Lather and Nothing Else /by Hernando Tellez
http://mrquarrie.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/1/0/10102453/just_lather_thats_all.pdf
Kan-ta Sap-bûn Pho | 干焦雪文泡
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1. Taⁿ i tī góa ê chhiú tiong
I tiām-tiām ji̍p-lâi. Góa tng-teh hoah góa siōng-hó ê thì-thâu-to. Tán góa jīn chhut sī i, góa khai-sí phi̍h-phi̍h chhoah. M̄-koh, i bô chù-ì tio̍h. Ūi-tio̍h am-khàm góa ê kín-tiuⁿ, góa kè-sio̍k bôa-to. Góa kō͘ tōa-pû-ong bóe chhì to-chhùi, koh the̍h hiòng teng-kng khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē.
Kāng chit-sî, i pak-khui liân chhiú-chhèng phôe-thò ê chhèng-chí phôe-tòa. I kā kòa tī saⁿ-kūi ê chi̍t-ê kau-á, koh tī téng-bīn kòa i ê bō-á. Jiân-āu, i oa̍t-sin hiòng góa, ná pàng lēng nekutái ná kóng, "Joa̍h kah boeh sí, góa boeh siu-bīn." Chū án-ne, i chē lo̍h-lâi. Góa kó͘-kè, i ê chhùi-chhiu ū sì-kang bô siu, hit sì-kang i chhut-tōng khì chhau goán ê lâng. I ê bīn hō͘ ji̍t-thâu pha̍k kah âng-âng.
Góa khai-sí sió-sim khoán siu-bīn ê sap-bûn pho. Góa ùi tōa-tè sap-bûn lio kúi sió phìⁿ, kā khǹg ji̍p hûi-poe, jiân-āu ke kóa un chúi, kō͘ chhéng-á kā lā-lā leh. Chin kín, pho tō giâ khí-lâi. "Pō͘-tūi hiaⁿ-tī ê chhùi-chhiu tiāⁿ-tio̍h hām góa pêⁿ hô͘." Góa kè-sio̍k lā sap-bûn pho. "M̄-koh, goán chò liáu bē-bái, lí chai lah. Goán lia̍h tio̍h chi̍t-kóa chhōa-thâu-ê. Ū-ê tńg-lâi í-keng sī sin-si; kî-thaⁿ ê iáu oa̍h tio̍h. M̄-koh, in chin kín mā tio̍h sí."
"Lín lia̍h gōa chē?" góa mn̄g.
"Cha̍p-sì ê. Goán tio̍h cháu hn̄g-hn̄g chiah chhōe tio̍h in. M̄-koh, taⁿ in tio̍h hù tāi-kè ah. Bô-lâng cháu ē lī; chi̍t-ê to bô."
Tán i khòaⁿ góa chhiú nih kō móa sap-bûn pho ê sap-bûn-ùn, i tō hiàⁿ hiòng í-á āu. Góa iáu-bōe kā moa pò͘-kin. Góa tong-jiân sī sim-sîn bē tiāⁿ. Ùi thoah-á the̍h chi̍t-tiâu pò͘-kin, góa kā kat tī kò͘-kheh ê ām-kún.
I kè-sio̍k kóng-ōe. Chin bêng-hián, i jīn-tēng góa sī khiā tī hiān-chāi chèng-hú chit-pêng.
"Téng-kang hoat-seng ê tāi-chì tiāⁿ-tio̍h hō͘ peh-sèⁿ kiaⁿ tio̍h," i kóng.
"Sī lah," góa ná ìn, ná kat hó i ām-kún āu ê kat, he ām-kún ū chhàu kōaⁿ-sng bī.
"Chin hó ê tián-sī, kám m̄-sī?"
"Chiâⁿ hó," góa hôe-tap, chit-sî góa kā chù-ì-le̍k sóa kàu góa ê sap-bûn-ùn. Hit-lâng thiám-thiám, kā ba̍k-chiu kheh khí-lâi, tán boeh boah liâng-liâng ê sap-bûn pho. Góa kòe-khì m̄-bat chhiūⁿ taⁿ hiah-nī chiap-kīn i. I bēng-lēng ta̍k-ê pâi-tūi khì hāu-tiâⁿ khòaⁿ tiàu tī hia ê hoán-khòng hūn-chú hit-kang, góa kiâⁿ tī lō͘ nih ū té-chām tú tio̍h i. M̄-koh, khòaⁿ tio̍h hiah-ê put-choân ê sin-si, góa soah bô chù-ì hit-ê chí-hui it-chhè ê lâng ê bīn, taⁿ i tī góa ê chhiú-tiong.
Chit-ê bīn tong-jiân m̄-sī pháiⁿ bīn-chhiuⁿ. Chhùi-chhiu sui-bóng hō͘ i khòaⁿ tio̍h khah lāu, m̄-koh mā seⁿ-chò bē-bái-khòaⁿ. I ê miâ hō-chò Torres. Torres Tūi-tiúⁿ.
Góa khai-sí kā boah tē-it iân sap-bûn pho. I ê ba̍k-chiu it-ti̍t kheh-kheh.
"Góa siūⁿ boeh sió lìm chi̍t-ē," i kóng, "e-àm iáu ū chē-chē tāi-chì ài chò."
Góa gia̍h khí sap-bûn-ùn, ké-kúi bô koan-sim, mn̄g: "Chhèng-koat sió-tūi?"
"Chha-put-to lah," i ìn, "m̄-koh, sī khah bān ê."
"Só͘-ū ê lâng?"
"M̄-sī, kan-ta kúi-ê."
Góa kè-sio̍k kā i ê bīn boah sap-bûn pho. Góa ê chhiú iū-koh teh chun. Hit-lâng bô khó-lêng chù-ì tio̍h che, chiâⁿ ka-chài. M̄-koh, góa hi-bōng i chū-pún bô ji̍p-lâi. Hoān-sè goán ê lâng chin-chē ū khòaⁿ-e i ji̍p góa ê tiàm. Te̍k-jîn lâi-kàu goán chhù, góa kám-kak ū bó͘-chióng chek-jīm.
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1. 今伊 tī 我 ê 手中
伊恬恬入來. 我 tng-teh 砉我上好 ê 剃頭刀. 等我認出是伊, 我開始咇咇掣. 毋過, 伊無注意著. 為著掩崁我 ê 緊張, 我繼續磨刀. 我 kō͘ 大垺翁尾試刀喙, koh 提向燈光看一下.
仝這時, 伊剝開連手銃皮套 ê 銃子皮帶. 伊 kā 掛 tī 衫櫃 ê 一个勾仔, koh tī 頂面掛伊 ê 帽仔. 然後, 伊越身向我, ná 放冗 nekutái ná 講, "熱甲欲死, 我欲修面." 自 án-ne, 伊坐落來. 我估計, 伊 ê 喙鬚有四工無修, hit 四工伊出動去操阮 ê 人. 伊 ê 面予日頭曝甲紅紅.
我開始小心款修面 ê 雪文泡. 我 ùi 大塊雪文 lio 幾小片, kā 囥入瓷盃, 然後加寡溫水, kō͘ 筅仔 kā 抐抐 leh. 真緊, 泡 tō 夯起來. "部隊兄弟 ê 喙鬚定著和我平胡." 我繼續抐雪文泡. "毋過, 阮做了袂䆀, 你知 lah. 阮掠著一寡 chhōa 頭 ê. 有 ê 轉來已經是身屍; 其他 ê 猶活著. 毋過, in 真緊 mā 著死."
"恁掠偌濟?" 我問.
"十四个. 阮著走遠遠才揣著 in. 毋過, 今 in 著付代價 ah. 無人走會離; 一个 to 無."
等伊看我手 nih 滒滿雪文泡 ê 雪文搵, 伊 tō hiàⁿ 向椅仔後. 我猶未 kā 幔布巾. 我當然是心神袂定. Ùi 屜仔提一條布巾, 我 kā 結 tī 顧客 ê 頷頸.
伊繼續講話. 真明顯, 伊認定我是徛 tī 現在政府這爿.
"頂工發生 ê 代誌定著予百姓驚著," 伊講.
"是 lah," 我 ná 應, ná 結好伊頷頸後 ê 結, he 頷頸有臭汗酸味.
"真好 ê 展示, 敢毋是?"
"誠好," 我回答, 這時我 kā 注意力徙到我 ê 雪文搵. 彼人忝忝, kā 目睭瞌起來, 等欲抹涼涼 ê 雪文泡. 我過去毋捌像今 hiah-nī 接近伊. 伊命令逐个排隊去校埕看吊 tī 遐 ê 反抗份子彼工, 我行 tī 路 nih 有短站拄著伊. 毋過, 看著 hiah-ê 不全 ê 身屍, 我煞無注意彼个指揮一切 ê 人 ê 面, 今伊 tī 我 ê 手中.
這个面當然毋是歹面腔. 喙鬚雖罔予伊看著較老, 毋過 mā 生做袂䆀看. 伊 ê 名號做 Torres. Torres 隊長.
我開始 kā 抹第一沿雪文泡. 伊 ê 目睭一直瞌瞌.
"我想欲小 lìm 一下," 伊講, "下暗猶有濟濟代誌愛做."
我攑起雪文搵, 假鬼無關心, 問: "銃決小隊?"
"差不多 lah," 伊應, "毋過, 是較慢 ê."
"所有 ê 人?"
"毋是, 干焦幾个."
我繼續 kā 伊 ê 面抹雪文泡. 我 ê 手又閣 teh chun. 彼人無可能注意著這, 誠佳哉. 毋過, 我希望伊自本無入來. 凡勢阮 ê 人真濟有看 e 伊入我 ê 店. 敵人來到阮厝, 我感覺有某種責任.
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1.
He came in without a word. I was stropping my best razor. And when I recognized him, I started to shake. But he did not notice. To cover my nervousness, I went on honing the razor. I tried the edge with the tip of my thumb and took another look at it against the light.
Meanwhile he was taking off his cartridge-studded belt with the pistol holster suspended from it. He put it on a hook in the wardrobe and hung his cap above it. Then he turned full around toward me and, loosening his tie, remarked, “It’s hot as the devil, I want a shave.” With that he took his seat. I estimated he had a fourdays’ growth of beard, the four days he had been gone on the last foray after our men. His face looked burnt, tanned by the sun.
I started to work carefully on the shaving soap. I scraped some slices from the cake, dropped them into the mug, then added a little lukewarm water, and stirred with the brush. The lather soon began to rise.“The fellows in the troop must have just about as much beard as I.” I went on stirring up lather. “But we did very well, you know. We caught the leaders. Some of them we brought back dead; others are still alive. But they’ll all be dead soon.”
“How many did you take?” I asked.
“Fourteen. We had to go pretty far in to find them. But now they’re paying for it. And not one will escape; not a single one.”
He leaned back in the chair when he saw the brush in my hand, full of lather. I had not yet put the sheet on him. I was certainly flustered. Taking a sheet from the drawer, I tied it around my customer’s neck.
He went on talking. He evidently took it for granted that I was on the side of the existing regime.
“The people must have gotten a scare with what happened the other day,” he said.
“Yes,” I replied, as I finished tying the knot against his nape, which smelt of sweat.
“Good show, wasn’t it?”
“Very good,” I answered, turning my attention now to the brush. The man closed his eyes wearily and awaited the cool caress of the lather. I had never had him so close before. The day he ordered the people to file through the schoolyard to look upon the four rebels hanging there, my path had crossed his briefly. But the sight of those mutilated bodies kept me from paying attention to the face of the man who had been directing it all and whom I now had in my hands.
It was not a disagreeable face, certainly. And the beard, which aged him a bit, was not unbecoming. His name was Torres. Captain Torres.
I started to lay on the first coat of lather. He kept his eyes closed.
“I would love to catch a nap,” he said, “but there’s a lot to be done this evening.”
I lifted the brush and asked, with pretended indifference: “A firing party?”
“Something of the sort,” he replied, “but slower.”
“All of them?”
“No, just a few.”
I went on lathering his face. My hands began to tremble again. The man could not be aware of this, which was lucky for me. But I wished he had not come in. Probably many of our men had seen him enter the shop. And with the enemy in my house I felt a certain responsibility.
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