The Other Wife /by Colette
https://www.101bananas.com/library2/otherwife.html
Lēng-ê bó͘ | 另个某
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1. Yi sī góa ê chêng-bó͘
"Nn̄g-lâng toh? Chia lâi, Sian-siⁿ, Hu-jîn, thang-á piⁿ iáu ū chi̍t-tè toh-á, Hu-jîn hām Sian-siⁿ nā kah-ì khòaⁿ hái-oan hong-kéng."
Alice tòe niá-pan kiâⁿ.
"Oh, sī lah. Marc lí khòaⁿ, che khòaⁿ tio̍h ná-chhiūⁿ chē-chûn tī chúi-téng chia̍h-tàu..."
Yin ang kō͘ chhiú ē-chat kau yi ê, kā lia̍h tio̍h. Khì hia lán ē khah sù-sī."
"Hia? Tī hiah chē lâng ê só͘-chāi? Góa khah siūⁿ boeh..."
"Alice, pài-thok."
I thiau-kò͘-ì kā yi lia̍h khah ân, yi oa̍t kòe-lâi. "Án-nóa sioh?"
"Shh..." i khin-siaⁿ kóng, ná kim-kim khòaⁿ yi, tō kā yi chhōa hiòng tī tiong-ng hit-tè toh-á.
"Án-nóa sioh, Marc?"
"Góa ē kā lí kóng, chhin-ài-ê. Góa seng lâi tiám-chhài. Lí boeh ài hê-á bô? A̍h sī bah-tàng-nn̄g (eggs in aspic)?
"Lí kah-ì siáⁿ lóng ē-sái, lí chai lah."
Nn̄g-lâng hō͘-siong chhiò chi̍t-ē, án-ne lōng-hùi kín-tiuⁿ koh bô-êng chhih-chhit niá-pan ê pó-kùi sî-kan, taⁿ i khiā tī in sin-piⁿ, ná teh lâu-kōaⁿ.
"Hê-á," Marc kóng. "Jiân-āu sī nn̄g hām bacon /bé.kon/. Koh-lâi léng ke-bah lām Romaine salad. Pe̍h chhiz? Lín chhan-thiaⁿ ê te̍k-sek liāu-lí? Goán boeh tiám te̍k-sek liāu-lí. Nn̄g-poe kāu kapi. Góa ê su-ki mā boeh chia̍h-tàu, Kàu nn̄g-tiám, góa tō boeh lī-khui. Ū lingò-chiú bô? Mài, góa bô sìn-jīm he... Chió-tiⁿ ê shampén (champagne)."
I thó͘ chi̍t-kháu khùi, bē-su tú poaⁿ chi̍t-chō saⁿ-kūi, ba̍k-chiu lia̍h tiong-tàu bô sek ê hái khòaⁿ, lia̍h chin-chu pe̍h ê thiⁿ khòaⁿ, jiân-āu khòaⁿ in bó͘, yi tì chi̍t-téng kòa tōa-hêng tiàu-se ê sè chúi-gîn bō (Mercury hat), chiâⁿ khó-ài.
"Lí khòaⁿ khí-lâi chiâⁿ chán, chhin-ài-ê. Che nâ-sek ê chúi hō͘ lí ê ba̍k-chiu khòaⁿ tio̍h chheⁿ lin-lin, lí siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi! Chū-chiông lí-hêng í-lâi, lí í-keng ū khah tōa-kho͘ ah... Án-ne kàu chi̍t-ê thêng-tō͘ bē bái, m̄-koh kan-ta kàu chi̍t-ê thêng-tō͘ niā-niā!"
Yi àⁿ hiòng toh-téng ê sî, hit nn̄g-lia̍p kiat-si̍t, îⁿ kùn-kùn ê leng thêng-thêng thèⁿ koân.
"Lí ná m̄-khéng góa khì chiàm hit-ê óa thang-á ê ūi?"
Marc Seguy m̄-bat siūⁿ boeh pe̍h-chhat. "In-ūi lí tú-chiah boeh chē khì chi̍t-ê góa bat ê lâng keh-piah."
"Góa m̄ bat ê lâng?"
"Góa ê chêng-bó͘."
Yi m̄-chai kóng siáⁿ hó, ba̍k-chiu tián tōa-tōa.
"Án-ne iū án-chóaⁿ, chhin-ài-ê? Í-āu mā ē koh tú-tio̍h. Che bô tiōng-iàu."
Alice lo̍h-bóe án-ne ìn, koh chiap-sio̍k mn̄g i chi̍t-kōaⁿ būn-tê. "Yi ū khòaⁿ tio̍h lí bô? Yi ū khòaⁿ-e lí teh khòaⁿ yi bô? Lí ē-sái kí yi hō͘ góa khòaⁿ bô?"
"Taⁿ seng mài khòaⁿ, pài-thok, yi tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī teh siòng lán... Hit-ê chang-sek thâu-chang ê lú-sū, bô tì bō-á, yi tiāⁿ-tio̍h sī tòa tī chit-keng hotel. Yi ka-tī chi̍t-ê, tī hiah-ê chhēng âng-saⁿ ê gín-á āu-bīn..."
"Sī, góa chai."
Bih tī chi̍t-kóa khoah-piⁿ hái-than bō āu-bīn, Alice ē-tàng khòaⁿ tio̍h hit-ê cha-bó͘, hit-lâng 15 kò goe̍h chêng iáu sī in ang ê bó͘.
"Bē ha̍h," Marc kóng. "Oh, góa sī kóng... goán oân-choân bē ha̍h! Goán ná ū kàu-ióng ê lâng án-ne lī-hun, tiām-tiām koh chin sìn-sok. Āu-lâi, góa ài tio̍h lí, lí mā chin-chiàⁿ siūⁿ boeh hām góa tâng-chê hēng-hok. Lán chiâⁿ hó-ūn, lán ê hēng-hok bô khan-sia̍p jīm-hô pa̍t-lâng ê chōe-kò a̍h siong-hāi!"
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1. 她是我 ê 前某
"兩人桌? 遮來, 先生, 夫人, 窗仔邊猶有一塊桌仔, 夫人和先生若佮意看海灣風景."
Alice 綴領班行.
"Oh, 是 lah. Marc 你看, 這看著 ná 像坐船 tī 水頂食晝..."
姻翁 kō͘ 手下節勾她 ê, kā 掠著. 去遐咱會較四序."
"遐? Tī hiah 濟人 ê 所在? 我較想欲..."
"Alice, 拜託."
伊刁故意 kā 她掠較絚, 她越過來. "按怎 sioh?"
"Shh..." 伊輕聲講, ná 金金看她, tō kā 她 chhōa 向 tī 中央彼塊桌仔.
"按怎 sioh, Marc?"
"我會 kā 你講, 親愛 ê. 我先來點菜. 你欲愛蝦仔無? A̍h 是肉凍卵 (eggs in aspic)?
"你佮意啥攏會使, 你知 lah."
兩人互相笑一下, án-ne 浪費緊張 koh 無閒 chhih-chhih 領班 ê 寶貴時間, 今伊徛 tī in 身邊, ná teh 流汗.
"蝦仔," Marc 講. "然後是卵和 bacon /bé.kon/. 閣來冷雞肉濫 Romaine salad. 白 chhiz? 恁餐廳 ê 特色料理? 阮欲點特色料理. 兩杯厚 kapi. 我 ê 司機 mā 欲食晝, 到兩點, 我 tō 欲離開. 有 lingò 酒無? 莫, 我無信任 he... 少甜 ê shampén (champagne)."
伊吐一口氣, 袂輸拄搬一座衫櫃, 目睭掠中晝無色 ê 海看, 掠真珠白 ê 天看, 然後看 in 某, 她戴一頂掛大型吊紗 ê 細水銀帽 (Mercury hat), 誠可愛.
"你看起來誠讚, 親愛 ê. 這藍色 ê 水予你 ê 目睭看著青 lin-lin, 你想看覓! 自從旅行以來, 你已經有較大箍 ah... Án-ne 到一个程度袂䆀, 毋過干焦到一个程度 niā-niā!"
她 àⁿ 向桌頂 ê 時, 彼兩粒結實, 圓 kùn-kùn ê 奶騰騰牚懸.
"你那毋肯我去佔彼个倚窗仔 ê 位?"
Marc Seguy 毋捌想欲白賊. "因為你拄才欲坐去一个我捌 ê 人隔壁."
"我毋捌 ê 人?"
"我 ê 前某."
她毋知講啥好, 目睭展大大.
"Án-ne 又按怎, 親愛 ê? 以後 mā 會 koh 拄著. 這無重要."
Alice 落尾 án-ne 應, koh 接續問伊一捾問題. "她有看著你無? 她有看 e 你 teh 看她無? 你會使指她予我看無?"
"今先莫看, 拜託, 她定著是 teh 相咱... 彼个棕色頭鬃 ê 女士, 無戴帽仔, 她定著是蹛 tī 這間 hotel. 她家治一个, tī hiah-ê 穿紅衫 ê 囡仔後面..."
"是, 我知."
覕 tī 一寡闊邊海灘帽後面, Alice 會當看著彼个查某, 彼人 15 個月前猶是 in 翁 ê 某.
"袂合," Marc 講. "Oh, 我是講... 阮完全袂合! 阮 ná 有教養 ê 人 án-ne 離婚, 恬恬 koh 真迅速. 後來, 我愛著你, 你 mā 真正想欲和我同齊幸福. 咱誠好運, 咱 ê 幸福無牽涉任何別人 ê 罪過 a̍h 傷害!"
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1.
“TABLE FOR TWO? This way, Monsieur, Madame, there is still a table next to the window, if Madame and Monsieur would like a view of the bay.”
Alice followed the maitre d’.
“Oh, yes. Come on, Marc, it’ll be like having lunch on a boat on the water . . .”
Her husband caught her by passing his arm under hers. “We’ll be more comfortable over there.”
“There? In the middle of all those people? I’d much rather . . .”
“Alice, please.”
He tightened his grip in such a meaningful way that she turned around. “What’s the matter?”
“Shh . . .” he said softly, looking at her intently, and led her toward the table in the middle.
“What is it, Marc?”
“I’ll tell you, darling. Let me order lunch first. Would you like the shrimp? Or the eggs in aspic?”
“Whatever you like, you know that.”
They smiled at one another, wasting the precious time of an over-worked maitre d’, stricken with a kind of nervous dance, who was standing next to them, perspiring.
“The shrimp,” said Marc. “Then the eggs and bacon. And the cold chicken with a romaine salad. Fromage blanc? The house specialty? We’ll go with the specialty. Two strong coffees. My chauffeur will be having lunch also, we’ll be leaving again at two o’clock. Some cider? No, I don’t trust it . . . Dry champagne.”
He sighed as if he had just moved an armoire, gazed at the colorless midday sea, at the pearly white sky, then at his wife, whom he found lovely in her little Mercury hat with its large, hanging veil.
“You’re looking well, darling. And all this blue water makes your eyes look green, imagine that! And you’ve put on weight since you’ve been traveling . . . It’s nice up to a point, but only up to a point!”
Her firm, round breasts rose proudly as she leaned over the table.
“Why did you keep me from taking that place next to the window?”
Marc Seguy never considered lying. “Because you were about to sit next to someone I know.”
“Someone I don’t know?”
“My ex-wife.”
She couldn’t think of anything to say and opened her blue eyes wider.
“So what, darling? It’ll happen again. It’s not important.”
The words came back to Alice and she asked, in order, the inevitable questions. “Did she see you? Could she see that you saw her? Will you point her out to me?”
“Don’t look now, please, she must be watching us . . . The lady with brown hair, no hat, she must be staying in this hotel. By herself, behind those children in red . . .”
“Yes I see.”
Hidden behind some broad-brimmed beach hats, Alice was able to look at the woman who, fifteen months ago, had still been her husband’s wife.
“Incompatibility,” Marc said. “Oh, I mean . . . total incompatibility! We divorced like well-bred people, almost like friends, quietly, quickly. And then I fell in love with you, and you really wanted to be happy with me. How lucky we are that our happiness doesn’t involve any guilty parties or victims!”
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