Flying finish / Бурный финиш. Книга для чтения на английском языке

The two grooms, Timmie and Conker, gradually got over the worst of their anger, and we developed into a quick, efficient, laconic team.

My family were predictably horrified by my change of occupation and did their best to pry me away from it. My sister anxiously retracted the words I knew I’d earned, my father foresaw the earldom going to the cousin after all, aeroplanes being entirely against nature and usually fatal[34 - aeroplanes being entirely against nature and usually fatal – (разг.) аэропланы были ошибкой природы и потому смертельно опасны], and my mother had hysterics over what her friends would say.

�It’s a labourer’s job,’ she wailed.

�A job is what you make it.’

�What will the Filyhoughs think?’

�Who the hell cares what they think?’

�It isn’t a suitable job for you.’ She wrung her hands.

�It’s a job I like. It suits me, therefore it is suitable.’

�You know that isn’t what I mean.

’

�I know exactly what you mean, Mother, and I profoundly disagree with you. People should do work they like doing; that’s all that should decide them. Whether it is socially O.K. or not shouldn’t come into it.’

�But it does,’ she cried, exasperated.

�It has for me for nearly six years,’ I admitted, �but not any more. And ideas change. What I am doing now may be the top thing next year[35 - may be the top thing next year – (разг.

) может войти в моду в следующем году]. If I don’t look out half the men I know will be muscling in on the act. Anyway, it’s right for me, and I’m going on with it.’

All the same she couldn’t be won over, and could only face her own elderly convention-bound circle by pretending my job was �for the experience, you know,’ and by treating it as a joke.

It was a joke to Simon Searle too, at first.

�You won’t stick it[36 - You won’t stick it – (разг.

) Ты долго не продержишься], Henry’, he said confidently. �Not you and all that dirt. You with your spotless dark suits and your snowy white shirts and not a hair out of place. One trip will be enough.’

After a month, looking exactly the same, I turned up for my pay packet late on Friday afternoon, and we sauntered along to his favourite pub, a tatty place with stained glass doors and a chronic smell of fug.