1.3 藝人下暗蹛 toh?

1.3 Gē-jîn e-àm tòa toh? [Tâi-gí gí-im]

"Chin pháiⁿ-sè hō͘ lí khòaⁿ tio̍h chit-khoán bô͘-iūⁿ... Che sī goán cha-po͘-lâng, bián hoân-ló. I pháiⁿ-khòaⁿ, m̄-koh i bē tín-tāng, chhiáⁿ lí sió jím-nāi leh."

Án-ne liáu-āu, kin-kì a-pô koh kóng ê, a-kong hoān-tio̍h tiòng-hong kúi-nā nî, kiat-kó choân-sin put-sūi. Chit-tui chóa-soaⁿ sī kok-tē kià--lâi ê iú-koan tī-liâu tiòng-hong ê phoe-sìn, kap kok-tē bé--lâi ê tiòng-hong io̍h-á ê chóa-tē-á. A-kong thiaⁿ keng-kòe soaⁿ-koan ê kòe-lō͘-lâng kóng--ê, a̍h-sī khòaⁿ sin-bûn kóng-kò iú-koan tiòng-hong ê liâu-hoat, i chi̍t-hāng to bô làu-kau, lóng kià-phoe khì bé he io̍h-á. Chiah-ê phoe hām chóa-tē-á, i chi̍t-ê mā bô hiat-tiāu, chū án-ne khǹg tī sin-piⁿ, khòaⁿ leh kòe-ji̍t. Kú-nî-lâi chiah-ê kū chóa tō tui kah ná soaⁿ leh.

Góa bô ìn a-pô ê ōe, kā sin-khu àⁿ tī hóe-lô͘ ê téng-koân. Keng-kòe soaⁿ-lō͘ ê chū-tōng-chhia chùn-tāng tio̍h che chhù. Chhiu-thiⁿ tō chiah kôaⁿ, bián gōa kú chia tō ē khàm seh, sī án-chóaⁿ chit-ê a-kong m̄-ài poaⁿ-lo̍h soaⁿ neh? Góa ê saⁿ chhèng-ian, hóe haⁿh kàu góa thâu-thiàⁿ. A-pô chhut-khì tiàm-bīn, hām cháu-chhiàng ê cha-bó͘ gē-jîn khai-káng.

"Án-ne ah. Téng-kái tòe--lâi ê cha-bó͘ gín-á taⁿ chiah tōa loh, súi-tang-tang neh, án-ne tùi lí chin hó. Piàn kah chiah-nī súi. Cha-bó͘ gín-á tōa chin kín."

Tāi-khài chi̍t tiám-cheng liáu, góa thiaⁿ tio̍h cháu-chhiàng--ê chún-pī boeh lī-khui ê siaⁿ-im. Góa mā chē bē-tiâu ah, kan-ta sim-koaⁿ teh ngiau, soah bô táⁿ khiā-khí-lâi. Góa siūⁿ, sui-jiân kóng in koàn-sì lí-hêng, in-ūi sī cha-bó͘-lâng kha, góa siong-sìn nā-chún bān in chi̍t-nn̄g kilo, sió cháu--chi̍t-ē mā jiok in ē-tio̍h, m̄-koh chē tī hóe-lô͘ piⁿ, góa iáu-sī sim bē-tiāⁿ. Taⁿ bú-niû in bô tī chia, góa ê khang-siūⁿ ná tit-tio̍h kái-thoat, tian-tò oa̍h-thiàu-thiàu. Góa mn̄g tú sàng in lī-khui tńg--lâi ê a-pô:

"Hiah-ê gē-jîn e-àm tòa siáⁿ só͘-chāi?"

--

1.3 藝人下暗蹛 toh? [台語語音]

"真歹勢予你看著這款模樣... 這是阮查埔人, 免煩惱. 伊歹看, 毋過伊袂振動, 請你小忍耐 leh."

Án-ne 了後, 根據阿婆講 ê, 阿公患著中風幾若年, 結果全身不遂. 這堆紙山是各地寄來 ê 有關治療中風 ê 批信, kap 各地買來 ê 中風藥仔 ê 紙袋仔. 阿公聽經過山關 ê 過路人講 ê, 抑是看新聞廣告有關中風 ê 療法, 伊一項 to 無落勾, 攏寄批去買彼藥仔. Chiah-ê 批和紙袋仔, 伊一个 mā 無 hiat 掉, 自 án-ne 囥 tī 身邊, 看 leh 過日. 久年來 chiah-ê 舊紙 tō 堆甲 ná 山 leh.

我無應阿婆 ê 話, kā 身軀 àⁿ tī 火爐 ê 頂懸. 經過山路 ê 自動車顫動著這厝. 秋天 tō chiah 寒, 免偌久遮 tō 會崁雪, 是按怎這个阿公毋愛搬落山 neh? 我 ê 衫熗煙, 火 haⁿh 甲我頭疼. 阿婆出去店面, 和走唱 ê 查某藝人開講.

"Án-ne ah. 頂改綴來 ê 查某囡仔今 chiah 大 loh, 媠噹噹 neh, Án-ne 對你真好. 變甲 chiah-nī 媠. 查某囡仔大真緊."

大概一點鐘了, 我聽著走唱 ê 準備欲離開 ê 聲音. 我 mā 坐袂牢 ah, 干焦心肝 teh ngiau, 煞無膽徛起來. 我想, 雖然講 in 慣勢旅行, 因為是查某人跤, 我相信若準慢 in 一兩 kilo, 小走一下 mā 逐 in 會著, 毋過坐 tī 火爐邊, 我猶是心袂定. 今舞娘 in 無 tī 遮, 我 ê 空想 ná 得著解脫, 顛倒活跳跳. 我問拄送 in 離開轉來 ê 阿婆:

"Hiah-ê 藝人下暗蹛啥所在?"

--

1.3

"I'm embarrassed to have you see him this way. Don't worry. This is my old husband. He may be unsightly, but he can't move. Please be patient with him."

After thus apologizing, the old woman explained that her husband had suffered from palsy for many years and now his whole body wasalmost paralyzed. The mountains of papers were actually correspondence from every possible source describing treatments for palsy and packetsof medicine the old man had ordered from throughout the country. Whenever he heard of a treatment from travelers who came over the pass or saw an advertisement in the newspaper, he never failed to send for it. He kept the papers around him in heaps, staring at them, never disposing of a single one. Through the years he had accumulated mountains of aging scraps of paper.

Without a word to the old woman, I bent over the hearth. An automobile navigating the pass rattled the house. I wondered why the old man did not move down to a lower elevation, with the autumn already this cold and snow soon to cover the pass. Steam rose from my kimono. The fire was hot enough to scorch my face. The old woman went back out to the shop, commenting to one of the female entertainers.

"So this is the little girl you had with you before. She's turned out to be such a nice girl. That's good for you. How pretty she's become. Girls grow up so fast."

About an hour later, I heard the entertainers preparing to leave. I had not settled in to stay either, but I was so anxious that I did not have the courage to stand up. Although they were seasoned travelers, they would be walking at a woman's pace, so I was certain I could catch up even if I left a mile or so behind them. Still, I grew impatient sitting by the hearth. Once the entertainers had left, my daydreams began a vivid, reckless dance. The old woman returned from seeing the entertainers off.

"Where are they staying tonight?" I asked.