"Sorry about the food analogy—I couldn't think of another way to explain." “很抱歉要用食物来分析——我想不出别的方法来解释。”

I smiled. He smiled ruefully back. 我微笑着。他报以悲惨的一笑。

"You see, every person smells different, has a different essence. “你看，每个人闻起来都不一样，有着不同的本质。

If you locked an alcoholic in a room full of stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. 如果你把一个酒鬼锁在一间放满坏掉的啤酒的屋子里，他会很想喝酒。

But he could resist, if he wished to, if he were a recovering alcoholic. 但他能忍住，如果他愿意的话，如果他是一个改过自新的前酒鬼。

Now let's say you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac— 现在，假设你在房间里放上一杯百年白兰地，最宝贵的，最好的科涅克白兰地——

and filled the room with its warm aroma—how do you think he would fare then?" 让整个屋子里都弥漫着它温暖的芳香——你想他接下来会怎么做呢？”

We sat silently, looking into each other's eyes—trying to read each other's thoughts. 我们沉默地坐着，看着彼此的眼睛——努力想要看懂对方的想法。

He broke the silence first. 他首先打破了沉默。

"Maybe that's not the right comparison. “也许这个比喻不太恰当。

Maybe it would be too easy to turn down the brandy. 也许克制自己不去喝白兰地太容易了。

Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict instead." 大概，我应该用瘾君子来代替酒鬼举例的。”

"So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “那么你是在说，我是你个人品牌的海落因？”我揶揄着，试图让气氛轻松些。

He smiled swiftly, seeming to appreciate my effort. "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin." 他很快地笑了，似乎很感激我的努力。“是的，你确实是我个人品牌的海落因。”

"Does that happen often?" I asked. “这种情况经常发生吗？”我问道。

He looked across the treetops, thinking through his response. 他抬起头，越过树梢望着远处，思索着他的回答。

"I spoke to my brothers about it." He still stared into the distance. “我和我的兄弟们谈过这件事。”他依然看着远方。