21. 我愛來食串仔

21. Góa ài lâi chia̍h chhǹg-á

Soh-á ê tāng-liōng ōaⁿ-khì tò-keng, sió-sim kūi leh, i tī hái ni̍h sé chhiú, kā chhiú chìm tī hia hun-gōa-cheng, khòaⁿ he hoeh lâu khì, chûn kiâⁿ ê sî ún-tēng lâu hiàng-āu ê chúi, chhiâng tio̍h i ê chhiú.

"I bān--lo̍h-lâi ah," i kóng.

Lāu lâng pún siūⁿ boeh hō͘ chhiú chìm hái-chúi khah kú leh, m̄-koh i kiaⁿ hî koh chhoah, tō khiā--khí-lâi, khiā-chāi-chāi, hō͘ chhiú pha̍k ji̍t-thâu. Che chí-sī soh-á chhè-siong, tú-hó tī chhiú ài tāng-tio̍h ê só͘-chāi. I chai, tāi-chì bōe-soah í-chêng bô chhiú bē-sái, i m̄-ài bōe-chêng khai-sí, chhiú seng siū-siong.

"Taⁿ," tán chhiú ta, i kóng, "góa ài lâi chia̍h chhǹg-á. Góa ē-sái iōng hî-kau kā kau--kòe-lâi, tī chia sù-sù-sī-sī kā chia̍h-loe̍h."

I kūi-tio̍h, iōng hî-kau tī chûn-thâu ē-bīn chhōe tio̍h chhǹg-á, kā kau--kòe-lâi, bô khì tāng tio̍h soh-á khún. Koh iōng tò-keng phāiⁿ soh-á, iōng tò-chhiú kap chhiú-kó͘ keng tio̍h, i chiong chhǹg-á ùi hî-kau pak-lo̍h, kā hî-kau khǹg tńg. Iōng chi̍t ê kha-thâu-u chhi̍h hî, chhiat-chhut chi̍t-liau chi̍t-liau, ùi thâu kàu bóe ê o͘-tò͘-âng ê hî-bah, hêng-chōng ná chiⁿ-á (wedge). I ùi kha-chiah-kut piⁿ lo̍h to, it-ti̍t kàu pak-tó͘ piⁿ. Chhiat hó la̍k liau, i kā pho͘ tī chûn-thâu-pang, tī khò͘ kā to-á chhit-chhit leh, koh kā chhun ê chhǹg-á kut, ùi bóe lia̍h--khí-lâi, phiaⁿ-chhut chûn.

"Góa siūⁿ, góa bô hoat-tō͘ chia̍h kui-bóe," i kóng, iōng to khì ngiáu chi̍t liau lâi. I ū kám-kak soh-á ûn-ûn ê khiú-la̍t, i ê tò-chhiú teh kiù-kin. Tò-chhiú bán-ân-ân tēⁿ tī soh-á, i kā gîn leh.

"Che siáⁿ chhiú ah," i kóng. "Ài kiù tō khì kiù lah. Kiù-chò ke-kha-jiáu lah. Án-ne lí mā m̄-hó."

Hó lah, i ná siūⁿ ná àⁿ-thâu khòaⁿ àm-sek chúi ni̍h siâ-siâ ê soh-á. Taⁿ kín chia̍h, chhiú tō ē ū-la̍t. He bē-sái koài chhiú, lí í-keng kap hî piàⁿ kui-po͘ kú ah. Lí khó-lêng ài koh piàⁿ-lo̍h. Taⁿ kín chia̍h chhǹg-á lah.

I kéng chi̍t liau, khǹg chhùi lāi, bān-bān-á pō͘. Bē kóng pháiⁿ-chia̍h.

Pō͘ hō͘ nōa, i siūⁿ, bah-chiap lóng thun lo̍h. Nā ē-tàng hām lime /láim/ a̍h-sī lemón, a̍h-sī iâm tâng-chê chia̍h tō chán.

"Chhiú ah, lí kám-kak án-chóaⁿ?" i mn̄g kiù-kin ngē-kah ná kiong-si ê chhiú. "Góa thè lí chia̍h--kóa."

I chia̍h i tú-chiah chhiat-chò nn̄g-tè ê iáu chi̍t tè, bān-bān-á pō͘, kā phôe phùi tiāu.

"Kám-kak án-chóaⁿ? A̍h-sī iáu bô chha?"

I koh the̍h chi̍t liau lâi pō͘.

-- 

21. 我愛來食串仔

索仔 ê 重量換去倒肩, 小心跪 leh, 伊 tī 海 ni̍h 洗手, kā 手浸 tī 遐分外鐘, 看彼血流去, 船行 ê 時穩定流向後 ê 水, 沖著伊 ê 手.

"伊慢落來 ah," 伊講.

老人本想欲予手浸海水較久 leh, 毋過伊驚魚 koh 掣, tō 徛起來, 徛在在, 予手曝日頭. 這只是索仔 chhè 傷, 拄好 tī 手愛動著 ê 所在. 伊知, 代誌未煞以前無手袂使, 伊毋愛未曾開始, 手先受傷.

"今," 等手焦, 伊講, "我愛來食串仔. 我會使用魚鉤 kā 勾過來, tī 遮四四序序 kā 食 loe̍h."

伊跪著, 用魚鉤 tī 船頭下面揣著串仔, kā 勾過來, 無去動著索仔捆. Koh 用倒肩揹索仔, 用倒手 kap 手股弓著, 伊將串仔 ùi 魚鉤剝落, kā 魚鉤囥轉. 用一个跤頭趺 chhi̍h 魚, 切出一 liau 一 liau, ùi 頭到尾 ê 烏 tò͘ 紅 ê 魚肉, 形狀若 chiⁿ-á (wedge). 伊 ùi 尻脊骨邊落刀, 一直到腹肚邊. 切好六 liau, 伊 kā 鋪 tī 船頭枋, tī 褲 kā 刀仔拭拭 leh, koh kā 賰 ê 串仔骨, ùi 尾掠起來, 抨出船.

"我想, 我無法度食規尾," 伊講, 用刀去撓一 liau 來. 伊有感覺索仔勻勻 ê 搝力, 伊 ê 倒手 teh 糾筋. 倒手挽絚絚捏 tī 索仔, 伊 kā 睨 leh.

"這啥手 ah," 伊講. "愛糾 tō 去糾 lah. 糾做雞腳爪 lah. Án-ne 你 mā 毋好."

好 lah, 伊 ná 想 ná àⁿ 頭看暗色水 ni̍h 斜斜 ê 索仔. 今緊食, 手 tō 會有力. 彼袂使怪手, 你已經 kap 魚拚規晡久 ah. 你可能愛 koh 拚落. 今緊食串仔 lah.

伊揀一 liau, 囥喙內, 慢慢仔哺. 袂講歹食.

哺予爛, 伊想, 肉汁攏吞落. 若會當和 lime /láim/ 抑是 lemón, 抑是鹽同齊食 tō 讚.

"手 ah, 你感覺按怎?" 伊問糾筋硬甲 ná 殭屍 ê 手. "我替你食寡."

伊食伊拄才切做兩塊 ê 猶一塊, 慢慢仔哺, kā 皮呸掉.

"感覺按怎? 抑是猶無差?"

伊 koh 提一 liau 來哺.

--

21.

Shifting the weight of the line to his left shoulder and kneeling carefully he washed his hand in the ocean and held it there, submerged, for more than a minute watching the blood trail away and the steady movement of the water against his hand as the boat moved.

“He has slowed much,” he said.

The old man would have liked to keep his hand in the salt water longer but he was afraid of another sudden lurch by the fish and he stood up and braced himself and held his hand up against the sun. It was only a line burn that had cut his flesh. But it was in the working part of his hand. He knew he would need his hands before this was over and he did not like to be cut before it started.

“Now,” he said, when his hand had dried, “I must eat the small tuna. I can reach him with the gaff and eat him here in comfort.”

He knelt down and found the tuna under the stem with the gaff and drew it toward him keeping it clear of the coiled lines. Holding the line with his left shoulder again, and bracing on his left hand and arm, he took the tuna off the gaff hook and put the gaff back in place. He put one knee on the fish and cut strips of dark red meat longitudinally from the back of the head to the tail. They were wedge-shaped strips and he cut them from next to the back bone down to the edge of the belly. When he had cut six strips he spread them out on the wood of the bow, wiped his knife on his trousers, and lifted the carcass of the bonito by the tail and dropped it overboard.

“I don’t think I can eat an entire one,” he said and drew his knife across one of the strips. He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his left hand was cramped. It drew up tight on the heavy cord and he looked at it in disgust.

“What kind of a hand is that,” he said. “Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good.”

Come on, he thought and looked down into the dark water at the slant of the line. Eat it now and it will strengthen the hand. It is not the hand’s fault and you have been many hours with the fish. But you can stay with him forever. Eat the bonito now.

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. It was not unpleasant.

Chew it well, he thought, and get all the juices. It would not be bad to eat with a little lime or with lemon or with salt.

“How do you feel, hand?” he asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis. “I’ll eat some more for you.”

He ate the other part of the piece that he had cut in two. He chewed it carefully and then spat out the skin.

“How does it go, hand? Or is it too early to know?”

He took another full piece and chewed it.

--