Translation of gegenwärtig

In the beginning it looked brutal but it worked. He brought my wallet back to me and asked me to count the bills in it. I was stunned and could not believe what just happened. He repeated his order.
The short story 'Hills like white elephants' is a short story about a relationship between a man and a young girl, based on having sexual encounters. The meaning of this story is not immediately recognizable.
I rarely heard someone speaking so bad about his nation, but again, it wasn't my business. We closed the lights at midnight and hoped for a few hours of sleep. The train shaked and threw us around in our beds.