《美食祈禱和戀愛》Chapter 86 (202):大姐的故事

For the last few years now, Wayan and Tutti have been living on their own—all alone, in the beehive of Bali!—moving from place to place every few months as money comes and goes, always sleepless with worry about where to go next. Which has been difficult because every time she moves, her patients (mostly Balinese, who are all on hard times themselves these days) have trouble finding her again. Also, with every move, little Tutti has to be pulled out of school. Tutti was always first in her class before, but has slipped since the last move down to twentieth out of fifty children.

過去幾年來，大姐和圖蒂獨立生活——在組織如蜂巢的巴厘島中獨自生活！——隨着錢的來去，每隔幾個月搬一次家，始終爲了下一步何去何從憂心忡忡。這並不容易，因爲每回搬家，她的病患（多半是巴厘島人，近來他們亦自身難保）很難再找到她。此外，每回搬家，圖蒂都必須轉學。圖蒂從前在班上總是名列前茅，但打從上回搬家後，名次已掉到五十個學童當中的第二十名。

In the middle of Wayan's telling me this story, Tutti herself came charging into the shop, having arrived home from school. She's eight years old now and a mighty exhibition of cha-risma and fireworks. This little cherry bomb of a girl (pigtailed and skinny and excited) asked me in lively English if I'd like to eat lunch, and Wayan said, "I forgot! You should have lunch!" and the mother and daughter rushed into their kitchen and—with the help of the two shy young girls hiding back there—produced sometime later the best food I'd tasted yet in Bali.

正當大姐向我敘述這件真實故事之際，圖蒂本人放學回家，走進店裏。如今八歲的她，展現出無比的魅力。這名可愛的女孩（綁馬尾、皮包骨、活躍異常）用生動的英語問我想不想吃午飯，大姐說："我都給忘了！你該吃午飯！"母女倆趕忙跑進廚房——加上躲在裏頭的兩位害羞女孩幫忙——過一會兒製作出我在巴厘島嘗過的最佳食物。

Little Tutti brought out each course of the meal with a bright-voiced explanation of what was on the plate, wearing a huge grin, generally just being so totally peppy she should've been spinning a baton.

小圖蒂端上每道菜時，就嗓音清亮、笑容可掬地說明盤內的東西，如此活潑的她該去耍指揮棒。

"Turmeric juice, for keep clean the kidneys!" she announced.

"薑黃汁，清潔腎臟！"她宣告。

"Seaweed, for calcium!"

"海藻，補充鈣質！"

"Tomato salad, for vitamin D!"

"番茄沙拉，補充維他命D！"

"Mixed herbs, for not get malaria!"

"多種香草，預防瘧疾！"

I finally said, "Tutti, where did you learn to speak such good English?"

我最後說："圖蒂，你在哪兒學會這一口好英語？"

"From a book!" she proclaimed.

"從書上！"她宣稱。

"I think you are a very clever girl," I informed her.

"我認爲你是很聰明的女孩。"我告知她。

"Thank you!" she said, and did a spontaneous little happy dance.

"謝謝你！"她說，跳了個即興的快樂小舞，

"You are a very clever girl, too!"

"你也是很聰明的女孩！"

Balinese kids aren't normally like this, by the way. They're usually all quiet and polite, hiding behind their mother's skirts. Not Tutti. She was all show-biz. She was all show and tell.

順帶一提，巴厘島的孩子通常不像這樣。他們經常極度安靜客氣，躲在母親身後。圖蒂卻不然，她具有娛樂風采，她懂得表現與表達。

"I will see you my books!" Tutti sang, and hurtled up the stairs to get them.

"我讓你看我的書！"圖蒂唱歌般地說道，衝上樓梯取書。

"She wants to be an animal doctor," Wayan told me. "What is the word in English?"

"她想當動物醫生，"大姐告訴我，"那詞怎麼說？"

"Veterinarian?"

"獸醫？"

"Yes. Veterinarian. But she has many questions about animals, I don't know how to answer. She says, "Mommy, if somebody brings me a sick tiger, do I bandage its teeth first, so it doesn't bite me? If a snake gets sick and needs medicine, where is the opening?' I don't know where she gets these ideas. I hope she can go to university."

"對，獸醫。她對動物有許多疑問，我卻沒法回答。她說："媽咪，如果有人帶一隻生病的老虎過來，是不是先包紮牙齒，以免它咬我？假如有條蛇生了病，需要服藥，它的開口在哪裏？"我不曉得她從哪兒得到這些想法。我希望她能上大學。"