1.4 Kòe chi̍t/nn̄g kang góa ē koh lâi khòaⁿ lí
Mn̂g khui..khui, Tinker Tt pêng-hoân ê bīn chhut-hiān tī mn̂g-phāng, thâu-khak tì hit-téng koh-khah pêng-hoân, le̍k-sú iu-kiú ê bō-á. Chū-chiông yi khai-sí ūi Grant ‘ho̍k-bū’ í-lâi, Tinker Tt chóng-sī tì hit-téng bō-á, só͘-í i bô hoat-tō͘ sióng-siōng yi tì pa̍t-téng bō-á ê khoán. I chai, yi khak-si̍t ū lēng-gōa chi̍t-téng, hit-téng sī tah-phòe yi só͘-kóng ê “nâ-sek táⁿ-pān” ê sî. Yi ê “nâ-sek” sī tī te̍k-pia̍t tiûⁿ-ha̍p, chāi lí khì siūⁿ, chiah án-ne táⁿ-pān, m̄-koh m̄-bat án-ne táⁿ-pān lâi Tenby Court 19 Hō [Grant ê chhù].
Án-ne táⁿ-pān sī chi̍t-chióng gî-sek ê tì-kak, it-tàn án-ne chhēng-chhah tō kō͘ he tòng-chò phòaⁿ-toàn oa̍h-tāng ê piau-chún. (“Lí sńg liáu hoaⁿ-hí bô, Tink? Kám-kak án-chóaⁿ?”
“Bô ta̍t-tit góa ūi he tì nâ-sek bō-á.”) Yi bat tì hit-téng bō-á khì Elizabeth Kong-chú ê hun-lé, í-ki̍p kî-thaⁿ kok-chióng hông-ka ê oa̍h-tāng. Sīm-chì, yi tì hit-téng bō-á bat tī Kent Kong-chiok Hj [Hu-jîn] chián-chhái ê sin-bûn iáⁿ-phìⁿ lāi-bīn chhut-hiān 2 bió-cheng. M̄-koh, tùi Grant lâi-kóng, he kan-ta sī thiaⁿ-kóng ê; he sī phòaⁿ-toàn oa̍h-tāng siā-kau kè-ta̍t ê piau-chún. Tāi-chì sī m̄-sī ū ta̍t-tit ūi i “nâ-sek” táⁿ-pān.
“Góa thiaⁿ-tio̍h lí ū lâng-kheh,” Tinker Tt kóng, “góa pún-chiâⁿ boeh lī-khui ah, tān góa iū siūⁿ-kóng he siaⁿ-im ká-ná kài se̍k-sāi, tō tùi ka-tī kóng, ‘He sī Hallard Sc [Sio-chiá] lah,' chŏaⁿ góa tō ji̍p-lâi ah.”
Yi kōaⁿ kúi-nā-ê chóa tē-á, koh chi̍t sió sok pa̍k-ân ê gîn-liân hoe (aemone). Yi kō͘ cha-bó͘ tùi cha-bó͘ ê hong-sek kap Marta chio-ho͘, in-ūi bat chò-kòe hì-pan ê ho̍k-chong koán-lí, yi tùi hì-kio̍k kài ê lú-sîn pēng bô kòe-tō͘ chông-pài, koh kō͘ ba̍k-bóe lia̍h he Marta hùi-sim chhah ê súi teng-hiuⁿ hoe khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. Marta bô chù-ì tio̍h yi ê gán-sîn, tān yi ū khòaⁿ-tio̍h hit sió sok gîn-liân hoe, tō chiáng-ak tiûⁿ-bīn, bē-su í-keng pâi-liān kòe kāng-khoán.
“Góa khai phah-kang-á kang-chîⁿ bé chit-sok pe̍h teng-hiuⁿ sàng hō͘ lí, á taⁿ Tinker Tt chah ‘Iá-gōa Pek-hap Hoe (Lily)’ lâi, án-ne kā góa pí lo̍h-khì ah.”
“Pek-ha̍p hoe?” Tinker Tt kám-kak hoâi-gî.
“[Sèng-keng só͘ kóng ê, he khó-pí sī] Solomon chng-thāⁿ ê êng-hôa hù-kùi, in bián lô-tōng, mā bián pháng-chit.”
Tinker Tt kan-ta tī hun-lé kap sé-lé chiah khì kàu-tn̂g, tān yi sio̍k tī ū khì Chú-ji̍t-o̍h hit tāi ê lâng. Taⁿ yi kō͘ sin ê ba̍k-sek khòaⁿ tēⁿ tī mô͘ chhiú-thò ê hit sió sok êng-iāu.
“Ai-ioh, kàu taⁿ góa chiah chai chit-ê tāi-chì. Án-ne kóng mā kài ū-lí neh, kám m̄-sī? Góa chóng sī kā in (Sèng-keng kóng ê pek-ha̍p hoe) tòng-chò sī bé-tê liân (arum). Iá-gōa chi̍t-phiàn chi̍t-phiàn ê bé-tê liân. He kùi somx neh, lí chai lah, m̄-koh sió-khóa tan-tiāu. Goân-lâi in ū sek-chhái? Hmh, ná m̄ ti̍t-chiap án-ne kóng? Ūi siáⁿ-mih tio̍h kiò in pek-ha̍p hoe!”
Chū án-ne, yin kè-sio̍k tâm-lūn hoan-e̍k ê būn-tê, kóng “Sèng-keng” gōa-nī-á ín lâng gō͘-kái (“Góa chóng sī bē liáu-kái ‘kā piáⁿ iā-tī chúi-bīn’ sī siáⁿ ì-sù,” Tinker Tt kóng), jiân-āu, khai-káng bē koh gāi-gio̍h ah.
Yin iáu teh káng “Sèng-keng” ê sî, Sè-lia̍p Chí chah kúi-nā-ê hoe-pân ji̍p-lâi. Grant chù-ì tio̍h, he hoe-pân ê siat-kè sek-ha̍p chhah pe̍h teng-hiuⁿ hoe-ki, m̄-sī gîn-liân. He sī ūi Marta chún-pī ê; hó-thang ū chìn chi̍t-pō͘ ê kau-liû. M̄-koh, Marta chiông-lâi bô teh chhap cha-bó͘ lâng, tî-hui he ū chek-sî ê iōng-tô͘. Yi tùi Tinker Tt ê èng-tùi put-kò sī siā-kau chhiú-tōaⁿ, sī chi̍t-chióng tiâu-kiāⁿ-tek hoán-siā. Só͘-í, Sè-lia̍p Chí kan-ta ē-tit poaⁿ kong-lêng kak-sek, m̄-sī siā-kau kak-sek. Yi siu khí phiaⁿ tī sé-bīn chô ê chúi-sian, sūnx-á koh kā in chhah tńg-khì chi̍t-ki hoe-pân. Sè-lia̍p Chí ê un-sûn bô͘-iūⁿ it-ti̍t sī Grant ba̍k-chiu só͘ him-sióng ê chòe bí-lē kéng-siōng.
“Hó ah,” Marta kóng, chhah hó teng-hiuⁿ, kā khǹg tī Grant khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h ê só͘-chāi, “góa taⁿ tio̍h lâu Tinker Tt kā lí chhī yi he chóa-tē-á ni̍h ê tiám-sim. Chhin-ài ê Tinker Tt, he tē-á sī m̄-sī ū chi̍t-ê sī té lí chò ê hó-chia̍h ‘lô-hàn-kha liú-á’?”
Tinker Tt thiòng kah chhùi chhiò ba̍k chhiò.
“Lí boeh chia̍h chi̍t/nn̄g tè bô? Tú chhut hang-lô͘ ê neh?”
“He sī tong-jiân, sui-bóng āu-lâi góa tio̍h ūi che hoán-hóe – he sèx chu-ióng ê piáⁿ chóng sī tún tī io – m̄-koh, iáu sī hō͘ góa chah nn̄g-tè-á tī thê-pau, thang khì kio̍k-tiûⁿ phòe tê.”
Yi kō͘ phô͘-tháⁿ ê chu-thài soán nn̄g-tè (“Góa khah kah-ì piⁿ-á sió-khóa hóe-ta hit-chióng ê”), khǹg-ji̍p thê-pau, jiân-āu kóng, “Chài-hōe lah, Alan. Kòe chi̍t/nn̄g kang góa ē koh lâi khòaⁿ lí, kà lí chhiah boe̍h-á. Chiū góa só͘ chai, bô siáⁿ pí chhiah phòng-se koh-khah hó an-tah sim-chêng. Án-ne tio̍h bô, Hō͘-sū?”
“Oh, sī. Khak-si̍t sī án-ne. Góa ū chin-chē cha-po͘ pēⁿ-lâng lóng khai-sí teh chhiah phòng-se. In hoat-kak án-ne chin hó tō͘ sî-kan.”
Marta tī mn̂g-kháu pûn chi̍t-ê kiss hō͘ I, jiân-āu lī-khui, hó-lé ê Sè-lia̍p Chí mā tòe-leh chhut-khì ah.
“Góa bô kám-kak hit-ê hiâu cha-bó͘ ū tó-ūi hó,” Tinker Tt án-ne kóng, ná phah-khui hiah-ê chóa tē-á. Yi teh kóng ê, m̄-sī Marta.
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1.4 過 一/兩工 我 ē koh 來看你
門開..開, Tinker Tt 平凡 ê 面 出現 tī 門縫, 頭殼 戴 hit 頂 koh-khah 平凡, 歷史悠久 ê 帽仔. 自從 她開始 為 Grant ‘服務’ 以來, Tinker Tt 總是 戴 hit 頂帽仔, 所以 伊無法度 想像 她戴別頂帽仔 ê 款. 伊知, 她確實有 另外一頂, hit 頂是 搭配 她所講 ê “藍色打扮” ê 時. 她 ê “藍色” 是 tī 特別場合, 在你去想, 才 án-ne 打扮, 毋過 m̄-bat án-ne 打扮 來 Tenby Court 19 號 [Grant ê 厝].
Án-ne 打扮是 一種儀式 ê 致覺, 一旦 án-ne 穿插 tō kō͘ he 當做 判斷活動 ê 標準. (“你耍了 歡喜 無, Tink? 感覺按怎?” “無值得 我為 he 戴 藍色帽仔.”) 她 bat 戴 hit 頂帽仔 去 Elizabeth 公主 ê 婚禮, 以及 其他各種 皇家 ê 活動. 甚至, 她戴 hit 頂帽仔 bat tī Kent 公爵 Hj [Hu-jîn] 剪綵 ê 新聞影片內面 出現 2 秒鐘. M̄-koh, tùi Grant 來講, he 干焦 是聽講 ê; he 是判斷 活動 社交價值 ê 標準. 代誌 是毋是 有值得 為伊 "藍色” 打扮.
“我聽著 你有人客,” Tinker Tt 講, “我本成 欲離開 ah, 但 我又 想講 he 聲音 ká-ná kài 熟似, tō tùi ka-tī 講, ‘He 是 Hallard Sc [Sio-chiá] lah,' chŏaⁿ 我 tō 入來 ah.”
她捾 幾若个 紙袋仔, koh 一小束 縛絚 ê 銀蓮花 (aemone). 她 kō͘ 查某 tùi 查某 ê 方式 kap Marta 招呼, 因為 bat 做過 戲班 ê 服裝管理, 她 tùi 戲劇界 ê 女神 並無過度 崇拜, koh kō͘ 目尾 掠 he Marta 費心插 ê 媠丁香花 看一下. Marta 無注意著 她 ê 眼神, 但 她有看著 hit 小束 銀蓮花, tō 掌握場面, 袂輸 已經 排練過 仝款.
“我開 拍工仔 工錢 買這束 白丁香 送 hō͘ 你, á 今 Tinker Tt 扎 ‘野外 百合花 (Lily)’ 來, án-ne kā 我 比落去 ah.”
“百合花?” Tinker Tt 感覺 懷疑.
“[聖經 所講 ê, he 可比是] Solomon chng-thāⁿ ê 榮華富貴, in 免勞動, mā 免紡織.”
Tinker Tt 干焦 tī 婚禮 kap 洗禮 才去教堂, 但 她屬 tī 有去 主日學 hit 代 ê 人. 今 她 kō͘ 新 ê 目色 看 捏 tī 毛手套 ê hit 小束 榮耀.
“Ai-ioh, 到今 我才知 這个代誌. Án-ne 講 mā kài 有理 neh, kám 毋是? 我總是 kā in (聖經講 ê 百合花) 當做是 馬蹄蓮 (arum). 野外 一遍一遍 ê 馬蹄蓮. He 貴 somx neh, 你知 lah, 毋過 小可單調. 原來 in 有色彩? Hmh, 那毋 直接 án-ne 講? 為啥物 著叫 in 百合花!”
自 án-ne, 姻繼續 談論 翻譯 ê 問題, 講 "聖經" gōa-nī-á 引人 誤解 (“我總是 袂了解 ‘kā 餅掖 tī 水面’ 是 啥意思,” Tinker Tt 講), 然後, 開講 袂 koh 礙虐 ah.
姻猶 teh káng “聖經” ê 時, Sè-lia̍p Chí 扎幾若个 花瓶 入來. Grant 注意著, he 花瓶 ê 設計 適合插 白丁香花枝, 毋是銀蓮. He 是為 Marta 準備 ê; hó-thang 有進一步 ê 交流. 毋過, Marta 從來 無 teh chhap 查某人, 除非 he 有即時 ê 用途. 她 tùi Tinker Tt ê 應對 不過是 社交手段, 是一種 條件的 反射. 所以, Sè-lia̍p Chí 干焦 會得搬 功能角色, 毋是社交角色. 她收起 抨 tī 洗面槽 ê 水仙, sūnx-á koh kā in 插轉去 一支花瓶. Sè-lia̍p Chí ê 溫純模樣 一直是 Grant 目睭所欣賞 ê 最美麗景象.
“好 ah,” Marta 講, 插好 丁香, kā 囥 tī Grant 看會著 ê 所在, “我 taⁿ 著留 Tinker Tt kā 你飼 她 he 紙袋仔 ni̍h ê 點心. 親愛 ê Tinker Tt, he 袋仔 是毋是 有一个是 貯你做 ê 好食 ‘羅漢跤鈕仔’?”
Tinker Tt 暢 kah 喙笑目笑.
“你欲食 一/兩塊 無? 拄 出烘爐 ê neh?”
“He 是當然, 雖罔 後來 我著 為 che 反悔 - he sèx 滋養 ê 餅 總是 囤 tī 腰 - m̄-koh, 猶是 hō͘ 我 扎 兩塊仔 tī 提包, thang 去劇場 配茶.”
她 kō͘ 扶挺 ê 姿態 選兩塊 (“我 khah 佮意 邊仔 小可火焦 彼種 ê”), 囥入 提包, 然後講, “再會 lah, Alan. 過 一/兩工 我 ē koh 來看你, 教你 刺襪仔. 就我 所知, 無啥 比 刺膨紗 koh-khah 好 安搭 心情. Án-ne 著無, 護士?”
“Oh, 是. 確實 是 án-ne. 我有 真濟 查埔病人 lóng 開始 teh 刺膨紗. In 發覺 án-ne 真好 度時間.”
Marta tī 門口 歕 一个 kiss hō͘ 伊, 然後 離開, 好禮 ê Sè-lia̍p Chí mā 綴 leh 出去 ah.
“我無感覺 彼个 嬈查某 有佗位好,” Tinker Tt án-ne 講, ná 拍開 hiah-ê 紙袋仔. 她 teh 講 ê, 毋是 Marta.
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opened and Mrs Tinker’s homely face appeared in the aperture surmounted by her still more homely and historic hat. Mrs Tinker had worn the same hat since first she began to ‘do’ for Grant, and he could not imagine her in any other. That she did possess another one he knew, because it went with something that she referred to as ‘me blue’. Her ‘blue’ was an occasional affair, in both senses, and never appeared at 19 Tenby Court. /
It was worn with a ritualistic awareness, and having been worn it was used in the event as a yardstick by which to judge the proceedings. (‘Did you enjoy it, Tink? What was it like?’ ‘Not worth putting on me blue for.’) She had worn it to Princess Elizabeth’s wedding, and to various other royal functions, and had indeed figured in it for two flashing seconds in a newsreel shot of the Duchess of Kent cutting a ribbon, but to Grant it was a mere report; a criterion of the social worth of an occasion. A thing was or was not worth putting on ‘me blue’ for.
‘I ’eard you ’ad a visitor,’ said Mrs Tinker, ‘and I was all set to go away again when I thought the voice sounded familiar like, and I says to meself: “It’s only Miss Hallard,” I says, so I come in.’
She was carrying various paper bags and a small tight bunch of anemones. She greeted Marta as woman to woman, having been in her time a dresser and having therefore no exaggerated reverence for the goddesses of the theatre world, and looked askance at the beautiful arrangement of lilac sprays that had blossomed under Marta’s ministrations. Marta did not see the glance but[Pg 18] she saw the little bunch of anemones and took over the situation as if it were something already rehearsed.
‘I squander my vagabond’s hire on white lilac for you, and then Mrs Tinker puts my nose out of joint by bringing you the Lilies Of The Field.’
‘Lilies?’ said Mrs Tinker, doubtfully.
‘Those are the Solomon in all his glory things. The ones that toiled not neither did they spin.’
Mrs Tinker went to church only for weddings and christenings, but she belonged to a generation that had been sent to Sunday school. She looked with a new interest at the little handful of glory incased by her woollen glove.
‘Well, now. I never knew that. Makes more sense that way, don’t it. I always pictured them arums. Fields and fields of arums. Awful expensive, you know, but a bit depressing. So they was coloured? Well, why can’t they say so? What do they have to call them lilies for!’
And they went on to talk about translation, and how misleading Holy Writ could be (‘I always wondered what bread on the waters was’, Mrs Tinker said) and the awkward moment was over.
While they were still busy with the Bible, The Midget came in with extra flower vases. Grant noticed that the vases were designed to hold white lilac and not anemones. They were tribute to Marta; a passport to further communing. But Marta never bothered about women unless she had an immediate use for them; her tact with Mrs Tinker had been mere savoir faire; a conditioned reflex. So The Midget was reduced to being functional instead of social. She collected the discarded narcissi from the wash-basin and meekly put them back into a vase. The[Pg 19] Midget being meek was the most beautiful sight that had gladdened Grant’s eyes for a long time.
‘Well,’ Marta said, having finished her arrangement of the lilac and placed the result where he could see it, ‘I shall leave Mrs Tinker to feed you all the titbits out of those paper bags. It couldn’t be, could it, Mrs Tinker darling, that one of those bags contains any of your wonderful bachelor’s buttons?’
Mrs Tinker glowed.
‘You’d like one or two maybe? Fresh outa me oven?’
‘Well, of course I shall have to do penance for it afterwards—those little rich cakes are death on the waist—but just give me a couple to put in my bag for my tea at the theatre.’
She chose two with a flattering deliberation (‘I like them a little brown at the edges’), dropped them into her handbag, and said: ‘Well, au revoir, Alan. I shall look in, in a day or two, and start you on a sock. There is nothing so soothing, I understand, as knitting. Isn’t that so, nurse?’
‘Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. A lot of my gentlemen patients take to knitting. They find it whiles away the time very nicely.’
Marta blew him a kiss from the door and was gone, followed by the respectful Midget.
‘I’d be surprised if that hussy is any better than she ought to be,’ Mrs Tinker said, beginning to open the paper bags. She was not referring to Marta.
[Pg 20]
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