55. Liāu-lí tiàm koh-lâi boeh án-nóa?
"Cha-po͘-lâng? Kám ū gō͘-ê?"
"Hēⁿ ah." Komako chhiò-chhiò kóng. Hut-jiân koh oa̍t-thâu, kóng:
"A-chí sī chi̍t-ê núi-chiáⁿ ê lâng. Núi siô-siô neh."
"Án-ne mā bô hoat-tō͘."
"Tō sī án-ne ah. Nā hông kah-ì tio̍h, boeh án-nóa hó?"
Yi án-ne kóng, koh ná àⁿ thâu ná iōng thâu-chiam jiàu thâu-khak:
"Kin-á-ji̍t kā sàng, sim-koaⁿ chìn kan-khó͘."
"Hit-keng liāu-lí tiàm koh-lâi boeh án-nóa?"
"Iû hit-lâng ê tōa-bó͘ lâi chò."
"Chiâⁿ chhù-bī, tōa-bó͘ keng-êng sè-î ê tiàm."
"Tō sī mah. Khui-tiàm ê tāi-chì lóng khoán hó-sè ah. Bô án-ne mā bô hoat-tō͘ ah. Gín-á lóng tòe leh, tōa-bó͘ í-keng sóa kòe-lâi ah."
"Pún-lâi ê chhù boeh án-nóa?"
"Thiaⁿ-kóng, lâu hō͘ ta-ke khì kò͘. Hit-lâng sui-jiân sī chng-kha lâng, m̄-koh i ū ka-tī kah-ì ê tāi-chì. Sī chi̍t-ê chiâⁿ chhù-bī ê lâng."
"Lōng-liú-lian ê lâng neh. Í-keng ū hòe-thâu ah hioh?"
"Iáu siàu-liân. Kan-ta saⁿ-cha̍p jī/saⁿ."
"Eh, nā án-ne, sè-î khah chē-hòe tōa-bó͘, hoⁿh?"
"Tâng-nî lah, lóng jī-cha̍p-chhit neh."
"Kikumura káⁿ sī ùi Kikuyu ê Kiku khì hō-miâ ê. Tōa-bó͘ koh án-ne kā chiap kòe-lâi chò."
"Khan-páng í-keng kòa chhut-khì, boeh koh kái ká-ná mā bô sáⁿ hó."
Shimamura kā saⁿ-á-niá khiú khah óa chi̍t-ē. Komako khì kā thang-á-mûi koaiⁿ khí-lâi.
"A-chí tùi lí mā chìn liáu-kái. Kin-á-ji̍t lí lâi, yi ū kóng khí."
"Yi lâi kò-sî, góa sī tī siàu-pâng tú tio̍h yi."
"Ū kóng sáⁿ bô?"
"Sáⁿ to bô kóng."
"Lí liáu-kái góa ê sim-chêng bô?" Komako koh khì kā tú-chiah koaiⁿ hó ê chóa-thang-á phah-khui, koh hiông-hiông tī thang-á tâi chē lo̍h-lâi.
--
55. 料理店閣來欲 án-nóa?
"查埔人? 敢有五个?"
"Hēⁿ ah." Komako 笑笑講. 忽然 koh 越頭, 講:
"阿姊是一个 núi 汫 ê 人. Núi siô-siô neh."
"Án-ne mā 無法度."
"Tō 是 án-ne ah. 若 hông 佮意著, 欲 án-nóa 好?"
她 án-ne 講, koh ná àⁿ 頭 ná 用頭簪 jiàu 頭殼:
"今仔日 kā 送, 心肝晉艱苦."
"彼間料理店閣來欲 án-nóa?"
"由彼人 ê 大某來做."
"誠趣味, 大某經營細姨 ê 店."
"Tō 是 mah. 開店 ê 代誌攏款好勢 ah. 無 án-ne mā 無法度 ah. 囡仔攏綴 leh, 大某已經徙過來 ah."
"本來 ê 厝欲 án-nóa?"
"聽講, 留予 ta-ke 去顧. 彼人雖然是庄跤人, 毋過伊有家治佮意 ê 代誌. 是一个誠趣味 ê 人."
"浪 liú-lian ê 人 neh. 已經有歲頭 ah hioh?"
"猶少年. 干焦三十二三."
"Eh, 若 án-ne, 細姨較濟歲大某, hoⁿh?"
"同年 lah, 攏二十七 neh."
"Kikumura káⁿ 是 ùi Kikuyu ê Kiku 去號名 ê. 大某 koh án-ne kā 接過來做."
"Khan-páng 已經掛出去, 欲 koh 改 ká-ná mā 無啥好."
Shimamura kā 衫仔領搝較倚一下. Komako 去 kā 窗仔 mûi 關起來.
"阿姊對你 mā 晉了解. 今仔日你來, 她有講起."
"她來告辭, 我是 tī 數房拄著她."
"有講啥無?"
"啥 to 無講."
"你了解我 ê 心情無?" Komako koh 去 kā 拄才關好 ê 紙窗仔拍開, koh 雄雄 tī 窗仔台坐落來.
--
55.
"Men? How many? Five or so?"
"I wonder." Komako laughed softly and turned away. "Kikuyu was weak. A weakling."
"Maybe there was nothing else she could do."
"But isn't it so? You can't go losing your head over every man that likes you." Her eyes were on the floor, and she was stroking her hair meditatively with a hair ornament. "It wasn't easy, seeing her off."
"And what happened to the restaurant?"
"The wife of the man who built it has taken it over."
"An interesting situation. The wife managing the mistress's restaurant."
"But what else could they do? The place was ready to open, and the wife moved in with all her children."
"What about her own house?"
"They left the old woman to take care of it, 1 hear. The man's a farmer, but he likes to have his fun. He's a very interesting fellow."
"So it would seem. Is he well along in years?"
"He's young. No more than thirty-one or thirty-two."
"The mistress must be older than the wife, then."
"They're both twenty-six."
"The 'Kiku' of 'Kikumura' would be from 'Kikuyu.' And the wife took over the name even?"
"But they couldn't change the name once it was advertised."
Shimamura straightened the collar of his kimono. Komako got up to close the window. "Kikuyu knew all about you. She told me today you were here."
"I saw her down in the office when she came to say good-by."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"Not a thing."
"Do you know how I feel?" Komako threw open the window she had just shut, and sat down on the sill as if she meant to throw herself out.
--
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