6.1 去 Masson in 厝

6

6.1 Khì Masson in chhù

Lé-pài hit-kang góa khùn kah siuⁿ òaⁿ, Marie soah tio̍h lâi goán tau kā góa ló͘ khí-lâi. Goán bô chia̍h siáⁿ tō chhut-mn̂g, in-ūi goán boeh khah chá leh kàu hái-than. Góa kám-kak hi-lè-lè, koh sió-khóa thâu-khak-thiàⁿ. Góa pok ê hun khó͘-khó͘. Marie kap góa kún-chhiò, in-ūi yi kóng, góa kek chi̍t-ê sí-lâng-bīn. Yi chhēng chi̍t-niá pe̍h-sek ê môa-pò͘ iûⁿ-chong, koh kā tn̂g thâu-chang pàng lo̍h-lâi. Góa o-ló yi seⁿ-chò chiâⁿ súi; yi thiòng kah chhiò gi-gi.

Lo̍h-lâu ê sî, goán khok Raymond ê mn̂g. I kóng i liâm-mi tō lo̍h-lâi. Chi̍t-ē kiâⁿ chiūⁿ ke-lō͘, in-ūi góa chiok thiám, mā in-ūi tī chhù-ni̍h goán bô khiú-khui thang-á-lî, chit-sî iū-koh í-keng chhut tōa-ji̍t ah, góa bē-su khì hō͘ ji̍t-sî siàn chi̍t-ê chhùi-phé.

Marie hoaⁿ-hí kah chhia̍k-chhia̍k-tiô, it-ti̍t kóng che thiⁿ-khì ū-kàu chán ah. Góa kám-kak ū khah khùiⁿ-oa̍h ah, mā khai-sí kám-kak ē-iau. Góa kā Marie kóng góa ê kám-kak, yi kan-ta pí chi̍t-ē yi chah ê iû-pò͘ khabáng, lāi-té ū goán ê iû-éng-saⁿ kap e̍k-kin. Góa tio̍h sió tán chi̍t-ē, hit-sî goán tō thiaⁿ tio̍h Raymond koaiⁿ-mn̂g ê siaⁿ. I chhēng nâ-sek ê khò͘ hām pe̍h-sek ê té-ńg siatchuh. M̄-koh i koh tì chi̍t-téng chháu-bō-á; khòaⁿ tio̍h he, Marie soah chhiò chhut-lâi. I chhiú-ē-chat mo͘ o͘-sìm-sìm, m̄-koh ē-bīn ê bah chin pe̍h. Góa khòaⁿ he sió-khóa bē sūn-ba̍k. I ná lo̍h lâu-thui ná kho͘-si-á, khòaⁿ tio̍h ná-chhiūⁿ chin hoaⁿ-hí. I seng kā góa kóng, "Gâu-chá, lāu-hiaⁿ," chiah koh chheng-ho͘ Marie "sió-chiá."

Chêng chi̍t-kang, goán ū khì kéng-chhat-kio̍k, tī hia góa chò-chèng, kóng hit-ê cha-bó͘ khi-phiàn Raymond. Kéng-chhat kā i kéng-kò, tō pàng i soah ah. In bô khì cha-chèng góa ê chèng-sû.

Chhut tōa-mn̂g liáu, goán hām Raymond kóng-khí chit-chân tāi-chì, lo̍h-bóe goán koat-tēng boeh chē básuh. Hái-than sui-jiân bô hn̄g, m̄-koh chē básuh iáu-sī khah kín kàu. Raymond jīn-ûi, goán nā khah chá kàu, in pêng-iú ē chin hoaⁿ-hí. Goán tú boeh khí-tāng ê sî, hut-jiân Raymond kiò góa khòaⁿ ke-lō͘ ê tùi-bīn. Góa khòaⁿ tio̍h chi̍t-tīn Arab-lâng phēng tī hun-chháu-tiàm ê thâu-chêng. In tiām-tiām chù-ì teh khòaⁿ goán, m̄-koh hit-lō khòaⁿ ê khoán-sè, bē-su goán siáⁿ to m̄-sī, put-kò sī chio̍h-thâu a̍h-sī chhiū-á. Raymond kā góa kóng, tò-pêng tē-jī ê tō sī i kóng hit-ê lâng, i ká-ná sió-khóa ē hoân-ló. M̄-koh, i koh kóng, taⁿ lóng bô tāi-chì ah.

Marie si̍t-chāi sa-bô-cháng, tō mn̄g goán kóng, tàu-té ū siáⁿ m̄-tú-hó. Góa kā yi kóng, hiah-ê sī Arab-lâng, in boeh chhōe Raymond mâ-hoân. Yi tō kóng lán kín lī-khui. Raymond thêng-heng chhiò, koh kóng lán siōng-hó kín chhut-hoat.

Goán chhut-hoat ǹg básuh chām, he bô hn̄g, Raymond kóng hiah-ê Arab-lâng bô tòe goán lâi. Góa oa̍t-thâu khòaⁿ, in iáu tī pún-lâi ê ūi, iáu sī sîn-sîn teh khòaⁿ goán pún-lâi khiā hit-ê só͘-chāi.

Básuh lâi ah, goán chiūⁿ-chhia. Raymond taⁿ khòaⁿ khí-lâi chin hòng-sim ah, tō iân-lō͘ kóng chhiò-khoe hō͘ Marie thiaⁿ. Góa khòaⁿ ē-chhut, i mā kah-ì yi, m̄-koh yi bô siáⁿ chhap i, kan-ta ū-sî-á kā khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē, chhiò-chhiò.

Goán tī Algiers kau-gōa lo̍h-chhia. Hái-than lī básuh chām bô hn̄g. M̄-koh goán tio̍h seng peh kòe chi̍t-ê ē-tàng khòaⁿ tōa-hái ê koân-tē, jiân-āu chiah lo̍h chi̍t-ê tōa-kiā lâi-kàu hái-than. Koân-tē téng ū n̂g-n̂g ê chio̍h-thâu kap pe̍h siak-siak ê ji̍t-kng-lân (日光蘭, asphodel), tùi-pí tio̍h í-keng chheⁿ-lin-lin ê thiⁿ-téng. Marie ná kiâⁿ ná chò-sńg, kō͘ yi ê iû-pò͘ tē-á sut kha-piⁿ ê ji̍t-kng-lân, sut kah hoe-pān sì-sòaⁿ lak. Goán kiâⁿ kòe nn̄g-pâi sè-keng chhù ê tiong-kan, chhù chêng ê lân-kan ū chheⁿ-ê, mā ū pe̍h-ê. Chiah-ê chhù ū-ê ū lō͘-tâi, khí tī chheng-liú (檉柳, tamarisk) ê āu-bīn, ū-ê kng-thāⁿ-thāⁿ sì-piⁿ lóng sī chio̍h-thâu. Bōe-kàu koân-tē téng, goán í-keng khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h chēng-chēng ê tōa-hái hām koh-khah chhut-khì hia ū chi̍t-ê ná teh tuh-ku ê tōa-tōa hái-kak khiā tī chheng-chúi ni̍h. Tī chēng-chēng ê khong-khì tiong, goán ká-ná ū thiaⁿ-tio̍h mohtà khin-khin teh hiⁿ ê siaⁿ. Hn̄g-hn̄g hia khòaⁿ-tio̍h chi̍t-chiah sè-sè ê hî-chûn tī chúi-iáⁿ kim-sih-sih ê hái-bīn teh kiâⁿ, m̄-koh khòaⁿ bē chin.

Marie bán chi̍t-kóa chio̍h-chhiong-pô͘ (石菖蒲, rock iris). Lo̍h-kiā ǹg soa-than ê sî, goán khòaⁿ ē-tio̍h í-keng ū chi̍t-kóa lâng teh siû-chúi ah.

Raymond ê pêng-iú tòa tī hái-than hit-thâu ê chi̍t-keng sè-sè chhâ-chhù. Chhù ê āu-piah-chat khòe tī chio̍h-thâu téng, thèⁿ thâu-chêng-chat ê thiāu-á chhāi tī chúi-té. Raymond thè goán hō͘-siong kài-siāu. In pêng-iú hō-chò Masson. I seⁿ-chò tōa-chhāi, koân koh keng-thâu khoah, in bó͘ é koh pûi, chin chhin-chhiat, kóng-ōe ū Paris khiuⁿ.

Masson sûi kā goán kóng, m̄-bián kheh-khì, koh kóng in bó͘ tú-chiah chìⁿ hó chi̍t-kóa chá-khí i lia̍h ê hî-á. Góa kā o-ló kóng, i ê chhù chiâⁿ sù-sī. I kóng, tú-tio̍h pài-la̍k, lé-pài a̍h hioh-khùn-ji̍t, i tō lâi chia tō͘-ká. "Hām goán bó͘ lâi, tong-jiân sī án-ne," i koh pó͘-chhiong kóng. Hit-sî, in bó͘ hām Marie lóng chhiò chhut-lâi. Che sī thâu-chi̍t-pái góa siūⁿ tio̍h, góa mā boeh chhōa chi̍t-ê bó͘.

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6

6.1 去 Masson in 厝

禮拜彼工我睏 kah siuⁿ 晏, Marie 煞著來阮兜 kā 我擼起來. 阮無食啥 tō 出門, 因為阮欲較早 leh 到海灘. 我感覺虛 lè-lè, koh 小可頭殼疼. 我噗 ê 薰苦苦. Marie kap 我滾笑, 因為她講, 我 kek 一个死人面. 她穿一領白色 ê 麻布洋裝, koh kā 長頭鬃放落來. 我 o-ló 她生做誠媠; 她暢 kah 笑 gi-gi.

落樓 ê 時, 阮 khok Raymond ê 門. 伊講伊 liâm-mi tō 落來. 一下行上街路, 因為我足忝, mā 因為 tī 厝 ni̍h 阮無搝開窗仔簾, 這時又 koh 已經出大日 ah, 我袂輸去予日時搧一个喙䫌.

Marie 歡喜 kah 嚓嚓趒, 一直講 che 天氣有夠讚 ah. 我感覺有較快活 ah, mā 開始感覺會枵. 我 kā Marie 講我 ê 感覺, 她干焦比一下她扎 ê 油布 khabáng, 內底有阮 ê 游泳衫 kap 浴巾. 我著小等一下, 彼時阮 tō 聽著 Raymond 關門 ê 聲. 伊穿藍色 ê 褲和白色 ê 短䘼 siatchuh. M̄-koh 伊 koh 戴一頂草帽仔; 看著 he, Marie 煞笑出來. 伊手下節毛烏 sìm-sìm, m̄-koh 下面 ê 肉真白. 我看 he 小可袂順目. 伊 ná 落樓梯 ná kho͘-si-á, 看著 ná 像真歡喜. 伊先 kā 我講, "Gâu 早, 老兄," 才 koh 稱呼 Marie "小姐."

前一工, 阮有去警察局, tī 遐我做證, 講彼个查某欺騙 Raymond. 警察 kā 伊警告, tō 放伊煞 ah. In 無去查證我 ê 證詞.

出大門了, 阮和 Raymond 講起這層代誌, 落尾阮決定欲坐 básuh. 海灘雖然無遠, m̄-koh 坐 básuh 猶是較緊到. Raymond 認為, 阮若較早到, in 朋友會真歡喜. 阮拄欲起動 ê 時, 忽然 Raymond 叫我看街路 ê 對面. 我看著一陣 Arab 人 phēng tī 薰草店 ê 頭前. In 恬恬注意 teh 看阮, m̄-koh hit-lō 看 ê 款勢, 袂輸阮啥 to 毋是, 不過是石頭 a̍h 是樹仔. Raymond kā 我講, 倒爿第二个 tō 是伊講彼个人, 伊 ká-ná 小可會煩惱. M̄-koh, 伊 koh 講, 今 lóng 無代誌 ah.

Marie 實在捎無 cháng, tō 問阮講, 到底有啥毋拄好. 我 kā 她講, hiah-ê 是 Arab 人, in 欲揣 Raymond 麻煩. 她 tō 講咱緊離開. Raymond thêng 胸笑, koh 講咱上好緊出發.

阮出發 ǹg básuh 站, he 無遠, Raymond 講 hiah-ê Arab 人無綴阮來. 我越頭看, in 猶 tī 本來 ê 位, 猶是神神 teh 看阮本來徛彼个所在.

Básuh 來 ah, 阮上車. Raymond 今看起來真放心 ah, tō 沿路講笑詼予 Marie 聽. 我看會出, 伊 mā 佮意她, m̄-koh 她無啥 chhap 伊, 干焦有時仔 kā 看一下, 笑笑.

阮 tī Algiers 郊外落車. 海灘離 básuh 站無遠. M̄-koh 阮著先 peh 過一个會當看大海 ê 懸地, 然後才落一个大崎來到海灘. 懸地頂有黃黃 ê 石頭 kap 白 siak-siak ê ji̍t-kng-lân (日光蘭, asphodel), 對比著已經青 lin-lin ê 天頂. Marie ná 行 ná 做耍, kō͘ 她 ê 油布袋仔 sut 跤邊 ê 日光蘭, sut kah 花瓣四散 lak. 阮行過兩排細間厝 ê 中間, 厝前 ê 欄杆有青 ê, mā 有白 ê. Chiah-ê 厝有 ê 有露台, 起 tī chheng-liú (檉柳, tamarisk) ê 後面, 有 ê 光 thāⁿ-thāⁿ 四邊 lóng 是石頭. 未到懸地頂, 阮已經看會著靜靜 ê 大海和 koh 較出去遐有一个 ná teh tuh-ku ê 大大海角徛 tī 清水 ni̍h. Tī 靜靜 ê 空氣中, 阮 ká-ná 有聽著 mohtà 輕輕 teh hiⁿ ê 聲. 遠遠遐看著一隻細細 ê 漁船 tī 水影金 sih-sih ê 海面 teh 行, m̄-koh 看袂真.

Marie 挽一寡 chio̍h-chhiong-pô͘ (石菖蒲, rock iris). 落崎 ǹg 沙灘 ê 時, 阮看會著已經有一寡人 teh 泅水 ah.

Raymond ê 朋友蹛 tī 海灘彼頭 ê 一間細細柴厝. 厝 ê 後壁節 khòe tī 石頭頂, thèⁿ 頭前節 ê 柱仔 chhāi tī 水底. Raymond 替阮互相介紹. In 朋友號做 Masson. 伊生做大 chhāi, 懸 koh 肩頭闊, in 某矮 koh 肥, 真親切, 講話有 Paris 腔.

Masson 隨 kā 阮講, 毋免客氣, koh 講 in 某拄才糋好一寡早起伊掠 ê 魚仔. 我 kā o-ló 講, 伊 ê 厝誠四序. 伊講, 拄著拜六, 禮拜 a̍h 歇睏日, 伊 tō 來遮渡假. "和阮某來, 當然是 án-ne," 伊 koh 補充講. 彼時, in 某和 Marie lóng 笑出來. Che 是頭一擺我想著, 我 mā 欲娶一个某.

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6

6.1

I had a hard time waking up on Sunday, and Marie had to call me and shake me. We didn't eat anything, because we wanted to get to the beach early. I felt completely drained and I had a slight headache. My cigarette tasted bitter. Marie made fun of me because, she said, I had on a "funeral face." She had put on a white linen dress and let her hair down. I told her she was beautiful and she laughed with delight.

On our way downstairs we knocked on Raymond's door. He told us he'd be right down. Once out in the street, because I was so tired and also because we hadn't opened the blinds, the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face. Marie was jumping with joy and kept on saying what a beautiful day it was. I felt a little better and I noticed that I was hungry. I told Marie, who pointed to her oilcloth bag where she'd put our bathing suits and a towel. I just had to wait and then we heard Raymond shutting his door. He had on blue trousers and a white short-sleeved shirt. But he'd put on a straw hat, which made Marie laugh, and his forearms were all white under the black hairs. I found it a little repulsive. He was whistling as he came down the stairs and he seemed very cheerful. He said "Good morning, old man" to me and called Marie "mademoiselle."

The day before, we'd gone to the police station and I'd testified that the girl had cheated on Raymond. He'd gotten off with a warning. They didn't check out my statement. Outside the front door we talked about it with Raymond, and then we decided to take the bus. The beach wasn't very far, but we'd get there sooner that way. Raymond thought his friend would be glad to see us get there early. We were just about to leave when all of a sudden Raymond motioned to me to look across the street. I saw a group of Arabs leaning against the front of the tobacconist's shop. They were staring at us in silence, but in that way of theirs, as if we were nothing but stones or dead trees. Raymond told me that the second one from the left was his man, and he seemed worried. But, he added, it was all settled now. Marie didn't really understand and asked us what was wrong. I told her that they were Arabs who had it in for Raymond. She wanted to get going right away. Raymond drew himself up and laughed, saying we'd better step on it.

We headed toward the bus stop, which wasn't far, and Raymond said that the Arabs weren't following us. I turned around. They were still in the same place and they were looking with the same indifference at the spot where we'd just been standing. We caught the bus. Raymond, who seemed very relieved, kept on cracking jokes for Marie. I could tell he liked her, but she hardly said anything to him. Every once in a while she'd look at him and laugh.

We got off in the outskirts of Algiers. The beach wasn't far from the bus stop. But we had to cross a small plateau which overlooks the sea and then drops steeply down to the beach. It was covered with yellowish rocks and the whitest asphodels set against the already hard blue of the sky. Marie was having fun scattering the petals, taking big swipes at them with her oilcloth bag. We walked between rows of small houses behind green or white fences, some with their verandas hidden behind the tamarisks, others standing naked among the rocks. Before we reached the edge of the plateau, we could already see the motionless sea and, farther out, a massive, drowsy-looking promontory in the clear water. The faint hum of a motor rose up to us in the still air. And way off, we saw a tiny trawler moving, almost imperceptibly, across the dazzling sea. Marie gathered some rock irises. From the slope leading down to the beach, we could see that there were already some people swimming.

Raymond's friend lived in a little wooden bungalow at the far end of the beach. The back of the house rested up against the rocks, and the pilings that held it up in front went straight down into the water. Raymond introduced us. His friend's name was Masson. He was a big guy, very tall and broad-shouldered, with a plump, sweet little wife with a Parisian accent. Right off he told us to make ourselves at horne and said that his wife had just fried up some fish he'd caught that morning. I told him how nice I thought his house was. He told me that he spent Saturdays and Sundays and all his days off there. "With my wife, of course," he added. Just then his wife was laughing with Marie. For the first time maybe, I really thought I was going to get married.

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