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

) правила (что можно, а что нельзя)] for visiting pilots, a thumb-tacked weather report and a list of people wanting to enter for a ping-pong tournament. There were several small wooden tables and hard chairs at one end, half occupied, and across the whole width of the other end stretched the reception-cum-operations-cum-everything else desk[49 - the reception-cum-operations-cum-everything else desk – (разг.) стол дежурного, он же рабочий, он же для всего прочего].

Yawning behind it and scratching between his shoulder blades stood a plump sleepy man of about my own age, sporting a thick sloppy sweater and a fair sized hangover. He held a cup of strong coffee and a cigarette in his free hand, and he was talking lethargically to a gay young spark who had turned up with a girl-friend he wanted to impress.

�I’ve told you, old chap, you should have given us a ring. All the planes are booked today. I’m sorry, no can do. You can hang about if you like, in case someone doesn’t turn up…’

He turned towards me, casually.

�Morning, Harry,’ he said. �How’s things?’

�Very O.K.,’ I said. �And you?’

�Ouch,’ he grinned, �don’t cut me. The gin would run out.’ He turned round and consulted the vast timetable charts covering most of the wall behind him. �You’ve got Kilo November today, it’s out by the petrol pumps, I think. Cross country again; is that right?’

�Uh-huh,’ I nodded.

�Nice day for it.’ He put a tick on his chart where it said H. Grey, solo cross.

�Couldn’t be better.’

The girl said moodily, �How about this afternoon, then?’

�No dice.[50 - No dice. – (сленг) Ничего не выйдет.] All booked. And it gets dark so early… there’ll be plenty of planes tomorrow.’

I strolled away, out of the door to the airfield and round to the petrol pumps.

There were six single-engined aircraft lined up there in two rows of three, with a tall man in white overalls filling one up through the opening on the upper surface of the port wing[51 - the opening on the upper surface of the port wing – (техн.

) отверстие в верхней части левого крыла]. He waved when he saw me coming, and grinned.

�Just doing yours next, Harry. The boys have tuned her up special[52 - have tuned her up special – (разг.) отладили от души].