4. Wiski chò chi̍t-chhùi lim liáu-liáu
Goán kheh chò-hóe khiā tī chiú-pa thang-á gōa-kháu. Góa kā mama ê chhiú-kut lia̍h tiâu-tiâu. Tōa-lia̍p hō͘ ak kah goán ê hō͘-sòaⁿ phā-phā kiò.
"I tī hia," góa kóng. "Hit-pêng hia."
Goán khòaⁿ ji̍p-khì ê pâng-keng, móa-móa sī lâng kap hun-ian, hit-ê é-kó͘ lâng tō tī hit lāi-té. Taⁿ, i bô tì bō-á, mā bô chhēng tōa-i, tng-teh lâng-tīn tiong-kan kheh ǹg pa-tâi. Kàu pa-tâi ê sî, i siang-chhiú khǹg tī pa-tâi téng-bīn, kap chiú-pó kóng-ōe. I tiám chiú ê sî, góa khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h i ê chhùi-tûn teh tín-tāng. Chiú-pó kiâⁿ khui chi̍t-tiap-á kú, sûi tō the̍h chi̍t-ê ū siông-ka-sek e̍k-thé móa-kîⁿ ê po-lê poe-á tò-tńg-lâi. Hit-ê é-kó͘ lâng kā chi̍t-tiuⁿ chi̍t-pōng ê phiò-á khǹg tī pa-tâi téng.
"He sī góa ê Eng-pōng!" goán mama sau-siaⁿ kóng. "Thiⁿ ah, i ū-kàu tōa-táⁿ!"
"Poe-á lāi-bīn té siáⁿ?" góa mn̄g.
"Wiski," goán mama kóng. "Sûn ê wiski."
Chiú-pó the̍h i hit-tiuⁿ Eng-pōng, bô chāu-i jīm-hô ê lân-san chîⁿ.
"He tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī saⁿ-hoan ê wiski," goán mama kóng.
"Siáⁿ sī saⁿ-hoan?"
"Saⁿ-hoan tō sī chèng-siông tō͘-liōng ê saⁿ-pōe," yi ìn.
É-kó͘ lâng kā po-lê poe the̍h kàu i ê chhùi, sūn-sūn-á tò hō͘ khi. Koh-khah khi ... khah koân ... chin kín, hiah-ê wiski chò chi̍t-kái tō lóng tò lo̍h i ê nâ-âu, tò kah chheng-khì liu-liu.
"Khai tōa-chîⁿ lim kah sóng," góa kóng.
"Ū-kàu hàm-kó͘!" goán mama kóng. "Siūⁿ bē-kàu, khai chi̍t-pōng, chò chi̍t-chhùi lim liáu-liáu!"
"I khai put-chí chi̍t-pōng," góa kóng. "I khai-tiāu chi̍t-ki 20-pōng ê si-á hō͘-sòaⁿ."
"Án-ne bô-m̄-tio̍h," goán mama kóng. "I it-tēng sī khí-siáu ah."
É-kó͘ lâng chhiú the̍h khang po-lê poe khiā tī pa-tâi piⁿ-á. Taⁿ i móa-bīn chhiò hi-hi, îⁿ-îⁿ âng-gê ê bīn hoat chhut chi̍t-chióng kim-sek ê khoài-lo̍k kong-hui. Góa khòaⁿ tio̍h i chhun chi̍h nā téng-tûn-chhiu, ká-ná boeh chhōe chòe-āu chi̍t-tih kùi-som-som ê wiski.
Bān-bān, i oa̍t-sin lī-khui pa-tâi, kheh kòe lâng-tīn, tńg-lâi i khǹg bō-á kap tōa-i ê só͘-chāi. I kā bō-á tì hó, koh kā tōa-i chhēng khí-lâi. Jiân-āu, kō͘ chi̍t-ê chhiau-kip sèng-keh koh chū-jiân ê chu-sè, lí kin-pún bô-khó-lêng ē chù-ì tio̍h, i ùi tiàu tī saⁿ-á-kè téng chē-chē ê tâm hō͘-sòaⁿ tiong-kan the̍h chi̍t-ki, sûi tō lī-khui.
"Lí ū khòaⁿ-e bô!" goán mama kiò chhut-lâi. "Ū khòaⁿ-e i chhòng siáⁿ bô?"
"Sssh!" góa sè-siaⁿ kóng. "I chhut-lâi ah!"
Goán kā hō͘-sòaⁿ khǹg kē cha̍h bīn, ùi hō͘-sòaⁿ ē-bīn khòaⁿ chhut-khì.
I kiâⁿ chhut-lâi. M̄-koh i bô khòaⁿ tùi goán chia lâi. I kā i ê sin hō͘-sòaⁿ tián-khui lâi jia, tō kín-kín iân i lâi ê lō͘ kiâⁿ tò-tńg khì.
"Che tō sī i ê pá-hì lah!" goán mama kóng.
"Lī-hāi," góa kóng. "Thian-châi!"
Goán tòe i tńg-lâi kàu tōa ke, iā tō sī goán thâu-seng tú tio̍h i ê só͘-chāi, khòaⁿ i pān tāi-chì. Oân-choân bô mâ-hoân, i koh iōng sin hō͘-sòaⁿ ōaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-tiuⁿ chi̍t-pōng ê phiò-á. Chit-kái sī chi̍t-ê koân koh sán ê kha-siàu, i sīm-chì bô chhēng gōa-thò, mā bô tì bō-á. Kau-ōaⁿ oân-sêng ê sî, goán hit-ê é-á lâng sió-pō͘ cháu-khui, m̄-kiàn tī lâng-tīn tiong-kan. M̄-koh, chit-kái i cháu ǹg tò-péng ê hong-hiòng.
"Lí khòaⁿ, i chiâⁿ khiáu!" goán mama kóng. "I bē khì kāng keng chiú-pa nn̄g-pái!"
"I ū khó-lêng kui-àm kè-sio̍k án-ne chò," góa kóng.
"Sī ah," goán mama kóng. "Tong-jiân. M̄-koh góa káⁿ tó͘, i tiāⁿ-tio̍h siáu teh kî-tó thiⁿ lo̍h-hō͘."
[Soah]
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4. Wiski 做一喙啉了了
阮 kheh 做伙徛 tī 酒吧窗仔外口. 我 kā 媽媽 ê 手骨掠牢牢. 大粒雨沃 kah 阮 ê 雨傘 phā-phā 叫.
"伊 tī hia," 我講. "彼爿 hia."
阮看入去 ê 房間, 滿滿是人 kap 薰煙, 彼个矮鼓人 tō tī 彼內底. 今, 伊無戴帽仔, mā 無穿大衣, tng-teh 人陣中間 kheh ǹg 吧台. 到吧台 ê 時, 伊雙手囥 tī 吧台頂面, kap 酒保講話. 伊點酒 ê 時, 我看會著伊 ê 喙唇 teh 振動. 酒保行開一 tiap 仔久, 隨 tō 提一个有松膠色液體滿墘 ê 玻璃杯仔倒轉來. 彼个矮鼓人 kā 一張一鎊 ê 票仔囥 tī 吧台頂.
"彼是我 ê 英鎊!" 阮媽媽 sau 聲講. "天 ah, 伊有夠大膽!"
"杯仔內面貯啥?" 我問.
"Wiski," 阮媽媽講. "純 ê wiski."
酒保提伊彼張英鎊, 無 chāu 伊任何 ê lân-san 錢.
"He 定著是三番 ê wiski," 阮媽媽講.
"啥是三番?"
"三番 tō 是正常度量 ê 三倍," 她應.
矮鼓人 kā 玻璃杯提到伊 ê 喙, 順順仔倒予 khi. 閣較 khi ... 較懸 ... 真緊, hiah-ê wiski 做一改 tō lóng 倒落伊 ê 嚨喉, 倒 kah 清氣 liu-liu.
"Khai 大錢啉 kah 爽," 我講.
"有夠譀古!" 阮媽媽講. "想袂到, khai 一鎊, 做一喙啉了了!"
"伊 khai 不止一鎊," 我講. "伊 khai 掉一支 20 鎊 ê 絲仔雨傘."
"Án-ne 無毋著," 阮媽媽講. "伊一定是起痟 ah."
矮鼓人手提空玻璃杯徛 tī 吧台邊仔. 今伊滿面笑 hi-hi, 圓圓紅牙 ê 面發出一種金色 ê 快樂光輝. 我看著伊伸舌 nā 頂唇鬚, ká-ná 欲揣最後一滴貴 som-som ê wiski.
慢慢, 伊越身離開吧台, kheh 過人陣, 轉來伊囥帽仔 kap 大衣 ê 所在. 伊 kā 帽仔戴好, koh kā 大衣穿起來. 然後, kō͘ 一个超級性格 koh 自然 ê 姿勢, 你根本無可能會注意著, 伊 ùi 吊 tī 衫仔架頂濟濟 ê 澹雨傘中間提一支, 隨 tō 離開.
"你有看 e 無!" 阮媽媽叫出來. "有看 e 伊創啥無?"
"Sssh!" 我細聲講. "伊出來 ah!"
阮 kā 雨傘囥低閘面, ùi 雨傘下面看出去.
伊行出來. M̄-koh 伊無看對阮 chia 來. 伊 kā 伊 ê 新雨傘展開來 jia, tō 緊緊沿伊來 ê 路行倒轉去.
"這 tō 是伊 ê 把戲 lah!" 阮媽媽講.
"厲害," 我講. "天才!"
阮綴伊轉來到大街, 也 tō 是阮頭先拄著伊 ê 所在, 看伊辦代誌. 完全無麻煩, 伊 koh 用新雨傘換著一張一鎊 ê 票仔. 這改是一个懸 koh 瘦 ê 跤數, 伊甚至無穿外套, mā 無戴帽仔. 交換完成 ê 時, 阮彼个矮仔人小步走開, 毋見 tī 人陣中間. M̄-koh, 這改伊走 ǹg 倒 péng ê 方向.
"你看, 伊誠巧!" 阮媽媽講. "伊袂去仝間酒吧兩擺!"
"伊有可能規暗繼續 án-ne 做," 我講.
"是 ah," 阮媽媽講. "當然. M̄-koh 我敢賭, 伊定著痟 teh 祈禱天落雨."
[煞]
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4
We stood huddled together outside the pub window. I was clutching my mother’s arm. The big raindrops were making a loud noise on our umbrella.
‘There he is,’ I said. ‘Over there.’
The room we were looking into was full of people and cigarette smoke, and our little man was in the middle of it all. He was now without his hat and coat, and he was edging his way through the crowd towards the bar. When he reached it, he placed both hands on the bar itself and spoke to the barman. I saw his lips moving as he gave his order. The barman turned away from him for a few seconds and came back with a smallish tumbler filled to the brim with light brown liquid. The little man placed a pound note on the counter.
‘That’s my pound!’ my mother hissed. ‘By golly, he’s got a nerve!’
‘What’s in the glass?’ I asked.
‘Whisky,’ my mother said. ‘Neat whisky.’
The barman didn’t give him any change from the pound.
‘That must be a treble whisky,’ my mummy said.
‘What’s a treble?’
‘Three times the normal measure,’ she answered.
The little man picked up the glass and put it to his lips. He tilted it gently. Then he tilted it higher . . . and higher . . . and very soon all the whisky had disappeared down his throat in one long pour.
‘That’s a jolly expensive drink,’ I said.
‘It’s ridiculous!’ my mummy said. ‘Fancy paying a pound for something to swallow in one go!’
‘It cost him more than a pound,’ I said. ‘It cost him a twenty-pound silk umbrella.’
‘So it did,’ my mother said. ‘He must be mad.’
The little man was standing by the bar with the empty glass in his hand. He was smiling now, and a sort of golden glow of pleasure was spreading over his round pink face. I saw his tongue come out to lick the white moustache, as though searching for one last drop of that precious whisky.
Slowly, he turned away from the bar and edged his way back through the crowd to where his hat and coat were hanging. He put on his hat. He put on his coat. Then, in a manner so superbly cool and casual that you hardly noticed anything at all, he lifted from the coat-rack one of the many wet umbrellas hanging there, and off he went.
‘Did you see that!’ my mother shrieked. ‘Did you see what he did!’
‘Sssh!’ I whispered. ‘He’s coming out!’
We lowered our umbrella to hide our faces, and out from under it.
Out he came. But he never looked in our direction. He opened his new umbrella over his head and scurried off down the road the way he had come.
‘So that’s his little game!’ my mother said.
‘Neat,’ I said. ‘Super.’
We followed him back to the main street where we had first met him, and we watched him as he proceeded, with no trouble at all, to exchange his new umbrella for another pound note. This time it was with a tall thin fellow who didn’t even have a coat or hat. And as soon as the transaction was completed, our little man trotted off down the street and was lost in the crowd. But this time he went in the opposite direction.
‘You see how clever he is!’ my mother said. ‘He never goes to the same pub twice!’
‘He could go on doing this all night,’ I said.
‘Yes,’ my mother said. ‘Of course. But I’ll bet he prays like mad for rainy days.’
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