54. Lí sī chi̍t-nî lâi chi̍t-kái hit-chióng lâng | 你是一年來一改彼種人

54. Lí sī chi̍t-nî lâi chi̍t-kái hit-chióng lâng

I ê kha-thâu-u ū chi̍t-chūn sio-sio tâm-tâm ê kám-kak.

"Siàu-pâng ê lâng kún-chhiò kā góa kóng, 'Komako, khì Tê-hoe Pâng khòaⁿ-māi.' Góa thó-ià in án-ne kún-chhiò. Sàng A-chí chē hóe-chhia liáu-āu, pún-chiâⁿ siūⁿ boeh túiⁿ hó-hó khùn chi̍t-ē, m̄-koh in kóng chia ū khà-tiān-ōe kòe. Í-keng thiám kah, góa chìn bô siūⁿ boeh lâi. Cha-àm tī A-chí ê sàng-pia̍t-hōe lim siuⁿ chē. Siàu-pâng ê lâng ti̍t-ti̍t chhiò góa, goân-lâi sī lí lâi ah. Í-keng chi̍t-nî ah. Lí sī chi̍t-nî chiah lâi chi̍t-kái hit-chióng lâng hioh?"

"Góa mā ū chia̍h hit-lō âng-tāu-môa-chî."

"Sī oh?" Komako chē thêng, tú-chiah bīn teh tī Shimamura kha-thâu-u ê ūi âng-âng chi̍t-jiah. Bīn iáu sī gín-á khoán.

Yi kóng, yi sàng hit-ê tiong-liân gē-tòaⁿ kòe nn̄g-chām chiah tò-tún lâi.

"Chìn bô-liâu. Í-chêng bô-lūn chò sáⁿ lóng ti̍t-lí-ti̍t-lō͘, chiām-chiām kò-jîn-chú-gī taⁿ-thâu, sûi-lâng kò͘ ka-tī. Chia mā piàn chìn chē. kò-sèng bē-ha̍h ê lâng lú lâi lú chē. Kikuyu (菊勇) chí bô tī chia, góa tō ko͘-toaⁿ ah. Kòe-khì sū-sū lóng yi tiāⁿ-tio̍h. Yi siāng âng, m̄-bat chió kòe la̍k-pah-ki [tíam hiuⁿ kè-sî sùiⁿ siàu]. Tiàm lih mā siāng chù-tiōng yi."

"Hit-ê Kikuyu nî-hān kàu, túiⁿ khì, sī boeh kiat-hun, a̍h-sī boeh kè-sio̍k chò chit-tô͘?" Shimamura mūi.

"A-chí chit-ê lâng chìn khó-liân. Chá-chêng ê hun-in sit-pāi chiah lâi chia." Komako kóng kàu chia tiû-tî chi̍t-ē, gia̍h ba̍k khòaⁿ goe̍h-kuiⁿ ē ê phiâⁿ-á chhân, chiah koh kóng:

"Hit-pêng siâ-pho pòaⁿ-lō͘ ū chi̍t-keng sin khí ê chhù, ū bô?"

"Lí sī kóng hit-keng kiò Kikumura (菊村) ê liāu-lí tiàm?"

"Tio̍h. A-chí pún-lâi boeh kè khì hit-keng tiàm, āu-lâi kái-piàn sim-ì. Tāi-chì pìⁿ kah chiâⁿ loān. Lâng hó-sim ūi yi khí chi̍t-keng chhù, kàu boeh kè-chhōa ê sî, yi kā lâng that-khui. In-ūi yi kah-ì tio̍h pa̍t-lâng, koh siūⁿ boeh hām hit-lâng kiat-hun. M̄-koh, khì hông phiàn khì. Nā hông bê kah ná bîn-bāng, káⁿ lóng ē án-ne lah, hoⁿh? Thiaⁿ-kóng tùi-hong í-keng cháu-lō͘, taⁿ yi pháiⁿ-sè koh hôe-thâu, kóng boeh ài hit-keng tiàm, mā bô hoat-tō͘ lâu tī chia, ko͘-put-chiang tō khì pa̍t-ūi chò. Siūⁿ tio̍h sī khó-liân. Sui-jiân goán chai bô chē, yi khak-si̍t bat tú kòe kok-chióng lâng."

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54. 你是一年來一改彼種人

伊 ê 跤頭趺有一陣燒燒澹澹 ê 感覺.

"數房 ê 人滾笑 kā 我講, 'Komako, 去茶花房看覓.' 我討厭 in án-ne 滾笑. 送阿姊坐火車了後, 本成想欲 túiⁿ 好好睏一下, 毋過 in 講遮有敲電話過. 已經忝 kah, 我晉無想欲來. 昨暗 tī 阿姊 ê 送別會啉傷濟. 數房 ê 人直直笑我, 原來是你來 ah. 已經一年 ah. 你是一年才來一改彼種人 hioh?"

"我 mā 有食 hit-lō 紅豆麻糍."

"是 oh?" Komako 坐騰, 拄才面硩 tī Shimamura 跤頭趺 ê 位紅紅一跡. 面猶是囡仔款.

她講, 她送彼个中年藝旦過兩站才倒 tún 來.

"晉無聊. 以前無論做啥攏直理直路, 漸漸個人主義 taⁿ 頭, 隨人顧家治. 遮 mā 變晉濟. 個性袂合 ê 人 lú 來 lú 濟. Kikuyu (菊勇) 姊無 tī 遮, 我 tō 孤單 ah. 過去事事攏她定著. 她上紅, m̄-bat 少過六百支 [點香計時 sùiⁿ 數]. 店 lih mā 上注重她."

"彼个 Kikuyu 年限到, túiⁿ 去, 是欲結婚, 抑是欲繼續做這途?" Shimamura mūi.

"阿姊這个人晉可憐. 早前 ê 婚姻失敗才來遮." Komako 講到遮躊 tî 一下, 攑目看月 kuiⁿ 下 ê 坪仔田, 才 koh 講:

"彼爿斜坡半路有一間新起 ê 厝, 有無?"

"你是講彼間叫 Kikumura (菊村) ê 料理店?"

"著. 阿姊本來欲嫁去彼間店, 後來改變心意. 代誌 pìⁿ kah 誠亂. 人好心為她起一間厝, 到欲嫁娶 ê 時, 她 kā 人踢開. 因為她佮意著別人, koh 想欲和彼人結婚. 毋過, 去 hông 騙去. 若 hông 迷 kah ná 眠夢, káⁿ 攏會 án-ne lah, hoⁿh? 聽講對方已經走路, 今她歹勢 koh 回頭, 講欲愛彼間店, mā 無法度留 tī 遮, 姑不 chiang tō 去別位做. 想著是可憐. 雖然阮知無濟, 她確實 bat 拄過各種人."

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54.

He felt something warm and damp on his knee.

" 'Komako, go on up and look in the Camellia Room,' they said in the office, very pleased with themselves. I don't like that way they have. I'd been to see Kikuyu off, and I was just ready for a good nap when someone said there had been a call from here. I didn't feel like coming. I had too much to drink last night at Kikuyu's farewell party. They only laughed down in the office and wouldn't tell me who was here. And it was you. It's been a whole year. You're the sort that comes only once a year?"

"I had one of the cakes she left."

"You did?" Komako sat up. Her face was red where it had been pressed against his knee. She seemed very young.

She had seen the old geisha Kikuyu to the second station down the line, she said. 

"It's very sad. We used to be able to work things out together, but now it's every geisha for herself. The place has changed. New geisha come in and no one gets along with anyone else. I'll be lonesome without Kikuyu. She was at the center of everything. And she made more money than any of the rest of us. Her people took very good care of her."

Kikuyu had worked out her contract, and she was going home. Would she get married or would she open an inn or restaurant of her own? Shimamura asked.

"Kikuyu is a very sad case. She made a bad marriage, and she came here afterwards." Komako was silent for a time, evidently unsure how much she should tell. She looked out toward the slope below the terraced fields, bright in the moonlight. "You know the new house halfway up the hill?"

"The restaurant-the Kikumura, is it called?" "That's the one. Kikuyu was supposed to manage the Kikurnura, but at the last minute she had a change of heart. It caused all sorts of excitement. She had a patron build the place for her, and then, when she was all ready to move in, she threw it over. She found someone she liked and was going to marry him, but he ran off and left her. Is that what happens when you lose your head over a man? I wonder. She can't very well go back to her old work, and she can't take over the restaurant now that she's turned it down, and she's ashamed to stay here after all that's happened. There's nothing for her to do but start over somewhere else. It makes me very sad to think about Kikuyu. There were all sorts of people-but of course we don't really know the details."

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