In my previous column I wrote about having to take a 3-hour train ride from San Diego to Los Angeles for my flight to Hong Kong last week. Something happened during the ride that made me grow hot and cold. The expression “hot and cold” has different meanings but used this way it means to feel extremely nervous or worried. Whenever I travel, I wear a jacket with pockets that have zippers. I keep my wallet in one lower pocket. I put a small pouch containing my passport, money, identity card, and credit and ATM cards in another lower pocket.

I zip up the pockets to keep them safe. Whenever I arrive at a destination, I always touch both pockets to make sure the wallet and pouch are there. As my train approached Los Angeles, I touched both pockets but could not feel the pouch! I panicked, which made me feel hot and cold. My heart was in my mouth. If your heart is in your mouth, it means you are very scared and nervous. How could I return to Hong Kong with no passport and identity card? What will I do in Los Angeles with no money or ATM card?

My Hong Kong credit card was in the pouch but luckily my US credit card and driver’s licence were in my wallet. I searched under my seat but could not find my pouch. The train conductor made an announcement, but no passenger saw my pouch. I searched the pockets again out of desperation. I felt the pouch in an upper pocket which I never use! Whew! I must have stupidly put it there by mistake.

在上一篇文章中我寫到，我上星期得搭三小時的火車，從聖地牙哥前往洛杉磯，才能搭飛機返香港。旅途上發生了一件事，令我grow hot and cold——習語“hot and cold”有不同的意思，但在這裏是指感到極度緊張或焦慮。每當我旅遊時，我都會穿一件衫袋有拉鏈的外套。我會將銀包放在一個下方的衫袋中，而另一個下方的衫袋，則放着用小袋袋着的護照、現金、身份證，以及信用卡和提款卡。

我會拉好拉鏈，以策安全。每當我到達一個目的地，我都會觸碰兩個口袋，確保我的銀包和小袋子還在那兒。當我的火車到達洛杉磯時，我摸一摸兩個口袋，卻摸不到那個小袋子！我很是惶恐，令我感到十分焦急（hot and cold）。我的心都提到嗓子眼了（my heart was in my mouth）。要是your heart is in your mouth，那即是你甚為驚恐、緊張。我沒有護照和身份證，又怎樣返港？沒有現金或提款卡，在洛杉磯能怎麼辦？

我的香港信用卡都放在小袋內，還好我的美國信用卡和駕駛護照都在銀包中。我在座位下找過，同樣找不到那小袋。列車車長替我作出廣播，但也沒有乘客見到我的小袋。絕望之中，我只能再搜尋那些衫袋。最終在我從不曾用過的上方衫袋中，摸到了那個小袋子！呼！我一定是傻呼呼地錯放在那裏了。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻