2. Hāu-khan hoat-piáu chi̍t-siú kàu-liān ê si
Chhia-thâu-teng khui tōa-hóe, Rusty mā kan-ta ē-tàng liōng-iok khòaⁿ chêng 5 eng-chhioh ê lō͘. Kî-thaⁿ só͘-chāi lóng kui-phiàn kô͘-kô͘. In ê sî-sok 40 mai, ū-sî chiap-kīn kong-lō͘ naih-o chek lô-chúi ê ūi, sok-tō͘ koh khah bān. Chèng-siông sok-tō͘ kàu-chhù tio̍h 2 tiám-cheng tah-tah, m̄-koh nā kō͘ chit-ê sok-tō͘, tī in kàu ko-tiong chìn-chêng, tō í-keng sī chia̍h-àm ê sî-kan ah.
Chhia-téng ká-ná bô lâng iàu-ì. I ùi tōa îⁿ-kiàⁿ gán tio̍h ê Hó͘-bó tūi-oân í-keng lóng kòa hīⁿ-ki ah. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony [koa-thoân] ê siōng-sin CD "E. 1999 Eternal" í-keng tī yin ê Walkman [sûi-sin-thiaⁿ im-ga̍k ki] teh pò-sàng. Chāi Rusty khòaⁿ, che im-ga̍k pí chiah-ê chă gín-á pêng-sî teh thiaⁿ ê khah jiû-hô. Koài-kî ê iô-nâ-khiok kiò-hûn khah chē kòe im-ga̍k, bē-su koa-chhiú sī tī hiān-sè kap lâi-sè tiong-kan bó͘ chi̍t-ê só͘-chāi piáu-ián in ê soân-lu̍t. Nn̄g-pâi ūi āu-piah, 12-Hō kap 8-Hō ha̍p-chhiùⁿ "Tha Crossroads" ê chi̍t-kóa pō͘-hūn, yin ê siaⁿ-im bô goân-chhiùⁿ hiah sang, m̄-koh tú-á-hó ai-siong, koh ū-kàu tōa siaⁿ, hō͘ i tī siàng-hō͘ siaⁿ nih thiaⁿ ē-tio̍h, koh tú-á-hó, tú-á-hó hiáng-siū.
Kàu-liān tó tī i āu-piah hit-ê chē-ūi. Rusty boeh kō͘ thâu-khak téng hit-ê tn̂g-ti kiàⁿ khòaⁿ i, tio̍h sió-khóa àⁿ-sin koh gia̍h thâu. I chai, che sī chi̍t-ê hûi-hiám ê chu-sè, in-ūi án-ne i ê chiau-tiám m̄-sī tī lō͘, m̄-koh i iáu-sī iông-ún ka-tī kā khòaⁿ kúi-ā ē. Bô siáⁿ khó-lêng chin kín koh ū ki-hōe khòaⁿ tio̍h che: Kàu-liān thǹg kah chhun khaki té-khò͘. I teh tuh-ku, siang-thúi hoâiⁿ kòe kòe-tō, chhiah-kha khòe tī phi polo-saⁿ kap boe̍h-á ê chē-ūi téng-bīn. I ùi âng-gê, bô mo͘ ê sin-khu pak saⁿ ê sok-tō͘ bān kah Rusty jīn-ûi, he tī hiān-si̍t sī bô khó-lêng ê.
Thiⁿ ah, i án-ne kā ka-tī kóng, kì tio̍h, tō koh sóa ba̍k-chiu tńg lō͘ nih. Taⁿ, hong koh khah tōa-la̍t chhiâng tī bus. Chi̍t-ki khòaⁿ bē-tio̍h ê chhiú kā in tháⁿ thán-piⁿ. Kàu-liān ū kóng, tán in lī-khui Delta chi̍t-tōaⁿ lō͘, hō͘ tō ē khah sè. Hia i kā hō-chò "khó-phà ê Delta." Kap chē-chē tāi-chì kāng-khoán, kàu-liān iū kóng m̄-tio̍h. Bus ká-ná kiâⁿ hiòng chai-lān, m̄-sī kiâⁿ lī-khui i. Rusty siong-sìn nn̄g ê pán-pún ê kàu-liān: chi̍t-ê kà ko-nî-kip bûn-ha̍k, ūi hāu-khan "The Growl" (háu-kiò) siá si, lēng-gōa hit-ê piàⁿ-miā chhōa Hó͘-bó Tūi thoa-kòe bô iâⁿ-kiû ê kiû-kùi, tán i kiat-sok. Tī Rusty in papa chò kàu-liān hit ê sî-chūn, bat ū chióng-poe, chāi-tē sin-bûn pò-tō ū i kap "hiah-ê ko͘-niû" ê choan-bûn sî-tōaⁿ, ū hn̄g kah ùi Nashville hām Hattiesburg lâi ê chio-bō͘-oân. Hó͘-bó Tūi tī téng-ê kiû-kùi m̄-bat su, sī chiu ê koan-kun.
Rusty bô-ài chìm tī su-khó kū-nî hoat-seng ê tāi-chì, só͘-í i chiâⁿ hoaⁿ-hí, kàu-liān chhéⁿ lâi, mn̄g i taⁿ kàu tó-ūi ah. I kā i kóng ê sî, kàu-liān kóng, "Thiⁿ ah, iáu tī Delta, iáu bōe kiâⁿ thàu, kám m̄-sī?" Rusty iáu bē-hù kā ìn, kàu-liān iū kiu tńg khùn-tàu ê chu-sè, ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh.
Rusty àⁿ-sin, koh kā thau-khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. Kàu-liān tōa i bô chē. 23 a̍h 24-hòe. Tú ùi hū-kīn ê chi̍t-keng tē-khu hêng tāi-ha̍k pit-gia̍p, ū kàu-su chip-chiàu. Rusty in-ūi tùi ka-tī papa ê chīn-tiong, goân-pún tùi sin kàu-liān ū oàn-hūn. M̄-koh i ê oàn tī tē-it pái siōng kàu-liān ê khò ê sî tō hoa khì ah; i kiâⁿ ji̍p-lâi, ná àm-liām Macbeth chhut-miâ ê kháu-pe̍h si: "Bîn-á-chài, bîn-á-chài, koh bîn-á-chài." Forney Culpepper -- chit-ê miâ kha̍h tī i ê nâ-âu. Án-ne í-gōa, i lóng bē bái. Seⁿ-chò gín-á bīn, soa-sek thâu-chang póe kàu hīⁿ-á āu. Kin-kì hāu-khan The Growl, kàu-liān sī Delta lâng, hoān-sè in-ūi án-ne i chiok thó-ià Delta, i mā sī chi̍t-ê si-jîn, che siōng tāi-seng tit-tio̍h Rusty ê chù-ì. Kin-kì Rusty ê mama, yi bat khòaⁿ tio̍h kàu-liān tī Piggly Wiggly se̍h, i mā kah-ì chia̍h ke-sim-tāu (garbanzo beans) kap tāu-hū. "Seⁿ-chò siàⁿ-khiat, siàⁿ-khiat," yi án-ne kóng i, m̄-koh bô pháiⁿ-ì, in-ūi yi hi-bāng i hó, chin kám-siā, mā m̄-kiaⁿ lâng chai.
Ha̍k-hāu chêng 9 lé-pài boeh liáu ê sî, hāu-khan The Growl hoat-piáu chi̍t-siú kàu-liān ê si. Chi̍t-siú kiò-chò "Hooch" ê la̍k-chat-si (sestina), kóng tio̍h chi̍t-tùi ang-á-bó͘ in-ūi thiâu-kò͘-ì ê hut-sī, tì-sú chi̍t-chiah káu ê sí-bông. Tha̍k-liáu, Rusty ùi chū-si̍p-thiaⁿ chông khì sé-chhiú-keng khì chhit ta i ê bīn. I koat-tēng m̄ koh kā tha̍k tē-jī piàn, sui-bóng i bô-ì-tiong tō ē-tàng àm-tha̍k hiah-ê tiông-ho̍k ê kiat-bóe: kin-bah, tē-tô͘, koa-si, chhiok-bong, hām-chéⁿ, phò-lia̍t. Rusty taⁿ ná teh liām hiah-ê, ná kā bus chhim-chhim sái ji̍p bô thêng-khùn iáⁿ-jiah ê tōa hong-hō͘ nih. I chù-ì tio̍h kàu-liān teh ōaⁿ chu-sè, chē thêng. Khòaⁿ i ná teh chù-ì gōa-kháu, Rusty siūⁿ kóng i tit-boeh kiò i thêng chhia. M̄-sī, i kā chi̍t-ki kha khòe tī keh-khui su-ki kap sêng-kheh tiong-kan ê hoâiⁿ-koaiⁿ. He kha tī Rusty ê kiàⁿ lāi-bīn khòaⁿ bē tio̍h, m̄-koh i kō͘ siūⁿ-ê tō siūⁿ ē-tio̍h. Iu-iu ê kha-té, ji̍t-chhut ê sek, khin-khin sang-sang khòe tī pe̍h-thih-á hoâiⁿ-koaiⁿ. Kha-chéng-kah chê-chê, kha-pôaⁿ, kha chéng-thâu-á ba̍k phôe-hu ê iù-iù jiâu-hûn.
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2. 校刊發表一首教練 ê 詩
車頭燈開大火, Rusty mā 干焦會當量約看前 5 英尺 ê 路. 其他所在攏規遍糊糊. In ê 時速 40 mai, 有時接近公路 naih-o 積濁水 ê 位, 速度 koh 較慢. 正常速度到厝著 2 點鐘貼貼, 毋過若 kō͘ 這个速度, tī in 到高中進前, tō 已經是食暗 ê 時間 ah.
車頂 ká-ná 無人要意. 伊 ùi 大圓鏡眼著 ê 虎母隊員已經攏掛耳機 ah. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony [歌團] ê 上新 CD "E. 1999 Eternal" 已經 tī 姻 ê Walkman [隨身聽音樂機] teh 播送. 在 Rusty 看, 這音樂比 chiah-ê chă 囡仔平時 teh 聽 ê 較柔和. 怪奇 ê 搖籃曲叫魂較濟過音樂, 袂輸歌手是 tī 現世 kap 來世中間某一个所在表演 in ê 旋律. 兩排位後壁, 12 號 kap 8 號合唱 "Tha Crossroads" ê 一寡部份, 姻 ê聲音無原唱 hiah 鬆, 毋過拄仔好哀傷, koh 有夠大聲, 予伊 tī 摔雨聲 nih 聽會著, koh 拄仔好, 拄仔好享受.
教練倒 tī 伊後壁彼个坐位. Rusty 欲 kō͘ 頭殼頂彼个長 ti 鏡看伊, 著小可 àⁿ 身 koh 攑頭. 伊知, 這是一个危險 ê 姿勢, 因為 án-ne 伊 ê 焦點毋是 tī 路, 毋過伊猶是容允家治 kā 看幾若下. 無啥可能真緊 koh 有機會看著這: 教練褪 kah 賰 khaki 短褲. 伊 teh 盹龜, 雙腿橫過過道, 赤跤 khòe tī 披 polo 衫 kap 襪仔 ê 坐位頂面. 伊 ùi 紅牙, 無毛 ê 身軀剝衫 ê 速度慢 kah Rusty 認為, he tī 現實是無可能 ê.
天 ah, 伊 án-ne kā 家治講, 記著, tō koh 徙目睭轉路 nih. 今, 風 koh 較大力沖 tī bus. 一支看袂著 ê 手 kā in 挺坦邊. 教練有講, 等 in 離開 Delta 一段路, 雨 tō 會較細. Hia 伊 kā 號做 "可怕 ê Delta." Kap 濟濟代誌仝款, 教練又講毋著. Bus ká-ná 行向災難, 毋是行離開伊. Rusty 相信兩个版本 ê 教練: 一个教高年級文學, 為校刊 "The Growl" (吼叫) 寫詩, 另外彼个拚命 chhōa 虎母隊拖過無贏球 ê 球季, 等伊結束. Tī Rusty in papa 做教練彼个時陣, bat 有獎盃, 在地新聞報導有伊 kap "hiah-ê 姑娘" ê 專門時段, 有遠 kah ùi Nashville 和 Hattiesburg 來 ê 招募員. 虎母隊 tī 頂个球季 m̄-bat 輸, 是州 ê 冠軍.
Rusty 無愛浸 tī 思考舊年發生 ê 代誌, 所以伊誠歡喜, 教練醒來, 問伊今到佗位 ah. 伊 kā 伊講 ê 時, 教練講, "天 ah, 猶 tī Delta, 猶未行透, 敢毋是?" Rusty 猶袂赴 kā 應, 教練又勼轉睏晝 ê 姿勢, 目睭瞌瞌.
Rusty àⁿ 身, koh kā 偷看一下. 教練大伊無濟. 23 a̍h 24 歲. 拄 ùi 附近 ê 一間地區型大學畢業, 有教師執照. Rusty 因為對 ka-tī papa ê 盡忠, 原本對新教練有怨恨. M̄-koh 伊 ê 怨 tī 第一擺上教練 ê 課 ê 時 tō hoa 去 ah; 伊行入來, ná 念 Macbeth 出名 ê 口白詩: "明仔載, 明仔載, koh 明仔載." Forney Culpepper -- 這个名 kha̍h tī 伊 ê 嚨喉. Án-ne 以外, 伊攏袂䆀. 生做囡仔面, 沙色頭鬃 póe 到耳仔後. 根據校刊 The Growl, 教練 sī Delta 人, 凡勢因為 án-ne 伊足討厭 Delta, 伊 mā 是一个詩人, 這上代先得著 Rusty ê 注意. 根據 Rusty ê mama, 她 bat 看著教練 tī Piggly Wiggly 踅, 伊 mā 佮意食雞心豆 (garbanzo beans) kap 豆腐. "生做 siàⁿ-khiat, siàⁿ-khiat" 她 án-ne 講伊, m̄-koh 無歹意, 因為她希望伊好, 真感謝, mā 毋驚人知.
學校前 9 禮拜欲了 ê 時, 校刊 The Growl 發表一首教練 ê 詩. 一首叫做 "Hooch" ê 六節詩 (sestina), 講著一對翁仔某因為 thiâu 故意 ê 忽視, 致使一隻狗 ê 死亡. 讀了, Rusty ùi 自習廳傱去洗手間去拭焦伊 ê 面. 伊決定毋 koh kā 讀第二遍, 雖罔伊無意中 tō 會當暗讀 hiah-ê 重複 ê 結尾: 筋肉, 地圖, 歌詩, 觸摸, 陷阱, 破裂. Rusty 今 ná teh 念 hiah-ê, ná kā bus 深深駛入無停睏影跡 ê 大風雨 nih. 伊注意著教練 teh 換姿勢, 坐騰. 看伊 ná teh 注意外口, Rusty 想講伊得欲叫伊停車. 毋是, 伊 kā 一支跤 khòe tī 隔開司機 kap 乘客中間 ê 橫杆. He 跤 tī Rusty ê 鏡內面看袂著, m̄-koh 伊 kō͘ 想 ê tō 想會著. Iu-iu ê 跤底, 日出 ê 色, 輕輕鬆鬆 khòe tī 白鐵仔橫杆. 跤指甲齊齊, 跤盤, 跤指頭仔目皮膚 ê 幼幼皺痕.
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2.
Only about five feet of road showed itself to Rusty at a time even with the headlights on bright. The rest was coated in murk. They were going along at forty, sometimes slower when approaching pockets of muddy water pooled in dips in the road. It was a solid two hours from home at a normal pace, but at this rate, it would be dinnertime before they rolled up to the high school.
Not that anyone on board seemed to mind. The Lady Tigers he eyed in the big circle mirror had donned headphones. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s latest CD E. 1999 Eternal had been making the rounds on some of their Walkmans. To Rusty, their music was softer than what the girls normally listened to. Eerie lullabies more spirit than music, as if the singers were performing their melodies somewhere between the here and the hereafter. Two seats back, Numbers 12 and 8 sang along to parts of “Tha Crossroads,” their voices not as ethereal as the original but just as mournful and loud enough for him to make out over the kerplunking rain and almost, almost, enjoy.
The coach lay on the seat behind him. Prime viewing in the rectangular mirror directly above Rusty when he leaned forward a little and cocked his head. A dangerous position, he knew, since it took his focus off the road, but he allowed himself a few glances anyhow. Not likely to have another chance like this one anytime soon: The coach had stripped down to his khaki shorts. He was dozing with his legs bridged across the aisle, his bare feet resting on the seat where his polo and socks had been draped to dry. He’d peeled his clothes from his pink and hairless body with a slowness Rusty had thought impossible in real time.
Lord, he said to himself, remembering it, and put his eyes back on the road. Wind was batting harder against the bus now. An invisible hand nudging them sideways. The coach had claimed the rain would slack up once they’d put some distance between themselves and the Delta. The god-awful Delta, he called it. Like with so many things, the coach had been wrong. The bus seemed bound for perdition, not away from it. Rusty believed in two versions of the coach: the one who taught literature to seniors and wrote poems for the school newspaper, The Growl, and the other one who was desperately over his head and had led the Lady Tigers to the end of a thankless season with no wins. During the era of Rusty’s dad as coach, there had been trophies, special segments devoted to him and “his rowdy girls” on the local news channel, interested recruiters from as far away as Nashville and Hattiesburg. The Lady Tigers had been unbeatable their last season, state champions.
Rusty didn’t like to wallow in thoughts about what went on last year, so he was glad when the coach came to and asked about their location. When he told him, the coach said, “My god, the Delta — it just goes on, don’t it?” Before Rusty could respond, the coach nestled back into his napping position and closed his eyes.
Rusty tilted forward and stole another glance. The coach was not much older than he was. Twenty-three or twenty-four. Fresh out of a nearby regional university with a teaching license. Rusty had been prepared to hate him out of some lingering loyalty to his dad. But his dislike evaporated during his first class with the coach, who came in reciting the famous soliloquy from Macbeth: “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.” Forney Culpepper — the name stuck in your throat. But otherwise he was beautiful. A boyish face, sandy hair he kept pushed behind his ears. According to The Growl, the coach was from the Delta, which maybe explained why he hated it so much, and a poet, which was what first drew Rusty’s attention. According to Rusty’s mom, who’d seen the coach milling about the Piggly Wiggly, he was also a lover of garbanzo beans and tofu. “Hippy-dippy shit,” she called it, but not unkindly, for she wished him well, thank you very much, and didn’t care who knew it.
Around the end of the first nine weeks of school, The Growl published one of the coach’s poems. A sestina called “Hooch” about a dog killed by a couple’s willful neglect of the animal. After reading it, Rusty bolted from study hall for the bathroom to wipe the wet from his face. He decided not to look at it a second time, though he could recite the repeating end words without even trying: muscle, map, song, touch, trap, break. Rusty mumbled them now as he plunged the bus deeper into a storm that showed no signs of letting up. He noticed the coach was changing positions, sitting up. He was scrutinizing the goings-on outside, and Rusty thought he was about to tell him to pull over. Instead, he placed a foot on the running handrail that separated the driver’s seat from the passenger’s. The foot was not in range of any of Rusty’s mirrors, but he could picture it regardless. The smooth sole, the color of sunrise, relaxing against the chrome bar. The neat toenails, the instep, the delicate wrinkling of skin at the knuckles.
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