9. 今仔日我有信心

9. Kin-á-ji̍t góa ū sìn-sim

Gín-á tòa ê chhù mn̂g bô só, i khui mn̂g, chhiah-kha chēng-chēng kiâⁿ ji̍p khì. Gín-á khùn tī tē-it keng ê sió-chhn̂g, boeh lo̍h ê goe̍h chiò ji̍p-lâi ê kng, hō͘ i khòaⁿ-kah chin chheng-chhó. I khin-khin-á hōaⁿ gín-á ê chi̍t ki kha, hōaⁿ-kah gín-á chhíⁿ lâi, oa̍t thâu kā khòaⁿ. Lāu lâng tìm thâu, gín-á the̍h chhn̂g piⁿ í-á téng ê tn̂g-khò͘, chē tī bîn-chhn̂g kā khò͘ chhēng khí-lâi.

Lāu lâng kiâⁿ chhut mn̂g, gín-á tòe āu-piah. I iáu ài-khùn, lāu lâng iōng chhiú phoa̍h tī i ê keng-thâu, kóng, "Pháiⁿ-sè oh."

"Bô lah," gín-á kóng. "Lâm-chú-hàn tio̍h án-ne."

In kiâⁿ-lō͘ lo̍h-kiā khì lāu lâng ê liâu-á, iân-lō͘ tú tio̍h kúi nā ê chhiah-kha ê cha-po͘ lâng, giâ tio̍h in ê chûn-ûi, tī o͘-àm tiong kiâⁿ.

In kàu lāu lâng ê liâu-á liáu, gín-á the̍h khǹg tī nâ-á té ê soh-á, kap the̍h hî-chhiuⁿ hām hî-kau-á, lāu lâng iōng keng-thâu giâ chûn ê ûi-koaiⁿ liâm kńg tio̍h ê pò͘-phâng.

"Lí boeh ka-pi bô?" gín-á mn̄g.

"Mi̍h-kiāⁿ khǹg chûn-té liáu, lán chiah khì lim."

In tī thàu-chá bē hō͘ thó-hái-lâng ê só͘-chāi, lim iōng liān-leng koàn-á té ê ka-pi.

"Lí khùn liáu hó bô, lāu--ê?" gín-á mn̄g. I taⁿ bān-bān-á chhéⁿ ah, sui-jiân iáu chiâⁿ ài-khùn.

"Khùn liáu chin hó, Manolin," lāu lâng kóng. "Kin-á-ji̍t góa ū sìn-sim."

"Góa mā sī," gín-á kóng. "Taⁿ góa ài khì the̍h lán ê un-á hî hām lí ê hî-jī. Goán thâu--ê ka-tī the̍h ke-si. I m̄-bat kiò lâng tàu-the̍h."

"Góa kap i bô kāng," lāu lâng kóng. "lí gō͘ hòe ê sî, góa tō hō͘ lí the̍h mi̍h-kiāⁿ."

"Góa chai," gín-á kóng. "Góa liâm-mi tńg-lâi. Lí koh lim chi̍t poe ka-pi. Goán tī chia ē-sái kì-siàu,"

I kiâⁿ-khui, chhiah-kha ta̍h soan-ô͘ chio̍h, khì peng-tiàm the̍h khǹg tī hia ê hî-jī.

Lāu lâng bān-bān-á lim ka-pi. I chai che sī kui-kang ê gia̍h, tō ài lim. Chin kú í-lâi, i hiâm chia̍h-pn̄g mâ-hoân, lóng bô chah piān-tong. I tī chûn-thâu khǹg chi̍t koàn chúi, ū kàu chi̍t kang iōng.

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9. 今仔日我有信心

囡仔 tòa ê 厝門無鎖, 伊開門, 赤跤靜靜行入去. 囡仔睏 tī 第一間 ê 小床, 欲落 ê 月照入來 ê 光, 予伊看甲真清楚. 伊輕輕仔 hōaⁿ 囝仔 ê 一支跤, hōaⁿ 甲囡仔醒來, 越頭 kā 看. 老人 tìm 頭, 囡仔提床邊椅仔頂 ê 長褲, 坐 tī 眠床 kā 褲穿起來.

老人行出門, 囡仔綴後壁. 伊猶愛睏, 老人用手袚 tī 伊 ê 肩頭, 講, "歹勢 oh."

"無 lah," 囡仔講. "男子漢著 án-ne."

In 行路落崎去老人 ê 寮仔, 沿路拄著幾若个赤跤 ê 查埔人, 夯著 in ê 船桅, tī 烏暗中行.

In 到老人 ê 寮仔了, 囡仔提囥 tī 籃仔底 ê 索仔, kap 提魚槍和魚鉤仔, 老人用肩頭夯船 ê 桅杆連捲著 ê 布帆.

"你欲咖啡無?" 囡仔問.

"物件囥船底了, 咱才去啉."

In tī 透早賣予討海人 ê 所在, 啉用煉奶罐仔貯 ê 咖啡.

"你睏了好無, 老 ê?" 囡仔問. 伊今慢慢仔醒 ah, 雖然猶誠愛睏.

"睏了真好, Manolin," 老人講. "今仔日我有信心."

"我 mā 是," 囡仔講. "今我愛去提咱 ê 鰮仔魚和你 ê 魚餌. 阮頭 ê 家己提家私. 伊毋 bat 叫人鬥提."

"我 kap 伊無仝," 老人講. "你五歲 ê 時, 我 tō 予你提物件."

"我知," 囡仔講. "我 liâm-mi 轉來. 你 koh 啉一杯咖啡. 阮 tī 遮會使記數,"

伊行開, 赤跤踏珊瑚石, 去冰店提囥 tī 遐 ê 魚餌.

老人慢慢仔啉咖啡. 伊知這是規工 ê 額, tō 愛啉. 真久以來, 伊嫌食飯麻煩, 攏無扎便當. 伊 tī 船頭囥一罐水, 有夠一工用.

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9.

The door of the house where the boy lived was unlocked and he opened it and walked in quietly with his bare feet. The boy was asleep on a cot in the first room and the old man could see him clearly with the light that came in from the dying moon. He took hold of one foot gently and held it until the boy woke and turned and looked at him. The old man nodded and the boy took his trousers from the chair by the bed and, sitting on the bed, pulled them on.

The old man went out the door and the boy came after him. He was sleepy and the old man put his arm across his shoulders and said, “I am sorry.”

“Qua Va,” the boy said. “It is what a man must do.”

They walked down the road to the old man’s shack and all along the road, in the dark, barefoot men were moving, carrying the masts of their boats.

When they reached the old man’s shack the boy took the rolls of line in the basket and the harpoon and gaff and the old man carried the mast with the furled sail on his shoulder.

“Do you want coffee?” the boy asked.

“We’ll put the gear in the boat and then get some.”

They had coffee from condensed milk cans at an early morning place that served fishermen.

“How did you sleep old man?” the boy asked. He was waking up now although it was still hard for him to leave his sleep.

“Very well, Manolin,” the old man said. “I feel confident today.”

“So do I,” the boy said. “Now I must get your sardines and mine and your fresh baits. He brings our gear himself. He never wants anyone to carry anything.”

“We’re different,” the old man said. “I let you carry things when you were five years old.”

“I know it,” the boy said. “I’ll be right back. Have another coffee. We have credit here.” 

He walked off, bare-footed on the coral rocks, to the ice house where the baits were stored. 

The old man drank his coffee slowly. It was all he would have all day and he knew that he should take it. For a long time now eating had bored him and he never carried a lunch. He had a bottle of water in the bow of the skiff and that was all he needed for the day.

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