Chapter 30 They rented a car in Los Angeles from one of the places that rents out cars that other people have thrown away. Getting it to go round corners is a bit of a problem, said the guy behind the sunglasses as he handed them the keys, sometimes it’s simpler just to get out and find a car that’s going in that direction. They stayed for one night in a hotel on Sunset Boulevard which someone had told them they would enjoy being puzzled by. Everyone there is either English or odd or both. They’ve got a swimming pool where you can go and watch English rock stars reading Language, Truth and Logic for the photographers. It was true. There was one and that was exactly what he was doing. The garage attendant didn’t think much of their car, but that was fine because they didn’t either. Late in the evening they drove through the Hollywood hills along Mulholland Drive and stopped to look out first over the dazzling sea of floating light that is Los Angeles, and later stopped to look across the dazzling sea of floating light that is the San Fernando Valley. They agreed that the sense of dazzle stopped immediately at the back of their eyes and didn’t touch any other part of them and came away strangely unsatisfied by the spectacle. As dramatic seas of light went, it was fine, but light is meant to illuminate something, and having driven through what this particularly dramatic sea of light was illuminating they didn’t think much of it. They slept late and restlessly and awoke at lunchtime when it was stupidly hot. They drove out along the freeway to Santa Monica for their first look at the Pacific Ocean, the ocean which Wonko the Sane spent all his days and a good deal of his nights looking at. Someone told me, said Fenchurch, that they once overheard two old ladies on this beach, doing what we’re doing, looking at the Pacific Ocean for the first time in their lives. And apparently, after a long pause, one of them said to the other, “You know, it’s not as big as I expected.” Their mood lifted further as the sun began to move down the western half of the sky, and by the time they were back in their rattling car and driving towards a sunset that no one of any sensibility would dream of building a city like Los Angeles on front of, they were suddenly feeling astonishingly and irrationally happy and didn’t even mind that the terrible old car radio would only play two stations, and those simultaneously. So what, they were both playing good rock and roll. I know he will be able to help us, said Fenchurch determinedly. I know he will. What’s his name again, that he likes to be called? Wonko the Sane. I know that he will be able to help us. Arthur wondered if he would and hoped that he would, and hoped that what Fenchurch had lost could be found here, on this Earth, whatever this Earth might prove to be. He hoped, as he had hoped continually and fervently since the time they had talked together on the banks of the Serpentine, that he would not be called upon to try to remember something that he had very firmly and deliberately buried in the furthest recesses of his memory, where he hoped it would cease to nag at him. In Santa Barbara they stopped at a fish restaurant in what seemed to be a converted warehouse. Fenchurch had red mullet and said it was delicious. Arthur had a swordfish steak and said it made him angry. He grabbed a passing waitress by the arm and berated her. Why’s this fish so bloody good? he demanded, angrily. Please excuse my friend, said Fenchurch to the startled waitress. I think he’s having a nice day at last. 第30章 他們在洛杉磯的一架出租別人扔掉的車的地方租了一輛車。 “開這個車拐彎的時候有一點問題，”那個帶着太陽鏡的夥計把鑰匙遞給他們的時候說，“有時候，你下車另找一輛去那個方向的車會更簡單點。” 他們在日落大道的一家旅館過了一夜，有人曾經告訴他們說他們會喜歡被這裏給搞糊塗的。 “那裏的每個人都或者是英國人，或者很古怪，或者兩樣都佔了。那兒有個游泳池，你可以去看到英國搖滾歌星在讀《給攝影師看的語言、真相與邏輯》。” 這是真的。那裏真有一個，而且確實在這麼幹。 車庫管理員覺得他們的車不怎麼樣，不過沒關係，因爲他們也怎麼想。 那天晚上晚點時候他們開車沿着穆赫蘭道穿過好萊塢的山丘，先停下來向外看洛杉磯令人目眩的燈光的海洋，然後停下來縱觀聖費爾南多谷令人目眩的燈光的海洋。他們一致認爲目眩的感覺一到了他們眼睛後面就停在那裏，沒有觸及其他任何部分，而後帶着對那種景象的奇異的不滿離開了。炫目的燈光的海洋消失了，這挺好的，但是燈光應該照亮什麼東西，駕車穿過的這片令人目眩的燈光的海洋正照亮着什麼東西，他們沒怎麼去想。 他們睡得很晚，而且睡得不好，到午飯時間才醒來，正熱的見了鬼。 他們開車出去，沿着高速公路到聖塔摩尼加，第一次去看看太平洋，獨醒客所有的白天和大部分夜晚都花在看這個大洋上面了。 “有人告訴我說，”芬切琪說，“他們有一次無意中在這個海灘上聽到兩個老太太的對話，她們當時就像我們現在這樣，有生以來第一次看到太平洋。沉默了一會兒之後，一個對另一個說：‘你瞧，沒有我想的那麼大嘛。’” 太陽移到西半邊天空的時候他們的情緒更高了，他們回到丁零當啷響的汽車上，向着落日駛去，任何一個有一點點審美觀的人即使在做夢的時候都不會想到要在這樣的落日前修建一個洛杉磯這樣的城市。這個時候他們忽然感到驚人的、無理性的開心，甚至都不在乎那個老掉牙的汽車收音機只能放兩個臺，而且是同時放。有什麼呢，兩個臺放的都是挺好的搖滾樂。 “我知道他能給我們幫上忙，”芬切琪堅定地說，“我知道他能。他叫什麼來着，就是他喜歡別人那麼叫他的？” “獨醒客。” “我知道他能給我們幫上忙。” 阿瑟不知道他能不能，他希望能，他希望芬切琪丟失的東西可以在這裏，在這個地球上找回來，無論這個地球到底可能是什麼東西。 他希望，自從他們在蛇紋石堤岸旁邊談論以來他一直都熱切地希望，沒有人會再要他去回憶起他非常小心而堅定地埋藏在記憶最深處的一些東西，他希望那些東西不要再騷擾他。 他們在聖巴巴拉的一家看起來像是倉庫改建的魚類爲主食的餐館停下來。 芬切琪吃了紅鱭，並且說很好吃。 阿瑟吃了一塊旗魚排，並且說很生氣。 他拽住了一個路過的女侍應生的胳膊，斥責她。 “這個魚怎麼能這麼好吃的要命的？”他生氣地問。 “請原諒我的朋友，”芬切琪對目瞪口呆的侍應生說，“我想他今天終於過了個好日子。”
