5. 老人坐 tī 椅仔睏去

5. Lāu lâng chē tī í-á khùn--khì

"Ài tùi Yankees /iang.kis/ ū sìn-sim, koai gín-á. Siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi, in ū DiMaggio /di.ma.gio/."

"Góa kiaⁿ Detroit /di.troit/ ê Tigers /tai-gers/ kap Cleveland /klev-land/ ê Indians."

"Ài chim-chiok, nā bô, lí liân Cinsinnati /sin.sin.na.ti/ ê Reds kap Chicago /chi.ka.go/ ê White Sax /oait.saks/ mā tio̍h kiaⁿ."

"Lí hó-hó gián-kiù, tán góa tńg lâi kā góa kóng."

"Lán ài bé chi̍t tiuⁿ bóe-liu sī peh-cha̍p gō͘ ê chhái-kǹg bô? Bîn-á-chài sī tē peh-cha̍p gō͘ kang."

"Góa lâi khì bé," gín-á kóng. "M̄-koh, chiàu lí ê kì-lo̍k, bé peh-cha̍p chhit, án-chóaⁿ?"

"Hó-ūn bô nn̄g-kái. Lí ē chhōe tio̍h peh-cha̍p gō͘?"

"Góa ē-sái kā tēng."

"Chi̍t tiuⁿ nn̄g kho͘ pòaⁿ. Boeh kā siáng chioh?"

"Kán-tan. Góa ē-tàng chioh tio̍h nn̄g kho͘ pòaⁿ."

"Góa mā ē-sái. M̄-koh chīn-liōng mài chioh-chîⁿ. Tú khai-sí kâng chioh, lo̍h-bóe tō chò khit-chia̍h kâng pun."

"Ài kò͘ hō͘ sio, lāu-ê," gín-á kóng. "Lán í-keng sī káu-goe̍h lah."

"Káu-goe̍h tōa hî lâi," lāu lâng kóng. "Gō͘-goe̍h lâng-lâng lóng ē-hiáu lia̍h hî."

"Góa taⁿ khì lia̍h un-á." gín-á kóng.

Gín-á tńg lâi ê sî, lāu lâng chē tī í-á khùn khì, ji̍t-thâu í-keng lo̍h. Gín-á ùi bîn-chhn̂g the̍h kū kun-thán, khàm tī í-pōe, moa tī lāu lâng ê keng-kah-thâu. I ê keng-kah-thâu chin te̍k-pia̍t, sui-jiân ū hòe ah, iáu sī chin ū-la̍t, i ê ām-kún mā chin chho͘-ióng, téng bīn ê jiâu-hûn bô chin bêng-hián, in-ūi lāu lâng khùn-khì ê thâu tìm tī thâu-chêng. I chhēng ê siatchuh pó͘ liáu koh pó͘, tō ná i chûn ê pò͘-phâng, pó͘-kòe ê ūi hō͘ ji̍t pha̍k-kah thè-sek, ū chhim ū chhián. Lāu lâng ê thâu-bīn í-keng jiâu-phè-phè, ba̍k-chiu kheh-kheh, bīn bô piáu-chêng. Sin-bûn khǹg tī kha-thâu-u, chhiú ah tī téng-bīn, bô hō͘ àm-hong kā chhoe cháu. I chhiah-kha.

Gín-á tiām-tiām lī-khui, koh tńg-lâi ê sî, lāu lâng iáu teh khùn.

"Khí-lâi loh, lāu-ê," gín-á kā kiò, chhiú tah tī lāu lâng ê chi̍t ê kha-thâu-u téng-koân.

Lāu lâng ba̍k-chiu peh-kim, kòe chi̍t chūn chiah ùi hn̄g-hn̄g ê bāngni̍h chhíⁿ lâi.

Án-ne, i chhiò-chhiò.

"Lí the̍h siáⁿ lâi?" i mn̄g.

"Àm-tǹg," gín-á kóng. "Lán lâi chia̍h àm-tǹg."

--

5. 老人坐 tī 椅仔睏去

"愛對 Yankees /iang.kis/ 有信心, 乖囡仔. 想看覓, in 有 DiMaggio /di.ma.gio/."

"我驚 Detroit /di.troit/ ê Tigers /tai.gers/ kap Cleveland /kliv.land/ ê Indians."

"愛斟酌, 若無, 你連 Cinsinnati /sin.sin.na.ti/ ê Reds kap Chicago /chi.ka.go/ ê White Sax /oait.saks/ mā 著驚."

"你好好研究, 等我轉來 kā 我講."

"咱愛買一張尾溜是八十五 ê 彩券無? 明仔載是第八十五工."

"我來去買," 囡仔講. "毋過, 照你 ê 記錄, 買八十七, 按怎?"

"好運無兩改. 你會揣著八十五?"

"我會使 kā 訂."

"一張兩箍半. 欲 kā siáng 借?"

"簡單. 我會當借著兩箍半."

"我 mā 會使. 毋過盡量莫借錢. 拄開始 kâng 借, 落尾 tō 做乞食 kâng 分."

"愛顧予燒, 老 ê," 囡仔講. "咱已經是九月 lah."

"九月大魚來," 老人講. "五月人人攏會曉掠魚."

"我今去掠鰮仔." 囡仔講.

囡仔轉來 ê 時, 老人坐 tī 椅仔睏去, 日頭已經落. 囡仔 ùi 眠床提舊軍毯, khàm tī 椅背, 幔 tī 老人 ê 肩胛頭. 伊 ê 肩胛頭真特別, 雖然有歲 ah, 猶是真有力, 伊 ê ām-kún mā 真粗勇, 頂面 ê 皺痕無真明顯, 因為老人睏去 ê 頭 tìm tī 頭前. 伊穿 ê siatchuh 補了 koh 補, tō ná 伊船 ê 布帆, 補過 ê 位予日曝甲退色, 有深有淺. 老人 ê 頭面已經皺 phè-phè, 目睭瞌瞌, 面無表情. 新聞囥 tī 跤頭趺, 手壓 tī 頂面, 無予暗風 kā 吹走. 伊赤跤.

囡仔恬恬離開, koh 轉來 ê 時, 老人猶 teh 睏.

"起來 loh, 老 ê," 囡仔 kā 叫, 手搭 tī 老人 ê 一个跤頭趺頂面.

老人目睭 peh 金, 過一陣才 ùi 遠遠 ê 夢 ni̍h 醒來.

Án-ne, 伊笑笑.

"你提啥來?" 伊問.

"暗頓," 囡仔講. "咱來食暗頓."

--

5.

“Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio.”

“I fear both the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland.”

“Be careful or you will fear even the Reds of Cincinnati and the White Sax of Chicago.”

“You study it and tell me when I come back.”

“Do you think we should buy a terminal of the lottery with an eighty-five? Tomorrow is the eighty-fifth day.”

“We can do that,” the boy said. “But what about the eighty-seven of your great record?”

“It could not happen twice. Do you think you can find an eighty-five?”

“I can order one.

“One sheet. That’s two dollars and a half. Who can we borrow that from?”

“That’s easy. I can always borrow two dollars and a half.”

“I think perhaps I can too. But I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg.”

“Keep warm old man,” the boy said. “Remember we are in September.”

“The month when the great fish come,” the old man said. “Anyone can be a fisherman in May.”

“I go now for the sardines,” the boy said.

When the boy came back the old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down. The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders. They were strange shoulders, still powerful although very old, and the neck was still strong too and the creases did not show so much when the old man was asleep and his head fallen forward. His shirt had been patched so many times that it was like the sail and the patches were faded to many different shades by the sun. The old man’s head was very old though and with his eyes closed there was no life in his face. The newspaper lay across his knees and the weight of his arm held it there in the evening breeze. He was barefooted.

The boy left him there and when he came back the old man was still asleep.

“Wake up old man,” the boy said and put his hand on one of the old man’s knees.

The old man opened his eyes and for a moment he was coming back from a long way away.

Then he smiled.

“What have you got?” he asked.

“Supper,” said the boy. “We’re going to have supper.”

--