In this article the author describes that happened to her one night and her feelings about it.
THERE'S ONLY LUCK
Ruth Reichl
My mind went numb when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage: This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying, "What do you want? Take my wallet, " but at the time I thought of nothing.
I remember being vaguely annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house - Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the shrubbery. But I remember the sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy, and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch behind it but screamed instead.
I remember thinking there was something absurdly melodramatic about screaming "Help, help! " at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea to the more specific "Help; let me in, please let me in! " But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled. The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the cops to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, "Please go and eat: We're O.K. "
I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stiffer sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all the rage I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, cozy homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me?
People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were ill-tempered about what was, to them, much ado about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to identification. "Typical," said one cop when we couldn't even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn't think that would be much help.
The cops were matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The thin one said, "That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys: When a man has a gun against your, head you do what you're told. " Jeremy looked properly sheepish.
Then the fat cop came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house "That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys, " he said. " If you had gone into the house with them . . . " His voice trailed off. "They would have hurt her" - he jerked his head toward me - "and killed you both. " Jeremy looked happier. "Look, " said the fat cop kindly, "there's no right or wrong in the situation. There's just luck. "
All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter. how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time - no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right: There's only luck. The next time I might end up dead.
And I'm sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Security is an illusion; there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they're fooling themselves.
New Words
numb a. having lost the power of feeling or moving 失去感觉的，麻木的
garage n. building in which a car is kept 汽车库
wallet n. leather pocket-case for paper money, cards, etc. 皮夹
vaguely ad. not clearly 模糊地
vague a.
annoy vt. make rather angry 使恼怒
gunman n. a man armed with a gun, esp.a criminal or terrorist 持枪歹徒
shrubbery n low bushes forming a mass or group 灌木丛
release vt . set free 松开;释放
split vt. divide into parts 劈开
split second very brief moment of time; instant 瞬间 , 一刹那
trigger n. 扳机
crouch vi. lower the body to the ground 蹲伏
absurdly ad. foolishly; ridiculously 愚蠢地, 荒唐可笑地
absurd a.
melodramatic exciting in effect, often too much so
a. to be thought real 感情夸张的;闹剧式的
plea n. asking for sth. with strong feelings 恳求
specific a. definite; not general 明确的;具体的
flee fli: v. run away (from) 逃走;逃离
baseball n. 棒球(运动) '
bat n. 球棒，球拍
cop n. ( informal ) policeman
noodle n. (usu. pl. ) 面条
stiff a. severe 严厉的
criminal n. someone who has broken the law 罪犯
penalty n. punishment 惩罚
rage n. great anger 狂怒
contented a. satisfied; happy 满足的
cozy a. warm and comfortable 暖和舒适的
ill-tempered a. (often) angry or annoyed 脾气坏的; 易怒的
ado n. trouble and excitement 忙乱
hopeless a. giving no cause for hope; very bad or unskilled 没有希望的;无能的
identification n. 鉴别
identify vt.
horrify vt. frighten; shock very much 使恐怖;使震惊
detail n. small, particular fact 细节
matter-of-fact a. concerned with the facts; practical 注重事实的；讲究实际的
sheepish a. foolish or embarrassed by awareness of a fault 局促不安的
trail vi. grow gradually weaker, dimmer, etc.
jerk vt. pull or lift suddenly 猛拉, 猛抬
replay vt play (match, recording,etc.) over again 重放
glove n. 手套
last vi. go on
relive vt. experience again, esp. in the imagination
intelligent a. clever; rational 聪明的 ; 明智的
response n. action done in answer; answer 反应;回答
respond vi.
security n. safety, freedom from danger or fear 安全, 平安
secure a.
illusion n. false perception;( the seeing of) sth.
that does not really exist 错觉;幻觉
Phrases & Expressions
pull out (of) move out (of) (车,船等)驶出
have ( get, catch ) hold of 抓住
bring back restore, reintroduce 恢复
clean up clean thoroughly and remove anything unwanted 彻底打扫；整肃
turn out appear; come or go out to see or do sth. 出来 , 出动
in force in large numbers 大批地 , 人数众多地
much ado about nothing a lot of unnecessary expression of excitement about things not serious or unimportant 无事生非; 小题大作
come to reach ( a particular point) in explaining, etc. 谈到 ( 某一点 )
agree on have the same opinion on
in detail giving a lot of facts 详细地
trail off (voice, etc.) become gradually weaker and fade into silence (声音等)逐渐变弱