个高度他自己还是不满意就又把自己给贱卖了，就这样又蹉跎了好些年，终于终于，本书应时而生，他自己很自信地不再用笔名，首用本名出书。以现在的眼光打量，以OGMN的标准来说，本书也算是其中的上游之作。而出版方对该作品的质量和销量也很是满意……

当时首印的时候是以书中的蛇蝎女Mona做标题的，后来零零星星翻印的时候还叫过甜蜜凋敝（Sweet Slow Death），骗徒游戏（Grifter's Game）。所以无论说娜书，骗书，死书，其实都是指他这本成名作。虽然以他后来功成名就的马修，雅贼等系列小说来看，这本Block第一次以自己本名出版的作品，实在只能不违心地说勉强算是中游水平。但从开局的寥寥几句，我们还是可以看出作为类型小说作家的他，在市场上以软色情廉价书打拼了那么多年后，其对边缘题材自如的驾驭能力和如行云流水般的傲人笔触。

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8:45

The oak door swung open and I saw him dressed for work briefcase tucked neatly under arm. She was seeing him to the door looking domestic as all hell with her hair in curlers. He turned and they kissed briefly. For some reason I couldn't begrudge him that kiss. I was almost glad he was getting the chance to kiss her good-bye. It was his last chance. He was welcome to all he could get.

九点差一刻，橡木门刷的一声打开，他随即映入了我眼帘：一身齐整的西装，公文包优雅地夹在腋下。她把他一直送到了门口，满头都是可怕的卷发夹子看起来就是个居家女子。他回过身去，利索地吻了吻对方。基于若干缘由，我并不嫉妒他那一吻。我甚至很高兴……他能抓住这个机会与她吻别。他以后不会再有机会了。且让他尽情享受这最后的时光吧。

He reached the sidewalk and turned away from me heading for the railroad station. I drove up behind him. Slowly. The gun felt cold now even with the rubber glove.

他从我这边走过，踏上人行道上，朝火车站的方向走去。我驾着车缓缓地跟在他后面。即使隔着橡胶手套，我仍感觉到手枪此时的寒意。

I drew up even with him braked quickly leaned across the seat toward him. Now he turned at the sound — not hurriedly not scared but wandering what was coming off.

我追上他，猛然刹车，倾身越过座位朝向他。他听到声响——神情自若、不紧不慢地转身望过来，想看看究竟怎么回事。

I pointed the gun at him and squeezed the trigger.

我拿枪瞄准他并扣动了板机。

Chapter 1

第一章

The lobby was air-conditioned and the rug was the kind you sink down into and disappear in without leaving a trace. The bellhops moved silently and instantly and efficiently. The elevators started silently and stopped as silently and the pretty girls who jockeyed them up and down did not chew gum until they were through working for the day. The ceilings were high and the chandeliers that drooped from them were ornate.

大厅装有中央空调，地毯是那种厚得你踩上去时整个脚面一起陷落，抬起来后印子立马消失无踪的好货色。宾馆侍者安静伶俐高效地来回忙碌着。电梯悄然地开启停落，操作电梯上上下下的漂亮女生也只会到下班以后才嚼口香糖。天花板很高，天花板垂下的一盏盏吊灯很是华丽。

And the manager's voice was pitched very low his tone apologetic. But this didn't change what he had to say. He wanted the same thing they want in every stinking dive from Hackensack to Hong Kong. He wanted money.

大堂经理的声音浑厚低沉，带着歉意的口吻。但这并不影响他想要表达的内容。从哈肯萨克到香港，无论哪家下等旅馆的经理，他们想要的东西都一样——他要钱。

"I don't want to bother you Mr. Gavilan" he was saying. "But it is the policy of the hotel to request payment once every two weeks. And since you've been here slightly in excess of three weeks —"

他说道：“加文仑先生，我实在不想打搅您。但宾馆规定每两周结一次账。鉴于您在此已经住有3个多星期了——”

He left that one hanging in the middle of the air smiling and extending his hands palms-up to show me that he didn't like to talk about money. He liked to receive it but he didn't like to talk about it.

他顿住了没继续往下说，笑着摊开双手，以示他不想谈及金钱这些阿堵物。他喜欢收钱却耻于言及。

I matched his smile with one of my own. "Wish you'd told me sooner" I said. "Time flies so fast a man can't keep up with it. Look I want to get upstairs and change now. Suppose you have the bill ready for me when I come back downstairs. I have to go to the bank anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Pick up some money and settle my tab for the moment."

我应合着他挤出一丝笑容说道：“真希望你能早点告诉我。时间一晃就过了，我都没注意。这么着，我这会儿正要上楼去换衣服。你最好先准备好账单，等我呆会儿下来时给我。我反正要去趟银行。正如俗话说的一箭双雕——顺便取些钱来把这目前的账给结了。”

His smile was wider than mine. "Of course we'll be happy to take your check Mr. Gavilan That is —"

他的笑容比我的灿烂多了。“当然可以。加文仑先生，我们也很乐意接收您的支票。那是——”

"No point to it" I said. "My account's with a Denver bank. It'd take weeks before the check would clear. But I've got a draft on a bank in town. So just have the bill ready when I get downstairs and I'll pay you in cash later this afternoon. Good enough?"

“不用了。”我说，“我是在丹佛的银行开的户。用支票的话大概要几周才能兑现。而我在城里一家银行有笔汇款。呆会儿我下来时你把账单准备好，下午晚些时候我付你现金。妥了？”

It was definitely good enough. I walked over to the elevator and settled myself in it without calling out my floor. When you stay at the Benjamin Franklin for a day or two the operator remembers where you live.

自然一切妥当咯。我向电梯走去，步入电梯时没说要去几楼。只要你在本杰明•弗兰克林住上一两天，电梯操作员就会记得你所住的楼层。

I got off at the seventh floor and found my room. The chambermaid hadn't gotten around to it yet and it was the same mess I had left behind me when I went down for breakfast. I sat on the unmade bed for a minute or two wondering just how much the tab was going to come to at Philadelphia's finest hotel. One hell of a lot no matter how I figured it. Better than three weeks at ten dollars a day. And better than three weeks of signing for meals signing for the liquor room service sent up signing for laundry service and dry cleaning and every other service Philadelphia's leading hotel had to offer. An impressive sum.

到七楼出得电梯，回到自己房间。清洁女仆还没来收拾，房间还是同我下楼去吃早餐前一样乱糟糟的。我在还没铺好的床上坐了几分钟，心里盘算着我在费城这家最好的旅馆这些天的花费大概会是多少。无论怎么算，反正肯定是很大一笔开销。不光是十美元一天三个多星期的房租。还有三周以来在这家旅馆所签付的餐饮、送酒水上门、洗衣干衣等等服务的花费。应该是个惊人的数目！

Maybe five hundred dollars. Maybe less maybe more.

也许要五百美元。或许不到，或者不止。

One hell of an impressive sum.

反正是笔大数目！

I reached into my pocket and found my wallet. I took out my money and counted it. It came to a little over a hundred bucks. And needless to say there was no draft on a Philly bank no account with a Denver bank no stocks no bonds no nothing. There was a hundred bucks plus and that was all there was to the world.

我伸手进口袋找出钱包。掏出钱来数了数。结果只有一百多点。更别提，我无论在哪家费城银行都根本没有汇款，丹佛的银行也没有什么狗屁账户，没股票，没债券，什么都没有。我只有一百多美元，这就是我的全部家当。

I found a cigarette and lighted it thinking how lucky I was that they'd carried me for almost a month without hinting for money. Most people get picked up on less than that Fortunately I was cagy and I had been playing it cool. I didn't just come on like a deadbeat. That's important.

我找了支烟点上，暗自庆幸他们居然让我在这呆了近一个月都没来催我要钱。大多数家伙都没我这么幸运可以得过且过。我一直都谨慎行事，表现得很镇定。让自己看起来一点不像是个要赖账的家伙，这点很重要。

For instance I never signed for tips. Two reasons for that. For one thing I didn't see any percentage in conning bellhops and waitresses who were probably as broke as I was. And when people sign for tips they get watched closely. Everybody watched them.

比如说，我从来不签单付小费。这基于两个理由。一来，我不愿看到任人指使的旅馆侍者或女服务员落得如我一般穷酸。此外，如果你连付小费都要签单，会惹来不必要的关注。每个人都会盯着你！

So I tipped in cash and I tipped heavy — a buck to a bellhop a straight twenty per cent to a waitress. It was expensive but it was worth it. It had paid off.

所以我总是用现金付小费，而且给得很是豪爽——小跑腿的侍者1美元，给女服务员则是20%的小费。开销很大，不过值得回票。

I got out of my clothes and went into the can for a shower. I took the hot spray first then the cold. I like showers. They make me feel human.

我脱了衣服走进浴室。先冲了个热水澡，然后换冷水。我喜欢淋浴，着让我感觉还像个人样。

While I toweled off I looked at myself in the mirror. The front was still there — the hard body the sloping shoulders the suntan the narrow waist the muscle. I looked solid and I looked prosperous. My luggage was top-grain cowhide and my shoes were expensive. So were my suits.

我边擦干身子，边望着镜子里的自己。外表依然没变——坚实的身体、斜削的肩膀、黝黑的皮肤、窄腰以及浑身肌肉。我看起来既结实又健康。我的行李箱是最好的牛皮做的，我的鞋子也是最贵的那种。一身行头都是。

I was going to miss them.

我会怀念它们的。

I got dressed in a hurry and I put everything on my back that I could. I wore plaid bathing trunks under my slacks and a knit shirt under the silk one. I stuck cashmere socks — two pairs of them — between my feet and my shoes. I wore my best tie and stuck my second best tie in my pocket. I used all four tie clips on it — the jacket covered them up.

我匆匆穿上衣服，尽量把所有值钱的衣物都穿戴上。我的休闲裤里穿着的是格子花呢游泳裤；上身一件针织衬衣，外加一件丝绸外套。脚上套着羊绒袜子——两双——然后再塞进皮鞋里。我戴上自己最喜欢的领带，把另一条次喜爱的领带塞在口袋里。我在领带上别了4个领带夹子，反正有外套挡着。

And that did it. Anything else would have made me bulge like a potato sack and I did not want to bulge. I stuck the wallet in my pocket left the room a little messier than it had been and rang for the elevator.

一切就绪。再塞东西的话我看起来就会像鼓累累的一大袋土豆了。我可不想显得很臃肿。我把钱包塞进口袋，离开时房间比刚才更乱了，按了电梯下楼去。

The manager had my tab ready for me when I hit the lobby again. It was a big one. It came to a resounding total of six hundred and seventeen dollars and forty-three cents a little more than I had figured. I smiled at him and thanked him and left mulling over the bill as I walked.

当我再次来到大厅时，我的账单经理已经整理好了。书目可真不小。一共是六百一十七美元四十三美分，比我预计的要多了些。我冲他笑笑，道谢后离开了，边走边打量着账单。

The bill of course was made out to David Gavilan.

这账单抬头——当然是开给大卫•加文仑了。

David Gavilan of course is not my name.

而大卫•加文仑无疑也不是我的真名。

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人物形象，故事背景，类型小说开篇惯例的悬念……无不是几句话就勾勒分明，从故事性及娱乐性来说，老萝卜这尊大佛算是给成人童话市场大大的长脸了。而他名声卓著的唠叨，在这个故事里已经略见端详。虽然不至于象Chuck Palahniuk那样一段话就下一个定论，来句格言式的诠释。但其故事中的人物无论主角配角甚至惊鸿一现，他们的一言一行好多时候是可以拿来为人生作注的！

其实是一个很离经叛道让人看了葛颖的故事啦。我当年看了之后才第一次知道原来同样是用注射器，也有皮下注射和静脉注射之分；至于书中的***场景，虽然如今看来都已不算什么大不了的事，但我估计还是没有哪个心思细腻的女生会喜欢这个故事的……谁要是好奇心重又自制力不够的直接翻看过最后一章，哪怕对卜老再有爱，肯定还是会难过得下不定决心是否要买（已经买了也会怕自己不忍心看……）。反正我可以很负责的讲，这本书铁定不会在内地出版，所以美丽心灵的祖国花骨朵可以安心茁壮成长了……

——————下面我很不厚道地放出结尾两段————————

Something else. To share with her maybe. Or maybe the nagging knowledge that every time the *** takes hold of her she slips that much further away from me. Something like that I don't know. But one of these days or weeks or months I'll take that shot for myself.

而是别的什么缘故。也许是想同她一齐分享。也可能是因为她一次次屈从于***掌控的未来而不会抛弃我，让我有想具备同她一样的体认吧。该是类似的缘由了，谁知道呢。但肯定是在往后的某个月的某周里的某一天，我也会给自己来上一针的。

I think we're going to be very something together. Whatever it is at least it will be together. And that's what I wanted isn't it?

我想我们俩会一同去面对生活的林林总总。无论什么情况，至少我们得以一道去面对。这就是我的愿景，夫复何求！

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最后的最后，王子终于还是得以和公主幸福地生活在一起了……其实我们又何尝不期望自己能有说这句话的一天呢？