Tuesday, August 31, 2021

5. 我想, 咱著重來

5. Góa siūⁿ, lán tio̍h têng-lâi

Summars kiò i ka-tī ê miâ, tō si̍t-si̍t ta̍h ǹg-chêng, ùi siuⁿ-á nih kéng chi̍t-ki khau-á. Liáu-āu, i kiò, "Warner."

"Tē chhit-cha̍p-chhit nî góa chham-ka thiu-khau," Warner Lāu-sian kóng, ná nǹg kòe lâng-tīn. "Tē chhit-cha̍p-chhit kái oh."

"Watson." Hit-ê lò-kha siàu-liân-ke chin bô chū-chāi kiâⁿ chhut lâng-tīn. Ū-lâng kóng, "Jack, bián kín-tiuⁿ lah," á Summers Ss kóng, "Koai gín-á, khŏaⁿ-sī tō hó."

"Zanini." 

Sòa lo̍h-lâi, kú-kú chi̍t-khùn ê tiām-chēng, bô siaⁿ bô soeh, it-ti̍t kàu Summers Ss kā i ê chóa-kháu gia̍h koân, kóng, "Hiong-chhin ah, hó-sè ah." Chiok-chiok chi̍t hun-cheng kú, bô lâng tín-tāng, jiân-āu só͘-ū ê chóa-khau lóng phah-khui ah. Hut-jiân, só͘-ū ê cha-bó͘-lâng lóng khai-sí kóng-ōe, "Sī siáng ah?" "Siáng thiu tio̍h ah?" "Sī Dunbar hit ke-hóe hioh?" "Kám sī Watson in tau?" Chiām-chiām ê kóng-ōe-siaⁿ kóng, "Sī Hutchinson. Sī Bill," "Bill Hutchinson thiu tio̍h lah."

"Khì kā lín lāu-pē kóng," Dunbar Tt hoan-hù yin tōa-hàn hāu-seⁿ.

Lâng-lâng khai-sí sì-kè chhōe Hutchinson hit ke-hóe. Bill Hutchinson tiām-tiām khiā tio̍h, àⁿ-thâu khòaⁿ i chhiú nih ê chóa-khau. Hut-jiân, Tessie Hutchinson ǹg Summers Ss tōa-siaⁿ hoah, "Lí hō͘ i ê sî-kan bô kàu i kéng tio̍h i boeh ài ê chóa-khau. Góa khòaⁿ kah chin chim-chiok. Án-ne bô kong-pêng!"

"Ài tam su-iâⁿ lah, Tessie," Delacroix Tt kóng; Graves Tt mā kóng, "Ta̍k-lâng ê ki-hōe lóng kāng-khoán."

"Tiām khì, Tessie," Bill Hutchinson kóng.

"Hmh, kok-ūi hiong-chhin," Summers Ss kóng, "kàu-taⁿ chìn-tō͘ sǹg siong-tong kín, koh-lâi lán mā tio̍h kóaⁿ-kín, hó thang chún-sî kiat-sok." I lia̍h lēng-gōa chi̍t-ê miâ-toaⁿ khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. "Bill," i kóng, "lí tāi-piáu Hutchinson ka-cho̍k thiu-khau. Lín Hutchinson ka-cho̍k iáu ū pa̍t-hō͘ bô?"

"Iáu ū Don hām Eva," Hutchinson Tt hoah-siaⁿ. "Hō͘ in mā chhì chi̍t-ē-á ūn-khì!"

"Cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ tòe ang ê ka-cho̍k thiu, Tessie," Summers Ss ûn-ûn-á kóng. "Che lí kap pa̍t-lâng lóng pêⁿ-pêⁿ chai." 

"Án-ne bô kong-pêng," Tessie kóng.

"Joe, goán bô," Bill Hutchinson bô-nāi kóng. "Goán cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ tòe yin ang ê ka-cho̍k thiu; án-ne chiah kong-pêng. Só͘-í, tî-liáu gín-á, goán ka-cho̍k bô pa̍t-hō͘ ah."

"Nā án-ne, tāi-piáu ka-cho̍k lâi thiu ê sī lí, á lí mā tāi-piáu lín chit-hō͘ lâi thiu, tio̍h bô?"

"Tio̍h," Bill Hutchinson kóng. 

"Kúi-ê gín-á, Bill?" Summers Ss chèng-sek kā mn̄g.

"Saⁿ-ê," Bill Hutchinson kóng. 

"Ū Sió Bill, hām Nancy, hām sè-hàn Dave. Iáu ū Tessie hām góa." 

"Án-ne hó," Summers Ss kóng. "Harry, lí ū kā in ê khau-á siu tńg lâi bô?"

Graves Ss tìm-thâu, kā chóa-khau the̍h koân. "Kā khǹg ji̍p siuⁿ-á nih," Summers Ss chí-sī. "Kā Bill the̍h hit-ki mā lok lo̍h-khì."

"Góa siūⁿ, lán tio̍h têng-lâi," Hutchinson Tt chīn-liōng pêng-chēng kóng. "Góa kā lí kóng, án-ne bô kong-pêng. Lí bô hō͘ i ū-kàu sî-kan thang kéng. Che ta̍k-ê lóng ū khòaⁿ tio̍h."

Graves Ss í-keng kéng gō͘-ki khau-á, koh kā khǹg ji̍p siuⁿ-á nih, chhun ê chóa-khau i lóng kā tàn tī thô͘-kha, sûi hō͘ hong kā chhoe khì.

"Ta̍k-ê chù-ì thiaⁿ," Hutchinson Tt kā yi sin-piⁿ ê lâng-lâng kóng.

"Bill, chún-pī hó bōe?" Summers Ss mn̄g, á Bill Hutchinson lia̍h in bó͘ hām gín-á khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē, tō tìm-thâu.

- -

5. 我想, 咱著重來

Summars 叫伊 ka-tī ê 名, tō 實實踏 ǹg 前, ùi 箱仔 nih 揀一支 khau 仔. 了後, 伊叫, "Warner."

"第七十七年我參加抽 khau," Warner 老先講, ná nǹg 過人陣. "第七十七改 oh."

"Watson." 彼个躼跤少年家真無自在行出人陣. 有人講, "Jack, 免緊張 lah," á Summers Ss 講, "乖囡仔, khŏaⁿ 是 tō 好."

"Zanini." 

紲落來, 久久一睏 ê 恬靜, 無聲無說, 一直到 Summers Ss kā 伊 ê 紙 khau 攑懸, 講, "鄉親 ah, 好勢 ah." 足足一分鐘久, 無人振動, 然後所有 ê 紙 khau lóng 拍開 ah. 忽然, 所有 ê 查某人 lóng 開始講話, "是 siáng ah?" "Siáng 抽著 ah?" "是 Dunbar 彼家伙 hioh?" "敢是 Watson in 兜?" 漸漸 ê 講話聲講, "是 Hutchinson. 是 Bill," "Bill Hutchinson 抽著 lah."

"去 kā 恁老爸講," Dunbar Tt 吩咐 yin 大漢後生.

人人開始四界揣 Hutchinson 彼家伙. Bill Hutchinson 恬恬徛著, àⁿ 頭看伊手 nih ê 紙 khau. 忽然, Tessie Hutchinson ǹg Summers Ss 大聲喝, "你予伊 ê 時間無夠伊揀著伊欲愛 ê 紙 khau. 我看 kah 真斟酌. Án-ne 無公平!"

"愛擔輸贏 lah, Tessie," Delacroix Tt 講; Graves Tt mā 講, "逐人 ê 機會 lóng 仝款."

"恬去, Tessie," Bill Hutchinson 講.

"Hmh, 各位鄉親," Summers Ss 講, "到今進度算相當緊, koh 來咱 mā 著趕緊, 好通準時結束." 伊掠另外一个名單看一下. "Bill," 伊講, "你代表 Hutchinson 家族抽 khau. 恁 Hutchinson 家族猶有別戶無?"

"猶有 Don 和 Eva," Hutchinson Tt 喝聲. "予 in mā 試一下仔運氣!"

"查某囝綴翁 ê 家族抽, Tessie," Summers Ss 勻勻仔講. "這你 kap 別人 lóng 平平知." 

"Án-ne 無公平," Tessie 講.

"Joe, 阮無," Bill Hutchinson 無奈講. "阮查某囝綴 yin 翁 ê 家族抽; án-ne 才公平. 所以, 除了囡仔, 阮家族無別戶 ah."

"若 án-ne, 代表家族來抽 ê 是你, á 你 mā 代表恁這戶來抽, 著無?"

"著," Bill Hutchinson 講. 

"幾个囡仔, Bill?" Summers Ss 正式 kā 問.

"三个," Bill Hutchinson 講. 

"有小 Bill, 和 Nancy, 和細漢 Dave. 猶有 Tessie 和我." 

"Án-ne 好," Summers Ss 講. "Harry, 你有 kā in ê khau 仔收轉來無?"

Graves Ss tìm 頭, kā 紙 khau 提懸. "Kā 囥入箱仔 nih," Summers Ss 指示. "Kā Bill 提彼支 mā lok 落去."

"我想, 咱著重來," Hutchinson Tt 盡量平靜講. "我 kā 你講, án-ne 無公平. 你無予伊有夠時間通揀. 這逐个 lóng 有看著."

Graves Ss 已經揀五支 khau 仔, koh kā 囥入箱仔 nih, 賰 ê 紙 khau 伊 lóng kā 擲 tī 塗跤, 隨予風 kā 吹去.

"逐个注意聽," Hutchinson Tt kā 她身邊 ê 人人講.

"Bill, 準備好未?" Summers Ss 問, á Bill Hutchinson 掠 in 某和囡仔看一下, tō tìm 頭.

- -

5.

Mr. Summers called his own name and then stepped forward precisely and selected a slip from the box. Then he called, "Warner."

"Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery," Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd. "Seventy-seventh time."

"Watson" The tall boy came awkwardly through the crowd. Someone said, "Don't be nervous, Jack," and Mr. Summers said, "Take your time, son."

"Zanini."

After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers. holding his slip of paper in the air, said, "All right, fellows." For a minute, no one moved, and then all the slips of paper were opened. Suddenly, all the women began to speak at once, saving, "Who is it?," "Who's got it?," "Is it the Dunbars?," "Is it the Watsons?" Then the voices began to say, "It's Hutchinson. It's Bill," "Bill Hutchinson's got it."

"Go tell your father," Mrs. Dunbar said to her older son.

People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly. Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. "You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!"

"Be a good sport, Tessie." Mrs. Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graves said, "All of us took the same chance."

"Shut up, Tessie," Bill Hutchinson said.

"Well, everyone," Mr. Summers said, "that was done pretty fast, and now we've got to be hurrying a little more to get done in time." He consulted his next list. "Bill," he said, "you draw for the Hutchinson family. You got any other households in the Hutchinsons?"

"There's Don and Eva," Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. "Make them take their chance!"

"Daughters draw with their husbands' families, Tessie," Mr. Summers said gently. "You know that as well as anyone else."

"It wasn't fair," Tessie said.

"I guess not, Joe." Bill Hutchinson said regretfully. "My daughter draws with her husband's family; that's only fair. And I've got no other family except the kids."

"Then, as far as drawing for families is concerned, it's you," Mr. Summers said in explanation, "and as far as drawing for households is concerned, that's you, too. Right?"

"Right," Bill Hutchinson said.

"How many kids, Bill?" Mr. Summers asked formally.

"Three," Bill Hutchinson said.

"There's Bill, Jr., and Nancy, and little Dave. And Tessie and me."

"All right, then," Mr. Summers said. "Harry, you got their tickets back?"

Mr. Graves nodded and held up the slips of paper. "Put them in the box, then," Mr. Summers directed. "Take Bill's and put it in."

"I think we ought to start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I tell you it wasn't fair. You didn't give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that."

Mr. Graves had selected the five slips and put them in the box, and he dropped all the papers but those onto the ground. where the breeze caught them and lifted them off.

"Listen, everybody," Mrs. Hutchinson was saying to the people around her.

"Ready, Bill?" Mr. Summers asked, and Bill Hutchinson, with one quick glance around at his wife and children. nodded.

- -



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