6. Martin 真照顧咱

6. Martin chin chiàu-kò͘ lán

"Góa bô kóng chin iau."

"Lâi chia̍h lah. Lí bē-sái lia̍h hî koh bô chia̍h."

"Góa bat án-ne," lāu lâng kóng, the̍h sin-bûn khiā khí-lâi, kā chih hó. Koh lâi i teh chih thán-á.

"Thán-á moa tio̍h," gín-á kóng. "Chí-iàu góa iáu oa̍h tio̍h, lí tō bē-sái khì lia̍h hî koh bô chia̍h-pn̄g."

"Hó-hó oa̍h--lo̍h-khì, hó-hó chiàu-kò͘ lí ka-tī," lāu lâng kóng. "Lán chia̍h siáⁿ?"

"O͘-tāu chham pn̄g, chìⁿ keng-chio, iáu ū ló͘-chhài."

Gín-á sī iōng nn̄g-chân ê thih piān-tong ùi Terrace the̍h lâi ê. Nn̄g hù ê to-á, chhiám-á, kap thng-sî-á tī i ê lak-tē-á ni̍h, múi chi̍t hù lóng iōng chhan-kin chóa pau tio̍h.

"Che siáng hō͘ lí ê?"

"Martin. Chhan-thiaⁿ láu-pán."

"Góa ài kā soeh-siā."

"Góa kā soeh-siā liáu ah," gín-á kóng. "Lí m̄-bián koh soeh-siā."

"Góa ài hō͘ i tōa hî ê pak-tó͘ bah," lāu lâng kóng. "I put-chí hō͘ lán chi̍t pái hoⁿh?

"Sī ah."

"Nā án-ne, góa ài hō͘ i put-chí pak-tó͘ bah. I chin chiàu-kò͘ lán."

"I koh sàng nn̄g koàn bihlù."

"Góa siōng ài kóng-á bihlù."

"Góa chai. M̄-koh che sī po-lê koàn ê, Hatuey bihlù, koàn-á góa ē the̍h-khì hêng."

"Lí chiâⁿ koai," lāu lâng kóng. "Lán ē-sái chia̍h bōe?"

"Góa it-ti̍t kiò lí lâi chia̍h," gín-á hó-lé kā kóng. "Góa boeh tán-kah lí chún-pī hó, chiah phah khui piān-tong."

"Góa chún-pī hó ah," lāu lâng kóng. "Chhiú sé leh tō hó ah."

Lí tó sé ah? gín-á siūⁿ. Chng ni̍h ê chū-lâi-chúi sī tī kiâⁿ lō͘ kòe nn̄g tiâu ke hia.

Góa ài kā i kōaⁿ kóa chúi lâi, gín-á siūⁿ, iáu ū sap-bûn kap chi̍t tiâu hó ê bīn-kin. Góa mā ài kā chhoân pa̍t niá siatchuh kap kôaⁿ-thiⁿ ê gōa-thò, iáu ū ê-á, koh chi̍t tiâu thán-á.

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6. Martin 真照顧咱

"我無講真 iau."

"來食 lah. 你袂使掠魚 koh 無食."

"我 bat án-ne," 老人講, 提新聞徛起來, kā 摺好. 閣來伊 teh 摺毯仔.

"毯仔幔著," 囡仔講. "只要我猶活著, 你 tō 袂使去掠魚 koh 無食飯."

"好好活落去, 好好照顧你家己," 老人講. "咱食啥?"

"烏豆參飯, chìⁿ 弓蕉, 猶有滷菜."

囡仔是用兩層 ê 鐵便當 ùi Terrace 提來 ê. 兩付 ê 刀仔, chhiám 仔, kap 湯匙仔 tī 伊 ê lak 袋仔 ni̍h, 每一付攏用餐巾紙包著.

"這 siáng 予你 ê?"

"Martin. 餐廳老闆."

"我愛 kā 說謝."

"我 kā 說謝了 ah," 囡仔講. "你毋免 koh 說謝."

"我愛予伊大魚 ê 腹肚肉," 老人講. "伊不只予咱一擺 hoⁿh?

"是 ah."

"若 án-ne, 我愛予伊不只腹肚肉. 伊真照顧咱."

"伊 koh 送兩罐 bihlù."

"我上愛管仔 bihlù."

"我知. 毋過這是玻璃罐 ê, Hatuey bihlù, 罐仔我會提去還."

"你誠乖," 老人講. "咱會使食未?"

"我一直叫你來食," 囡仔好禮 kā 講. "我欲等甲你準備好, 才拍開便當."

"我準備好 ah," 老人講. "手洗 leh tō 好 ah."

你 tó 洗 ah? 囡仔想. 庄 ni̍h ê 自來水是 tī 行路過兩條街遐.

我愛 kā 伊 kōaⁿ 寡水來, 囡仔想, 猶有 sap-bûn kap 一條好 ê 面巾. 我 mā 愛 kā  chhoân 別領 siatchuh kap 寒天 ê 外套, 猶有鞋仔, koh 一條毯仔.

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6.

“I’m not very hungry.”

“Come on and eat. You can’t fish and not eat.”

“I have,” the old man said getting up and taking the newspaper and folding it. Then he started to fold the blanket.

“Keep the blanket around you,” the boy said. “You’ll not fish without eating while I’m alive.”

“Then live a long time and take care of yourself,” the old man said. “What are we eating?”

“Black beans and rice, fried bananas, and some stew.”

The boy had brought them in a two-decker metal container from the Terrace. The two sets of knives and forks and spoons were in his pocket with a paper napkin wrapped around each set.

“Who gave this to you?”

“Martin. The owner.”

“I must thank him.”

“I thanked him already,” the boy said. “You don’t need to thank him.”

“I’ll give him the belly meat of a big fish,” the old man said. “Has he done this for us more than once?”

“I think so.”

“I must give him something more than the belly meat then. He is very thoughtful for us.”

“He sent two beers.”

“I like the beer in cans best.”

“I know. But this is in bottles, Hatuey beer, and I take back the bottles.”

“That’s very kind of you,” the old man said. “Should we eat?”

“I’ve been asking you to,” the boy told him gently. “I have not wished to open the container until you were ready.”

“I’m ready now,” the old man said. “I only needed time to wash.”

Where did you wash? the boy thought. The village water supply was two streets down the road.

I must have water here for him, the boy thought, and soap and a good towel. Why am I so thoughtless? I must get him another shirt and a jacket for the winter and some sort of shoes and another blanket.

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