5. Ū chi̍t-thong lí ê tiān-pò
Chit-kái lâi ê sī chi̍t-ê khah lāu ê kéng-koaⁿ. Yi kā tāi-chì kóng hō͘ thiaⁿ, koh hō͘ i khòaⁿ hiah-ê kng-phe, tî-liáu yi sio khì hit-tiuⁿ. "Góa khòaⁿ ē-chhut, lí ná ē hiah-nī hoân-ló, Hu-jîn," i kō͘ chhin-chhiat ê siaⁿ-im kóng. "Che sī chin hō͘ lâng bē sóng-khoài ê tāi-chì. Lí kám siūⁿ ē-chhut, siáng tùi lí ū oàn-hūn?"
Yi siūⁿ bô, lo̍h-bóe, lī-khui ê sî, i kap Norman kāng-khoán lâu lo̍h án-ne kā an-tah. "Nā ū jīm-hô koài-sū hoat-seng, lí nā khòaⁿ tio̍h jīm-hô chheⁿ-hūn lâng tī ke-lō͘ lōa-lōa-sô, a̍h sī lūi-sū ê tāi-chì, lí it-tēng tio̍h khà tiān-ōe hō͘ goán," i kóng.
Keh-kang, Norman the̍h kng-phe boeh hō͘ yi ê sî, i ê bīn ká-ná chin kiàn-siàu. "Góa ū kā tha̍k. Góa siūⁿ, góa bô eng-kai án-ne chò. M̄-koh, lí m̄-thang hoân-ló," i ná kóng ná kā kau hō͘ yi.
"Tī lí tha̍k-phe ê sî, lí boeh ài góa lâu tī chia bô?"
Yi iô-thâu. "Góa bē ū tāi-chì. To-siā, Norman," yi kóng, tō the̍h hit-tiuⁿ khah-phiⁿ kap yi kî-thaⁿ ê phe ji̍p-khì chàu-kha. Yi sîn-sîn chē tī toh-á piⁿ, kā hit-tiuⁿ Sydney Káng ê siòng-phìⁿ gián-kiù chi̍t-khùn, chiah kā péng kòe bīn. "Dorothy, i-seng kóng, chhiú-su̍t sī góa ûi-it ê hi-bāng. Chhiáⁿ ūi góa kî-tó. Kám-kak chin hāi." Siá kàu chia, jī tō tn̄g khì, chit-kái bô chhiam-miâ. Yi kám-kak ba̍k-chiu siap-siap. Yi kā ba̍k-kiàⁿ the̍h lo̍h-lâi, kā thâu phak tī nn̄g-ki chhiú-kut téng. "Oh, pài-thok," yi chheh-khùi. "Mài chhap góa lah. M̄-koán lí sī siáng."
Yi tī hoe-hn̂g bô-êng kui pòaⁿ-kang lâi hō͘ ka-tī hun-sim, jiân-āu chhut-khì, kàu sin khui tī tōa bē-tiûⁿ ê Franse chhan-thiaⁿ chia̍h àm-tǹg. Tńg-chhù liáu-āu, yi phah-khui tiān-sī, jiân-āu, chin bô sù-siông, yi m̄-nā khòaⁿ cha̍p-it-tiám ê sin-bûn, koh khòaⁿ chi̍t-chhut chò kàu chi̍t-tiám chiah soah ê tiān-iáⁿ. Sui-bóng án-ne, lo̍h-bóe khì khùn ê sî, yi iáu-sī khùn bē-khì, só͘-í yi koh khui-teng, tha̍k chi̍t-pún Catherine Tōa Hông-tè ê toān-kì. It-ti̍t kàu saⁿ-tiám, yi ê ba̍k-chiu-phôe chiah sûi lo̍h-lâi, yi tō ài-khùn ài-khùn kā bîn-chhn̂g-thâu ê teng koaiⁿ hoa. Tiān-ōe hiáng ê sî, yi ká-ná khùn bô kúi hun-cheng.
Sî-cheng lajíoh ê âng-kng kā yi kóng, chit-chūn sī chá-khí 5:14. Dorothy ùi bîn-chhn̂g kha sa yi ê khùn-phâu, keng-thâu lòng tio̍h mn̂g, it-ti̍t chông kàu cháu-lông ê tiān-ōe toh-á.
"Ŏe, Halo," yi kóng.
"Sī Dorothy Graham Tt bô?" he sī chi̍t-ê cha-po͘-lâng siaⁿ, thiaⁿ khí-lâi sī gê-mn̂g ê kháu-khì, sió-khóa ū bô-nāi-hoân ê khoán.
"Sī lah, lí sī siáng?"
"Chia sī CNCP Tiān-sìn Kong-si. Chia ū chi̍t-thong lí ê tiān-pò. Góa tio̍h tha̍k hō͘ lí thiaⁿ bô?"
"Sī, sī. M̄-koh, chhiáⁿ sió tán leh, góa lâi khui-teng. Góa khì the̍h chi̍t-ki pit."
Bô siáⁿ sêng tī chia̍h chá-tǹg ê sî Dorothy bô tī chhù nih. Norah hō͘ tiān-ōe ke liang kúi-ā siaⁿ chiah kā kòa tn̄g. Yi goân-pún siūⁿ boeh chêng chi̍t-àm khà, m̄-koh tán yi ùi ki-tiûⁿ tńg kàu chhù ê sî, sî-kan í-keng kòe ah, chiah ē tán kàu chá-khí. Hoān-sè Dorothy phòa-pēⁿ ah. Norah ùi khùn-pâng the̍h chhut yi ê handbag, koh ùi piah-lô͘ téng gia̍h yi ê chhia só-sî, tō kiâⁿ kàu chhia-khò͘.
Kiù-hō͘-chhia kiâⁿ chhut Dorothy tòa hit-tiâu ke-lō͘ ê sî, yi ū kap i sio-siám. Chhia bô kóaⁿ, mā bô hiáng chúi-lê siaⁿ. Norah siūⁿ, tāi-khài sī sàng bó͘ chi̍t-ê lâng ùi pēⁿ-īⁿ tńg in chhù.
Tán yi kiâⁿ ji̍p chhù-tiâⁿ sió-lō͘ ê sî, yi kiaⁿ chi̍t-ē, khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-ê chhēng iû-chhai chè-ho̍k ê siàu-liân-lâng chē tī mn̂g chêng khàm-á, siang-chhiú mo͘h thâu. "Graham Tt tī toh?" yi mn̄g.
I kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ gia̍h-thâu khòaⁿ. "In tú-tú kā yi sàng cháu. Lí sī Graham Tt ê pêng-iú, sī tī P.E.I.* hit-ê?" [* P.E.I. = Prince Edward Island]
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5. 有一通你 ê 電報
這改來 ê 是一个較老 ê 警官. 她 kā 代誌講予聽, koh 予伊看 hiah-ê 光批, 除了她燒去彼張. "我看會出, 你那會 hiah-nī 煩惱, 夫人," 伊 kō͘ 親切 ê 聲音講. "這是真予人袂爽快 ê 代誌. 你敢想會出, siáng 對你有怨恨?"
她想無, 落尾, 離開 ê 時, 伊 kap Norman 仝款留落 án-ne kā 安搭. "若有任何怪事發生, 你若看著任何生份人 tī 街路 lōa-lōa 趖, a̍h 是類似 ê 代誌, 你一定著敲電話予阮," 伊講.
隔工, Norman 提光批欲予她 ê 時, 伊 ê 面 ká-ná 真見笑. "我有 kā 讀. 我想, 我無應該 án-ne 做. M̄-koh, 你毋通煩惱," 伊 ná 講 ná kā 交予她.
"Tī 你讀批 ê 時, 你欲愛我留 tī chia 無?"
她搖頭. "我袂有代誌. 多謝, Norman," 她講, tō 提彼張卡片 kap 伊其他 ê 批入去灶跤. 她神神坐 tī 桌仔邊, kā 彼張 Sydney 港 ê 相片研究一睏, 才 kā péng 過面. "Dorothy, 醫生講, 手術是我唯一 ê 希望. 請為我祈禱. 感覺真害." 寫到 chia, 字 tō 斷去, 這改無簽名. 她感覺目睭澀澀. 她 kā 目鏡提落來, kā 頭仆 tī 兩支手骨頂. "Oh, 拜託," 她 chheh-khùi. "莫 chhap 我 lah. 毋管你是 siáng."
她 tī 花園無閒規半工來予 ka-tī 分心, 然後出去, 到新開 tī 大賣場 ê Franse 餐廳食暗頓. 轉厝了後, 她拍開電視, 然後, 真無四常, 她 m̄-nā 看十一點 ê 新聞, koh 看一齣做到一點才煞 ê 電影. 雖罔 án-ne, 落尾去睏 ê 時, 她猶是睏袂去, 所以她 koh 開燈, 讀一本 Catherine 大皇帝 ê 傳記. 一直到三點, 她 ê 目睭皮才垂落來, 她 tō 愛睏愛睏 kā 眠床頭 ê 燈關 hoa. 電話響 ê 時, 她 ká-ná 睏無幾分鐘.
時鐘 lajíoh ê 紅光 kā 她講, 這陣是早起 5:14. Dorothy ùi 眠床跤捎她 ê 睏袍, 肩頭挵著門, 一直傱到走廊 ê 電話桌仔.
"Ŏe, Halo," 她講.
"是 Dorothy Graham Tt 無?" 彼是一个查埔人聲, 聽起來是衙門 ê 口氣, 小可有無耐煩 ê 款.
"是 lah, 你是 siáng?"
"Chia 是 CNCP 電信公司. Chia 有一通你 ê 電報. 我著讀予你聽無?"
"是, 是. M̄-koh, 請小等 leh, 我來開燈. 我去提一支筆."
無啥成 tī 食早頓 ê 時 Dorothy 無 tī 厝 nih. Norah 予電話加 liang 幾若聲才 kā 掛斷. 她原本想欲前一暗敲, m̄-koh 等她 ùi 機場轉到厝 ê 時, 時間已經過 ah, 才會等到早起. 凡勢 Dorothy 破病 ah. Norah ùi 睏房提出她 ê handbag, koh ùi 壁爐頂攑她 ê 車鎖匙, tō 行到車庫.
救護車行出 Dorothy 蹛彼條街路 ê 時, 她有 kap 伊相閃. 車無趕, mā 無響水螺聲. Norah 想, 大概是送某一个人 ùi 病院轉 in 厝.
等她行入厝埕小路 ê 時, 她驚一下, 看著一个穿郵差制服 ê 少年人坐 tī 門前坎仔, 雙手 mo͘h 頭. "Graham Tt tī 佗?" 她問.
伊驚惶攑頭看. "In 拄拄 kā 她送走. 你是 Graham Tt ê 朋友, 是 tī P.E.I.* 彼个?" [* P.E.I. = Prince Edward Island]
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5.
It was an older officer who came this time. She told him her story and showed him the postcards, except for the one she'd burned. "I can see how you'd be upset, ma'am," he said in a kindly voice. "It's a very unpleasant thing to have happen. Is there anyone you can think of who has a grudge against you?"
She couldn't, and finally he left with the same sort of reassurances Norman had given her. "If anything unusual happens, if you see any strangers hanging about the street, anything like that, you just be sure and call us," he said.
Norman looked almost shamefaced when he brought her the postcard next day. "I've read it. I suppose I shouldn't have. But you mustn't get upset," he said handing it to her.
"Would you like me to stay while you read it?"
She shook her head. "I'll be okay. Thanks, Norman," she said, and took the card with her other mail into the kitchen. She sat down dully at the table and studied the picture of Sydney harbour for several moments before turning the card over. "Dorothy. Doc says operation my only hope. Pray for me. Feel so bad." The writing trailed off and this time there was no signature. She felt her eyes stinging. She took off her glasses, and put her head down on her arms. "Oh, please," she sobbed. "Leave me alone. Whoever you are."
She worked in the garden most of the day to distract herself, then went out to dinner at the little French restaurant that had just opened at the shopping mall. Coming home, she turned on the television and then, unusual for her, watched not only the eleven o'clock news, but a late movie that didn't end until one. Even then she couldn't sleep when she finally went to bed, so she turned on the light and read a biography of Catherine the Great. It wasn't until three in the morning that her eyes drooped and she reached out sleepily to turn off the bedside light. It seemed as if she hadn't been asleep more than a few minutes when the phone rang.
The red glow of the clock radio told her it was 5:14 a.m. Dorothy grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and, bumping her shoulder on the door, stumbled down the hallway to the phone table.
"Yes, hello," she said.
"Is that Mrs. Dorothy Graham?" It was a male voice, official sounding and faintly bored.
"Yes, who's calling?"
"This is CNCP Telecommunications. We have a telegram for you. Shall I read it to you?"
“Yes, yes. But just a minute please while I turn the light on. I’ll get a pen.”
It was unlike Dorothy not to be home at breakfast. Norah let the phone ring a few more times then put down the receiver. She had thought of calling the night before but it had been rather after when she had arrived home from the airport, so she’d waited until the morning. Perhaps Dorothy had taken ill. Norah got her handbag from the bedroom, picked up the car keys from the mantelpiece, and went out to the garage.
She passed the ambulance as it pulled out of Dorothy's street. It didn't seem to be rushing, and there was no siren. Probably dropping someone off, coming home from hospital, Norah thought.
As she walked up the path she was surprised to see a young man in a mailman's uniform sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. "Where's Mrs. Graham?" she asked.
He looked up startled. "They just took her away. Are you Mrs. Graham's friend, the one that was in P.E.I.?"
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