2. 討海人, 啉 lah!

2. Thó-hái-lâng, lim lah!

"Góa ē-kì-tit," lāu lâng kóng. "Góa chai, lí ē lī-khui, m̄-sī in-ūi lí hoâi-gî góa."

"Sī pa-pa kiò góa lī-khui. Góa sī gín-á, góa tio̍h thiaⁿ i ê ōe."

"Góa chai," lāu lâng kóng. "Án-ne tio̍h."

"I bô sìn-sim."

"I bô," lāu lâng kóng. "M̄-koh lán ū. Kám m̄-sī?"

"Tio̍h," gín-á kóng. "Góa chhiáⁿ lí khì Terrace /te.res/ lim bihlù hó..bô, liáu-āu lán chiah the̍h mi̍h-kiāⁿ tńg-khì."

"Chiâⁿ hó," lāu lâng kóng. "Thó-hái-lâng, lim lah!"

In khì Terrace, chin chē thó-hái-lâng kā lāu lâng khoe, i lóng bē siū-khì. Kî-thaⁿ nî-hòe khah chē ê lia̍h-hî-lâng, khòaⁿ tio̍h i, kám-kak sim-sng. M̄-koh in bô piáu-hiān chhut-lâi, in hó-lé kā i kóng hái-lâu ê tāi-chì, kap in pàng tiò-sòaⁿ lo̍h-khì lâu ê chhim-tō͘, kap ún-tēng ê hó thiⁿ-khì, kap in khòaⁿ tio̍h ê chióng-chióng. Hit kang ū lia̍h tio̍h hî ê lâng í-keng lâi ah, thâi hó in ê kî-hî, chi̍t bóe chi̍t bóe pâi móa nn̄g tè pang, múi tè pang iû nn̄g ê lâng iô-iô hàiⁿ-hàiⁿ kng leh kiâⁿ, boeh khì hî-chhī, tán chng peng ê toraku chài khì Havana ê chhī-tiûⁿ. Lia̍h tio̍h soa-hî ê lâng, í-keng kā in the̍h khì hái-káng iáu chi̍t pêng ê soa-hî ka-kang chhiúⁿ, tī hia kā soa-hî tiàu khí-lâi, the̍h chhut in ê koaⁿ, koah-tiāu hî-kî, phôe pak-tiāu, bah koah chò chi̍t-liâu chi̍t-liâu, thang-hó sīⁿ-iâm.

Chhoe tang hong ê sî, soa-hî chhiúⁿ ê bī ē chhoe kah kui hái-káng; m̄-koh kin-á-ji̍t ê bī chi̍t-sut-á niâ, in-ūi hong í-keng hôe pak, āu-lâi thêng ah, só͘-í Terrace chia chheng-liâng su-sóng, ji̍t-kng chhiong-chiok.

"Santiago," gín-á kóng.

"Sī," lāu lâng chhiú the̍h chiú-poe, teh siūⁿ kúi-nā nî ê í-chêng.

"Góa khì pìⁿ kóa un-á hî hō͘ lí bîn-á-chài iōng, hó..bô?"

"Bián lah. Khì sńg iá-kiû. Góa iáu ē-tàng kò-chûn, Rogelio ē pang góa pha-bāng."

"Góa boeh khì. Nā bē-tàng tòe lí lia̍h hî, góa ē-tàng thè lí chò pa̍t-hāng."

"Lí ū chhiáⁿ góa bihlù ah," lāu lâng kóng. "Lí í-keng sī  chi̍t-ê cha-po͘-lâng."

"Lí siōng thâu-kái chhōa góa chhut-hái ê sî, góa kúi hòe?"

"Gō͘ hòe, lí hiám-á bô miā. Góa siuⁿ-chá kā hî-á khiú chiūⁿ-chûn, i kiông boeh kā chûn lòng phòa. Lí kám ē-kì-tit?"

"Góa ē-kì-tit hî-bóe phi̍h-pho̍k sut, chûn ê chē-pang pit..khui, koh ū kùn-á teh kòng ê siaⁿ. Góa ē-kì-tit lí sak góa khì chûn-thâu, hia ū khǹg tiò-sòaⁿ khún; góa kám-kak kui-chiah chûn khū-khū-chùn, kap lí ná chhò chhiū-á án-ne phut i ê siaⁿ, góa kui-sin lóng sī chheⁿ-tiⁿ ê hî-chho bī."

"Lí chèng-keng ē-kì-tit, a̍h-sī āu-lâi thiaⁿ góa kā lí kóng ê?"

--

2. 討海人, 啉 lah!

"我會記得," 老人講. "我知, 你會離開, 毋是因為你懷疑我."

"是爸爸叫我離開. 我是囡仔, 我著聽伊 ê 話."

"我知," 老人講. "Án-ne 著."

"伊無信心."

"伊無," 老人講. "毋過咱有. 敢毋是?"

"著," 囡仔講. "我請你去 Terrace /te.res/ 啉 bihlù 好無, 了後咱才提物件轉去."

"誠好," 老人講. "討海人, 啉 lah!"

In 去 Terrace, 真濟討海人 kā 老人詼, 老人攏袂受氣. 其他年歲較濟 ê 掠魚人, 看著伊, 感覺心酸. 毋過 in 無表現出來, in 好禮 kā 伊講海流 ê 代誌, kap in 放釣線落去流 ê 深度, kap 穩定 ê 好天氣, kap in 看著 ê 種種. 彼工有掠著魚 ê 人已經來 ah, 刣好 in ê 旗魚, 一尾一尾排滿兩塊枋, 每塊枋由兩个人搖搖幌幌扛 leh 行, 欲去魚市, 等裝冰 ê toraku 載去 Havana ê 市場. 掠著鯊魚 ê 人, 已經 kā in 提去海港猶一爿 ê 鯊魚加工廠, tī 遐 kā 鯊魚吊起來, 提出 in ê 肝, 割掉魚鰭, 皮剝掉, 肉割做一條一條, 通好豉鹽.

吹東風 ê 時, 鯊魚廠 ê 味會吹甲規海港; 毋過今仔日 ê 味一屑仔 niâ, 因為風已經回北, 後來停 ah, 所以 Terrace 遮清涼舒爽, 日光充足.

"Santiago," 囡仔講.

"是," 老人手提酒杯, teh 想幾若年 ê 以前.

"我去 pìⁿ 寡鰮仔魚予你明仔載用, 好無?"

"免 lah. 去耍野球. 我猶會當划船, Rogelio 會幫我拋網."

"我欲去. 若袂當綴你掠魚, 我會當替你做別項."

"你有請我 bihlù ah," 老人講. "你已經是一个查埔人."

"你上頭改 chhōa 我出海 ê 時, 我幾歲?"

"五歲, 你險仔無命. 我 siuⁿ 早 kā 魚仔搝上船, 伊強欲 kā 船挵破. 你敢會記得?"

"我會記得魚尾 phı̍h-pho̍k 摔, 船 ê 坐枋 pit 開, koh 有棍仔 teh 摃 ê 聲. 我會記得你捒我去船頭, 遐有囥釣線捆; 我感覺規隻船 khū-khū 顫, kap 你 ná 剉樹仔 án-ne phut 伊 ê 聲, 我規身攏是青甜 ê 魚血味."

"你正經會記得, 抑是後來聽我 kā 你講 ê?"

--

2.

“I remember,” the old man said. “I know you did not leave me because you doubted.”

“It was papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him.”

“I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.”

“He hasn’t much faith.”

“No,” the old man said. “But we have. Haven’t we?”

‘Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we’ll take the stuff home.”

“Why not?” the old man said. “Between fishermen.”

They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry. Others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad. But they did not show it and they spoke politely about the current and the depths they had drifted their lines at and the steady good weather and of what they had seen. The successful fishermen of that day were already in and had butchered their marlin out and carried them laid full length across two planks, with two men staggering at the end of each plank, to the fish house where they waited for the ice truck to carry them to the market in Havana. Those who had caught sharks had taken them to the shark factory on the other side of the cove where they were hoisted on a block and tackle, their livers removed, their fins cut off and their hides skinned out and their flesh cut into strips for salting.

When the wind was in the east a smell came across the harbour from the shark factory; but today there was only the faint edge of the odour because the wind had backed into the north and then dropped off and it was pleasant and sunny on the Terrace.

“Santiago,” the boy said.

“Yes,” the old man said. He was holding his glass and thinking of many years ago.

“Can I go out to get sardines for you for tomorrow?”

“No. Go and play baseball. I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net.”

“I would like to go. If I cannot fish with you. I would like to serve in some way.”

“You bought me a beer,” the old man said. “You are already a man.”

“How old was I when you first took me in a boat?”

“Five and you nearly were killed when I brought the fish in too green and he nearly tore the boat to pieces. Can you remember?”

“I can remember the tail slapping and banging and the thwart breaking and the noise of the clubbing. I can remember you throwing me into the bow where the wet coiled lines were and feeling the whole boat shiver and the noise of you clubbing him like chopping a tree down and the sweet blood smell all over me.”

“Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?”

--