2. Yi éng-oán bē boán-chiok
Hit-ê pe̍h saⁿ cha-bó͘ ê ku̍t-liu siám-kng ê thâu-chang, hoán-siā nâ-sek hái-bīn lâi ê kng tah, taⁿ yi tng-teh pok chi̍t-ki hun, ba̍k-chiu pòaⁿ kheh. Alice oa̍t hiòng yin ang, the̍h chi̍t-kóa hê-á hām butter /ba.tà/, chēng-chēng teh chia̍h. Tiām-chēng chi̍t-ē-á liáu, yi kóng: "Lí ná ē m̄-bat kā góa kóng-khí, yi ê ba̍k-chiu mā sī nâ-sek ê?"
"Hmh, góa m̄-bat siūⁿ-kòe chit-ê būn-tê."
I lia̍h yi chhun hiòng pháng nâ-á ê chhiú chim chi̍t-ē, yi hoaⁿ-hí kah bīn-âng. O͘-bah phòng-phôe ê yi hoān-sè khòaⁿ tio̍h sió-khóa sông-sông, m̄-koh he ē piàn-sek ê nâ ba̍k-chiu, hām he pho-lōng ê kim thâu-mo͘ hō͘ yi khòaⁿ tio̍h oán-jiân chi̍t-ê nńg-chiáⁿ, kám-sèng ê kim-hoat bí-lú. Yi hoat-goān tōa-tōa kám-siā yin ang. Put-ti put-kak tiong-kan, yi kui-sin hián-sī ke̍k-tō͘ hēng-hok ê bêng-hián hûn-jiah.
In chīn-chêng chia̍h koh lim, siang-lâng lóng siūⁿ kóng tùi-hong í-keng bē-kì-tit hit-ê pe̍h-saⁿ cha-bó͘. Put-jî-kò, Alice put-sî chhiò kah siuⁿ tōa siaⁿ, iá Marc khah chù-ì ka-tī ê chu-sè, keng-thâu hiòng āu, thâu-khak chiàⁿ-chhiàⁿ. In tiām-tiām teh tán in ê kapi chiok kú ah. Thâu-khak téng khòaⁿ bē-tio̍h ê ji̍t-thâu sì-sòaⁿ hoán-siā ê kng, ná chhiūⁿ chi̍t-tiâu siám-kng ê hô, tī hái-bīn bān-bān iô-tāng, siám-sih tio̍h chha̍k-ba̍k ê kong-hui.
"Yi iáu tī hia, lí chai lah," Alice khin-siaⁿ kóng.
"Yi hō͘ lí bē chū-chāi sioh? Lí kám siūⁿ boeh ōaⁿ khì pa̍t-ūi lim kapi?"
"Bô, kin-pún bô iàu-kín! Sī yi chiah tio̍h bē chū-chāi! Jî-chhiáⁿ, yi khòaⁿ khí-lâi pèng m̄-sī chin thiòng, lí nā khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h yi..."
"Góa m̄-bián khòaⁿ. Góa chai-iáⁿ yi ê piáu-chêng."
"Oh, yi kòe-khì tō hit-lō khoán ah?"
I ùi phīⁿ-khang bū chi̍t-káng hun, ba̍k-bâi kat-kat. "Hit-lō khoán? M̄-sī. Láu-si̍t kā lí kóng, yi tùi góa pēng bô móa-ì."
"Oh, taⁿ che sī chin ê!"
"Chiâⁿ kám-sim lí hiah-nī sēng góa, chhin-ài-ê... Án-ne chiâⁿ siáu... Lí sī chi̍t-ê thiⁿ-sài... Lí ài góa... Khòaⁿ tio̍h lí ê ba̍k-chiu, góa chiâⁿ kiau-ngō͘. Tio̍h, lí ê ba̍k-chiu... Yi... Góa kan-kan m̄-chai án-chóaⁿ hō͘ yi hoaⁿ-hí, tō sī án-ne. Góa m̄-chai án-chóaⁿ chò hó."
"Yi tō sī pháiⁿ-pháng!"
Alice kho̍k-kho̍k ia̍t khôe-sìⁿ, put-sî ǹg pe̍h-saⁿ cha-bó͘ gán chi̍t-ē, hit-lâng tng-teh pok-hun, thâu-khak khòe tī tîn-í í-phēng, ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh, chi̍t-phài boán-chiok, lán-lán ê piáu-chêng.
Marc khin-khin kā keng-thâu giâ chi̍t-ē.
"He sī chèng-khak ê kóng-hoat," i sêng-jīn. "Lí boeh án-nóa hó ah? Tùi éng-oán bē boán-chiok ê lâng, lí chí-hó kám-kak pháiⁿ-sè... M̄-koh, lán boán-chiok... Kám m̄-sī, chhin-ài-ê?"
Yi bô ìn. Yi thau-thau, siông-sè khòaⁿ yin ang ê bīn, âng-gê, sì-chiàⁿ; khòaⁿ i ōng-ōng ê thâu-chang, chhap-lām chi̍t-ki chi̍t-ki ê pe̍h-si; khòaⁿ i he pó-ióng kah chin hó ê té chhiú; chiah tē-it pái hoâi-gî, án-ne mn̄g yi ka-tī, "Yi tàu-té boeh ùi i koh tit-tio̍h siáⁿ-hòe ah?"
Tán in boeh lī-khui, Marc tng-teh kiat-siàu, tng-teh mn̄g su-ki hām lō͘-sòaⁿ ê sî, yi ti̍t-ti̍t khòaⁿ hit-ê pe̍h-saⁿ cha-bó͘, him-siān koh hòⁿ-kî, chit-lō bē boán-chiok ê, chit-lō pháiⁿ-pháng ê, chit-lō ko-sióng ê...
(Soah)
--
2. 她永遠袂滿足
彼个白衫查某 ê 滑溜閃光 ê 頭鬃, 反射藍色海面來 ê 光 tah, 今她 tng-teh 噗一支薰, 目睭半瞌. Alice 越向姻翁, 提一寡蝦仔和 butter /ba.tà/, 靜靜 teh 食. 恬靜一下仔了, 她講: "你那會毋捌 kā 我講起, 她 ê 目睭 mā 是藍色 ê?"
"Hmh, 我毋捌想過這个問題."
伊掠她伸向 pháng 籃仔 ê 手唚一下, 她歡喜甲面紅. 烏肉膨皮 ê 她凡勢看著小可倯倯, 毋過 he 會變色 ê 藍目睭, 和 he 波浪 ê 金頭毛予她看著宛然一个軟汫, 感性 ê 金髮美女. 她發願大大感謝姻翁. 不知不覺中間, 她規身顯示極度幸福 ê 明顯痕跡.
In 盡情食 koh 啉, 雙人攏想講對方已經袂記得彼个白衫查某. 不而過, Alice 不時笑甲 siuⁿ 大聲, iá Marc 較注意家治 ê 姿勢, 肩頭向後, 頭殼正正. In 恬恬 teh 等 in ê kapi 足久 ah. 頭殼頂看袂著 ê 日頭四散反射 ê 光, ná 像一條閃光 ê 河, tī 海面慢慢搖動, 閃爍著鑿目 ê 光輝.
"她猶 tī 遐, 你知 lah," Alice 輕聲講.
"她予你袂自在 sioh? 你敢想欲換去別位啉 kapi?"
"無, 根本無要緊! 是她才著袂自在! 而且, 她看起來並毋是真暢, 你若看會著她..."
"我毋免看. 我知影她 ê 表情."
"Oh, 她過去 tō 彼號款 ah?"
伊 ùi 鼻空霧一港薰, 目眉 kat-kat. "彼號款? 毋是. 老實 kā 你講, 她對我並無滿意."
"Oh, 今這是真 ê!"
"誠感心你 hiah-nī 倖我, 親愛 ê... Án-ne 誠痟... 你是一个天使... 你愛我... 看著你 ê 目睭, 我誠驕傲. 著, 你 ê 目睭... 她... 我干干毋知按怎予她歡喜, 就是 án-ne. 我毋知按怎做 hó."
"她就是歹紡!"
Alice kho̍k-kho̍k 擛葵扇, 不時 ǹg 白衫查某眼一下, 彼人 tng-teh 噗薰, 頭殼蹶 tī 籐椅 í-phēng, 目睭瞌瞌, 一派滿足, 懶懶 ê 表情.
Marc 輕輕 kā 肩頭夯一下.
"彼是正確 ê 講法," 伊承認. "你欲按怎好 ah? 對永遠袂滿足 ê 人, 你只好感覺歹勢... 毋過, 咱滿足... 敢毋是, 親愛 ê?"
她無應. 她偷偷, 詳細看姻翁 ê 面, 紅牙, 四正; 看伊旺旺 ê 頭鬃, 插濫一支一支 ê 白絲; 看伊 he 保養甲真好 ê 短手; 才第一擺懷疑, án-ne 問她家治, "她到底欲 ùi 伊 koh 得著啥貨 ah?"
等 in 欲離開, Marc tng-teh 結數, tng-teh 問司機和路線 ê 時, 她直直看彼个白衫查某, 欣羨 koh 好奇, chit-lō 袂滿足 ê, chit-lō 歹紡 ê, chit-lō 高尚 ê...
(煞)
--
2.
The woman in white, whose smooth, lustrous hair reflected the light from the sea in azure patches, was smoking a cigarette with her eyes half closed. Alice turned back toward her husband, took some shrimp and butter, and ate calmly. After a moment’s silence she asked: “Why didn’t you ever tell me that she had blue eyes, too?”
“Well, I never thought about it!”
He kissed the hand she was extending toward the bread basket and she blushed with pleasure. Dusky and ample, she might have seemed somewhat coarse, but the changeable blue of her eyes and her wavy, golden hair made her look like a frail and sentimental blonde. She vowed overwhelming gratitude to her husband. Immodest without knowing it, everything about her bore the overly conspicuous marks of extreme happiness.
They ate and drank heartily, and each thought the other had forgotten the woman in white. Now and then, however, Alice laughed too loudly, and Marc was careful about his posture, holding his shoulders back, his head up. They waited quite a long time for their coffee, in silence. An incandescent river, the straggled reflection of the invisible sun overhead, shifted slowly across the sea and shone with a blinding brilliance.
“She’s still there, you know,” Alice whispered.
“Is she making you uncomfortable? Would you like to have coffee somewhere else?”
“No, not at all! She’s the one who must be uncomfortable! Besides, she doesn’t exactly seem to be having a wild time, if you could see her . . .”
“I don’t have to. I know that look of hers.”
“Oh, was she like that?”
He exhaled his cigarette smoke through his nostrils and knitted his eyebrows. “Like that? No. To tell you honestly, she wasn’t happy with me.”
“Oh, really now!”
“The way you indulge me is so charming, darling . . . It’s crazy . . . You’re an angel . . . You love me . . . I’m so proud when I see those eyes of yours. Yes, those eyes . . . She . . . I just didn’t know how to make her happy, that’s all. I didn’t know how.”
“She’s just difficult!”
Alice fanned herself irritably, and cast brief glances at the woman in white, who was smoking, her head resting against the back of the cane chair, her eyes closed with an air of satisfied lassitude.
Marc shrugged his shoulders modestly.
“That’s the right word,” he admitted. “What can you do? You have to feel sorry for people who are never satisfied. But we’re satisfied . . . Aren’t we, darling?”
She did not answer. She was looking furtively, and closely, at her husband’s face, ruddy and regular; at his thick hair, threaded here and there with white silk; at his short, well-cared-for hands; and doubtful for the first time, she asked herself, “What more did she want from him?”
And as they were leaving, while Marc was paying the bill and asking for the chauffeur and about the route, she kept looking, with envy and curiosity, at the woman in white, this dissatisfied, this difficult, this superior . . .
--
//2022-2-27
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