3. 阮做伙啉 bihlù

3. Goán chò-hóe lim bihlù

Kâu-san lo̍h-bóe kā góa ê kha-chiah-phiaⁿ lù soah ah. "To-siā lí ê nāi-sim," i kóng, koh ná àⁿ-io kiâⁿ-lé.

"Ló͘-la̍t," góa kóng. "Kám-kak chiâⁿ hó. Nā án-ne, lí kám tī chit-keng kheh-chàn chia̍h-thâu-lō͘?"

"Tio̍h. In chin hó-sim, khéng siu-liû góa. Khah tōa, khah ko-kip ê kheh-chàn bô khó-lêng chhiàⁿ kâu-san. M̄-koh, chia it-ti̍t khiàm kha-chhiú, chí-iàu chèng-bêng lí ū lō͘-iōng, in bē kè-kàu lí sī kâu a̍h siáⁿ. Tùi kâu lâi kóng, kip-liāu chió, in mā kan-ta hō͘ góa chò lâng khòaⁿ bē-tio̍h ê khang-khòe. Chhin-chhiūⁿ chheng e̍k-keng, sé phōe-toaⁿ, téng-téng hit-khoán khang-khòe. Nā hō͘ kâu phàu-tê a̍h siáⁿ, lâng-kheh tiāⁿ-tio̍h ē kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô. Mā bē-sái chò chàu-kha ê khang-khòe, in-ūi án-ne góa ē tú-tio̍h si̍t-phín ūi-seng ê būn-tê."

"Lí í-keng tī chia chò chin kú ah sioh?" góa mn̄g.

"Tāi-iok saⁿ-tang ah."

"Lâi chia chìn-chêng, lí tiāⁿ-tio̍h keng-le̍k chē-chē sū-hāng?"

Kâu-san sûi tìm-thâu. "Chiâⁿ-si̍t."

Góa tiû-tû chi̍t-ē, jiân-āu mn̄g i, "lí nā bô kòa-ì, kám ē-sái kā góa kóng khah-chē lí ê pōe-kéng?"

Kâu-san khó-lū chi̍t-ē, jiân-āu kóng, "Hó, ē-sái tit. Hoān-sè bô lí só͘ siūⁿ ê hiah chhù-bī, m̄-koh, góa kàu10 tiám chiah hā-pan, liáu-āu góa chiah khì lí ê pâng-keng. Án-ne hong-piān bô?"

"Tong-jiân," góa ìn. "Lâi ê sî, chah kóa bihlù, góa ē chin kám-kek."

"Liáu-kái. Peng ê be̍h-á chiú. Sapporo (札幌) bihlù hó bô?"

"Án-ne chiâⁿ hó. Sī kóng, lí ū lim bihlù bô?"

"Chió-chió ah ē-sái."

"Nā án-ne, chhiáⁿ kōaⁿ nn̄g-ê tōa-kan-ê lâi."

"Tong-jiân. Góa nā bô kì m̄-tio̍h, lí tòa tī jī-lâu ê Araiso (荒磯) Thò-pâng, kám m̄-sī?"

"Bô m̄-tio̍h," góa kóng.

"M̄-koh, ū tām-po̍h kî-koài, lí kám bô siūⁿ tio̍h?" kâu-san kóng. "Soaⁿ-khu ê kheh-chàn ū chi̍t-ê pâng-keng hō-chò Araiso (荒磯) -- hong-liâng ê chio̍h-thâu hái-hōaⁿ." I chhiò kah ki-ki kiò. Góa kui sì-lâng m̄-bat thiaⁿ-kòe kâu chhiò. M̄-koh, góa siūⁿ, kâu mā ē chhiò, sīm-chì ū-sî mā ē khàu. He bē hō͘ góa kám-kak koài-kî, kì-jiân i to ē-hiáu kóng-ōe ah.

"Sūn-sòa mn̄g chi̍t-ē, lí kám ū hō-miâ?" góa mn̄g.

"Bô, bô hō te̍k-iú ê miâ. Lâng lóng kiò góa Shinagawa Kâu."

Kâu-san thoah khui po-lê mn̂g, oa̍t-sin, oan-io kiâⁿ chi̍t-ē lé, koh bān-bān kā mn̂g koaiⁿ khí-lâi.

Cha̍p-tiám chhut-á, kâu-san lâi kàu Araiso Thò-pâng, kō͘ chi̍t-ê phâng-pôaⁿ téng-bīn chhāi nn̄g tōa-kan bihlù. Pôaⁿ nih lēng-gōa koh ū khui-á, nn̄g-ê po-lê poe, hām chi̍t-kóa tām-sám: hó kháu-bī ê jiû-hî koaⁿ hām chi̍t-tē kakipi -- lām thô͘-tāu-jîn ê bí-á-phang. Lóng sī lim-chiú ê hó phòe-liāu. Chit-chiah kâu chin iōng-sim.

Chit-chūn ê kâu-san ū chhēng-saⁿ, phú-sek ūn-tōng khò͘ hām chi̍t-niá ìn "I♥NY " ê tn̂g-ńg kāu siatchuh, khó-lêng sī gín-á ê jī-chhiú saⁿ.

Pâng-keng bô toh-á, goán tō phēng-keng chē po̍h-po̍h ê zabuton (座布団, chē-thiap), kha-chiah-phiaⁿ khò tī piah. Kâu-san kō͘ khui-á khui chi̍t-kan bihlù, thîn móa nn̄g po-lê poe. Goán tiām-tiām the̍h sûi-lâng ê poe-á khok chi̍t-ē kèng-chiú.

"To-siā lí ê chiú," kâu-san kóng, sûi tō hoaⁿ-hoaⁿ hí-hí koàn peng bihlù. Góa mā lim chi̍t-kóa. Láu-si̍t kóng, kap kâu chē keh-piah kong-ke lim bihlù, kám-kak koài-koài, m̄-koh góa siūⁿ, lí mā ē koàn-sì.

"Hā-pan liáu lim bihlù, ū-kàu chán," kâu-san kóng, ná kō͘ hoat-mo͘ ê chhiú-pôaⁿ chhit chhùi. "M̄-koh, tùi kâu lâi kóng, chhiūⁿ chit-chióng lim bihlù ê ki-hōe sī chin chió."

"Lí tòa tī kheh-chàn chia sioh?"

"Tio̍h, ū chi̍t-téng pâng, sǹg sī lâu-kông, in hō͘ góa khùn hia. Put-sî ū niáu-chhí, tī hia bô hoat-tō͘ khin-sang, m̄-koh, góa sī kâu, ū-ūi thang khùn koh thang chi̍t-kang chiok-chiok chia̍h saⁿ-tǹg, góa tio̍h ài kam-un lah. Sui-bóng he m̄-sī thian-tông a̍h siáⁿ-mi̍h."

Kâu-san í-keng lim oân tē-it poe, góa tō koh kā thîn chi̍t-poe.

"Hui-siông kám-siā," i án-ne lé-māu kóng.

"Lí m̄-nā hām jîn-lūi seng-oa̍h, kám bat hām lín tông-lūi seng-oa̍h? Góa ê ì-sù sī, hām kî-thaⁿ ê kâu-san?" góa mn̄g. Ū chin chē tāi-chì góa siūⁿ boeh mn̄g i.

"Bat, ū kúi-nā pái," kâu-san hôe-tap kóng, i ê bīn sió-khóa àm lo̍h-lâi. I siang-lúi ba̍k-chiu piⁿ ê jiâu-hûn chhim-chhim. "In-ūi chióng-chióng goân-in, góa hông kiông-pek kóaⁿ chhut Shinagawa, pàng tī Takasakiyama (高崎山), hit-ê ū chhut-miâ kâu-hn̂g ê lâm-pō͘ tē-khu. Khí-chho͘, góa siūⁿ-kóng, góa ē-tàng tī hia pêng-an kòe-ji̍t, m̄-koh tāi-chì m̄-sī án-ne. M̄-thang gō͘-hōe, kî-thaⁿ kâu-san sī góa ê hó iú-chì bô m̄-tio̍h, m̄-koh in-ūi góa tī jîn-lūi ka-têng tōa-hàn, hō͘ kàu-siū ang-bó͘ chhī-tōa, góa bē-hiáu tùi kâu-san piáu-ta̍t góa ê kám-chêng. Góa hām in bô siáⁿ kiōng-tông-tiám, ko͘-thong mā chin bô kán-tan. ‘Lí kóng ê ōe koài-koài,’ in án-ne kă kóng, in ū tām-po̍h teh khau-sé góa, khi-hū góa. Kâu-bó khòaⁿ tio̍h góa tō ki-ki chhiò. Kâu-san tùi sió-sió ê chha-pia̍t lóng chin bín-kám. In hoat-hiān góa ê hêng-ûi kok-pih, án-ne hō͘ góa chin àu-náu, ū-sî mā tek-sit tio̍h in. Góa lú lâi lú bô hoat-tō͘ lâu tī hia, lo̍h-bóe góa kiâⁿ ka-tī ê lō͘. Ōaⁿ chi̍t-kù ōe kóng, góa piàn-sêng liû-lōng kâu."

"Lí tiāⁿ-tio̍h it-ti̍t chin ko͘-toaⁿ."

- -

3. 阮做伙啉 bihlù

猴山落尾 kā 我 ê 尻脊骿鑢煞 ah. "多謝你 ê 耐心," 伊講, koh ná àⁿ 腰行禮.

"勞力," 我講. "感覺誠好. 若 án-ne, 你敢 tī 這間客棧食頭路?"

"著. In 真好心, 肯收留我. 較大, 較高級 ê 客棧無可能倩猴山. 毋過, 遮一直欠跤手, 只要證明你有路用, in 袂計較你是猴 a̍h 啥. 對猴來講, 給料少, in mā 干焦予我做人看袂著 ê 工課. 親像清浴間, 洗被單, 等等彼款工課. 若予猴泡茶 a̍h 啥, 人客定著會驚一趒. Mā 袂使做灶跤 ê 工課, 因為 án-ne 我會拄著食品衛生 ê 問題."

"你已經 tī 遮做真久 ah sioh?" 我問.

"大約三冬 ah."

"來遮進前, 你定著經歷濟濟事項?"

猴山隨頕頭. "成實."

我躊躇一下, 然後問伊, "你若無掛意, 敢會使 kā 我講較濟你 ê 背景?"

猴山考慮一下, 然後講, "好, 會使得. 凡勢無你所想 ê hiah 趣味, 毋過, 我到 10 點才下班, 了後我才去你 ê 房間. Án-ne 方便無?"

"當然," 我應. "來 ê 時, 扎寡 bihlù, 我會真感激."

"了解. 冰 ê 麥仔酒. Sapporo (札幌) bihlù 好無?"

"Án-ne 誠好. 是講, 你有啉 bihlù 無?"

"少少 ah 會使."

"若 án-ne, 請捾兩个大矸 ê 來."

"當然. 我若無記毋著, 你蹛 tī 二樓 ê Araiso (荒磯) 套房, 敢毋是?"

"無毋著," 我講.

"毋過, 有淡薄奇怪, 你敢無想著?" 猴山講. "山區 ê 客棧有一个房間號做 Araiso (荒磯) -- 荒涼 ê 石頭海岸." 伊笑甲 ki-ki 叫. 我規世人毋捌聽過猴笑. 毋過, 我想, 猴 mā 會笑, 甚至有時 mā 會哭. 彼袂予我感覺怪奇, 既然伊 to 會曉講話 ah.

"順紲問一下, 你敢有號名?" 我問.

"無, 無號特有 ê 名. 人攏叫我 Shinagawa 猴."

猴山挩開玻璃門, 越身, 彎腰行一下禮, koh 慢慢 kā 門關起來.

十點出仔, 猴山來到 Araiso 套房, kō͘ 一个捀盤頂面祀兩大矸 bihlù. 盤 nih 另外 koh 有開仔, 兩个玻璃杯, 和一寡啖糝: 好口味 ê 鰇魚乾和一袋 kakipi -- 濫塗豆仁 ê 米仔芳. 攏是啉酒 ê 好配料. 這隻猴真用心.

這陣 ê 猴山有穿衫, 殕色運動褲和一領印 "I♥NY " ê 長䘼厚 siatchuh, 可能是囡仔 ê 二手衫.

房間無桌仔, 阮 tō 並肩坐薄薄 ê zabuton (座布団, 坐疊), 尻脊骿靠 tī 壁. 猴山 kō͘ 開仔開一矸 bihlù, 斟滿兩玻璃杯. 阮恬恬提隨人 ê 杯仔硞一下敬酒.

"多謝你 ê 酒," 猴山講, 隨 tō 歡歡喜喜灌冰 bihlù. 我 mā 啉一寡. 老實講, kap 猴坐隔壁公家啉 bihlù, 感覺怪怪, 毋過我想, 你 mā 會慣勢.

"下班了啉 bihlù, 有夠讚," 猴山講, ná kō͘ 發毛 ê 手盤拭喙. "毋過, 對猴來講, 像這種啉 bihlù ê 機會是真少."

"你蹛 tī 客棧遮 sioh?"

"著, 有一頂房, 算是樓栱, in 予我睏遐. 不時有鳥鼠, tī 遐無法度輕鬆, 毋過, 我是猴, 有位通睏 koh 通一工足足食三頓, 我著愛感恩 lah. 雖罔彼毋是天堂 a̍h 啥物."

猴山已經啉完第一杯, 我 tō koh kā 斟一杯.

"非常感謝," 伊 án-ne 禮貌講.

"你毋但和人類生活, 敢捌和恁同類生活? 我 ê 意思是, 和其他 ê 猴山?" 我問. 有真濟代誌我想欲問伊.

"捌, 有幾若擺," 猴山回答講, 伊 ê 面小可暗落來. 伊雙蕊目睭邊 ê 皺痕深深. "因為種種原因, 我 hông 強迫趕出 Shinagawa, 放 tī Takasakiyama (高崎山), 彼个有出名猴園 ê 南部地區. 起初, 我想講, 我會當 tī 遐平安過日, 毋過代誌毋是 án-ne. 毋通誤會, 其他猴山是我 ê 好友志無毋著, 毋過因為我 tī 人類家庭大漢, 予教授翁某飼大, 我袂曉對猴山表達我 ê 感情. 我和 in 無啥共同點, 溝通 mā 真無簡單. ‘你講 ê 話怪怪,’ in án-ne kă 講, in 有淡薄 teh 剾洗我, 欺負我. 猴母看著我 tō ki-ki 笑. 猴山對小小 ê 差別攏真敏感. In 發現我 ê 行為各馝, án-ne 予我真懊惱, 有時 mā 得失著 in. 我 lú 來 lú 無法度留 tī 遐, 落尾我行家己 ê 路. 換一句話講, 我變成流浪猴."

"你定著一直真孤單."

- -

3.

The monkey finally finished scrubbing my back. “Thanks for your patience,” he said, and bowed his head.

“Thank you,” I said. “It really felt good. So, do you work here at this inn?”

“I do. They’ve been kind enough to let me work here. The larger, more upscale inns would never hire a monkey. But they’re always shorthanded around here and, if you can make yourself useful, they don’t care if you’re a monkey or whatever. For a monkey, the pay is minimal, and they let me work only where I can stay mostly out of sight. Straightening up the bath area, cleaning, things of that sort. Most guests would be shocked if a monkey served them tea and so on. Working in the kitchen is out, too, since I’d run into issues with the food-sanitation law.”

“Have you been working here for a long time?” I asked.

“It’s been about three years.”

“But you must have gone through all sorts of things before you settled down here?”

The monkey gave a quick nod. “Very true.”

I hesitated, but then came out and asked him, “If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about your background?”

The monkey considered this, and then said, “Yes, that would be fine. It might not be as interesting as you expect, but I’m off work at ten and I could stop by your room after that. Would that be convenient?”

“Certainly,” I replied. “I’d be grateful if you could bring some beer then.”

“Understood. Some cold beers it is. Would Sapporo be all right?”

“That would be fine. So, you drink beer?”

“A little bit, yes.”

“Then please bring two large bottles.”

“Of course. If I understand correctly, you are staying in the Araiso Suite, on the second floor?”

“That’s right,” I said.

“It’s a little strange, though, don’t you think?” the monkey said. “An inn in the mountains with a room named araiso—‘rugged shore.’ ” He chuckled. I’d never in my life heard a monkey laugh. But I guess monkeys do laugh, and even cry, at times. It shouldn’t have surprised me, given that he was talking.

“By the way, do you have a name?” I asked.

“No, no name, per se. But everyone calls me the Shinagawa Monkey.”

The monkey slid open the glass door, turned, and gave a polite bow, then slowly closed the door.

It was a little past ten when the monkey came to the Araiso Suite, bearing a tray with two large bottles of beer. In addition to the beer, the tray held a bottle opener, two glasses, and some snacks: dried, seasoned squid and a bag of kakipi—rice crackers with peanuts. Typical bar snacks. This was one attentive monkey.

The monkey was dressed now, in gray sweatpants and a thick, long-sleeved shirt with “I♥NY” printed on it, probably some kid’s hand-me-downs.

There was no table in the room, so we sat, side by side, on some thin zabuton cushions, and leaned back against the wall. The monkey used the opener to pop the cap off one of the beers and poured out two glasses. Silently we clinked our glasses together in a little toast.

“Thanks for the drinks,” the monkey said, and happily gulped the cold beer. I drank some as well. Honestly, it felt odd to be seated next to a monkey, sharing a beer, but I guess you get used to it.

“A beer after work can’t be beat,” the monkey said, wiping his mouth with the hairy back of his hand. “But, for a monkey, the opportunities to have a beer like this are few and far between.”

“Do you live here at the inn?”

“Yes, there’s a room, sort of an attic, where they let me sleep. There are mice from time to time, so it’s hard to relax there, but I’m a monkey, so I have to be thankful to have a bed to sleep in and three square meals a day. Not that it’s paradise or anything.”

The monkey had finished his first glass, so I poured him another.

“Much obliged,” he said politely.

“Have you lived not just with humans but with your own kind? With other monkeys, I mean?” I asked. There were so many things I wanted to ask him.

“Yes, several times,” the monkey answered, his face clouding over slightly. The wrinkles beside his eyes formed deep folds. “For various reasons, I was driven out, forcibly, from Shinagawa and released in Takasakiyama, the area down south that’s famous for its monkey park. I thought at first that I could live peaceably there, but things didn’t work out that way. The other monkeys were my dear comrades, don’t get me wrong, but, having been raised in a human household, by the professor and his wife, I just couldn’t express my feelings well to them. We had little in common, and communication wasn’t easy. ‘You talk funny,’ they told me, and they sort of mocked me and bullied me. The female monkeys would giggle when they looked at me. Monkeys are extremely sensitive to the most minute differences. They found the way I acted comical, and it annoyed them, irritated them sometimes. It got harder for me to stay there, so eventually I went off on my own. Became a rogue monkey, in other words.”

“It must have been lonely for you.”

- -