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| 2009/03/01 13:35:23瀏覽789｜回應0｜推薦5 | |
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【前文提到德州大哥尋找報到單位，在H市的空軍基地徒勞一場之後，被帶到市區一個可疑之地。】 It was quite a sight, this new place. Beside a few full-size military trucks painted in Air Force Blue, it really wasn’t what you would call a presentable military installation (however, I have seen worse since). Led by a terrace made out of a few wooden steps standing on some rotten posts to its doorway was a Japanese style house left behind as a fixer upper probably since WWII. At the bottom of the stairs lay an old dog so concentrating on licking its own balls that it ignored a handful of hens running over him while chased around by a rooster. Paul Gauguin would have loved this place – I could almost see him waking up from his nap on a hammock hung between the two large trees in the yard. There was a few local girls sitting on a wooden bench in front of the main entrance chatting. Before long, a crippled man in his late twenties came out, joined the girls and started flirting with them. The lieutenant bade me to stay in the car so he could go in and found out whether this was my unit. I leaned idly against my seat watching him disappear behind the door, not thinking of anything, until the crippled man turned around and walked toward me. He stopped a few feet away from where I was and asked me what was my beef. I begged his pardon for being totally thrown off by the suddenness of his inquiry. He claimed, threateningly, that I was eyeballing him and he would like to know what my problem was. Well, I used to hang around a bunch of wise-guys (close friends from my younger days, two ended facing firing squad for armed robbery) so I knew this prick wanted to use bullying me to impress those chicks. I told him to back off before I cut off his balls and shoved them down through his throat so they could grow back out from his ass - I was very strong and athletic then and I figured one-on-one I could probably nailed his ass in 5 seconds. He realized he was messing with the wrong marine and pondered on whether to keep on acting as the local tough guy when someone from within the building called out to him through an open window by his nickname 'tripod' (it's not hard to figure out why he got it) to quit messing with the new officer unless he wanted to get court-martial again. He turned around and mumbled a few words like this-ain't-over-and-we-shall-see-who-gets-to-fuck-whom types of shit to which I didn't respond any further. 【此地雞犬相聞，看來不似軍事基地。一棟日式舊屋，幾個女子坐在長椅上閑聊，後來出現一個二十來歲的跛子與女子調笑。跛子大概是拉皮條的，發現了大哥，上前挑釁生嫩的小少尉；大哥因年少時交過道上的密友，復自恃身驅壯大，登時以惡言回敬。】 The young lieutenant re-appeared at the entrance and waved at me to come in with my backpack. 'So this is my Purgatory', I thought to myself while stepping up the stairs. The interior had the look of a really cheap motel and was run by a short fat man dressed in civilian clothes. I asked him to whom should I present my papers and he started to laugh, telling me that I ain't there yet. This place, said he, was only the supply and personnel rendezvous point of my unit. I followed up by asking him how far was the base from here and he answered 8 hours drive if it doesn't rain and who the hell knows how long if it does. Then all of a sudden his own sense of humor caught himself off guard and he started laughing hysterically like a madman. After he had calmed down, I asked him to confirm for me that this IS where I was supposed to be and he scanned me from head to toe with a mocking expression all over his face before he went behind the counter and took out a booklet in size and appearance similar to a hotel guest book. Opening it up and flipping through some pages, he turned the book around and shoved it toward me, asking me sarcastically if I recognize my own name. Well shoot there it was, lieutenant XYZ, serial number 1234567, supposedly reported in as a communication engineering officer a week ago, current status unknown, possibly deserting and case undergoing investigation. He said he had phoned the base while I was waiting in the car and they would be expecting my explanation once I got there. I asked him when would that be and he told me there would be a truck scheduled for food delivery at noon tomorrow and that was the earliest one available. His self-proclaimed sense of humor then got the better of him again when I asked him where I would be staying for the night. His reply was that I could have stayed there if I wanted to as it was the purpose of this place, but were he me he would go out and find himself a hooker and get himself laid as many times as humanly possible, because, this was exactly how he put it, “you won't be getting any for a long long time from that place you are going!” Then he drove himself nuts again with another round of hysterical laughter while rolling all over the floor. Fucking creep, I cursed him silently. 【Purgatory: 煉獄。煉獄的門房是個身著便服的短矮胖子，像是開低級旅館的。“這裡只是個補給站，離你的單位至少還有八小時車程，那是說不下雨的時候，”胖子邊說邊歇斯底里的笑。大哥要求他驗明正身，他翻開一個本子一查，果然上面載著：「該員通信官應於一週前報到，至今去向不明，有逃兵之虞，調查中。」胖子又說：“明天中午有一輛運送食物的軍卡，那是上山最早的一班車。我要是你的話，今晚就找個妓女，因為你要去的單位，嘿嘿，很久很久都不會看到女人的。”說完他又滾在地上大笑。 這段是本篇故事的分水嶺。之前大哥在海軍、臺北空軍總部、以及H市空軍基地所遇之人，畢竟有幾分文明世界的人味。但這個補給站位於文明和野蠻的交界，人的惡毒開始明顯流露。胖子為什麼笑？因為看到別人步入惡運，也是個消遣。】 After surveying the overall conditions of several bunker beds available, I decided to spend the night with a few volleyball buddies of mine who were still in college. With almost all the beds having some suspiciously looking stains over the sheets and knowing well what type of 'services' those few ladies outside might have been providing, I figured I would be better off spending the night on some dormitory floor than taking my chances with those sheets. I told him (the fat man) that I would be sleeping somewhere else for the night and he said suit yourself but make sure you get back here before noon as the truck leaves at 1200 sharp. I walked out to the yard with the young lieutenant from the airport and he asked me if I needed a ride. I sensed he pity me for where I was about to go and probably thought he’s looking at a dead man anyway. I thanked him for the offer and said don’t bother as I knew the city well and could catch the bus to where I was heading. We parted shaking hands and I never saw him again. I hope he’s doing alright with the way Taiwanese economy spiraling down to the toilet these days; you hate to see a decent chap get caught up in shit created by other people. 【這補給站兼娼寮有幾張床位，是供軍職人員過夜的。但看到床單上可疑的污漬，大哥決定去大學宿舍找排球隊的哥兒們打地鋪。他與送他來此的少尉道別之後，自己去搭公車。】 All my buddies were very surprised but extremely happy to see me and we went out drinking ourselves silly till daybreak. I slept a few hours before piggy-backing on someone’s motorcycle to the rendezvous point, beating the clock before it struck 11. That rat hole had got quite lively during my absence in the morning; vendors from the local market were coming in and going out in a hurry, hauling in crates loaded with vegetables, eggs and all kinds of strangely looking raw foods. Money were changed hands between the fat man, who nodded to me when he saw me coming into the yard, and a few merchants around him; so he’s the property manager of some sort, I murmured to myself. A few young men were loading the crates up into the truck with brute forces - this wasn’t your mechanized division of a modern army like they had told you about, I finally gathered. Dragging my sack along with me to a sunny corner next to the stairs, then sitting on the ground and leaning back against the wall, I lighted a smoke and closed my eyes, enjoying what I imagined would be the last bit of peace of mind before the end of another 22 months when all of a sudden someone tapped me on the shoulder. 【大哥與排球隊的哥兒們痛飲達旦，第二天趕回補給站。補給站這回兒忙碌如市集，菜販肉販絡繹不絕進出，胖子忙著點貨收錢，幾個年輕小伙子把一箱箱食物弄上卡車。大哥坐著點了根煙，閉上眼睛享受片刻安寧，忽然有人拍他肩膀。】 I opened my eyes and saw another stiff standing over me. He asked me if I am the new communication officer and I answered yes. No one but him in that yard wore military uniform – and a well starched set for that matter; I didn’t even have uniforms as Navy took mine away before they booted me off the island. He smiled and extended his right hand to me while introducing himself as the new administrative officer, also an ROTC. I shook his hand and bade him to sit down to have a smoke with me. He said he didn’t smoke but wouldn’t mind to chat a bit if that’s alright with me. I said sure so we sit down and started shooting some craps. He’s about my size with a really large head in shape of a cube. We exchanged information such as which school we went to and I found out he also had gone to graduate school as I had. He asked me what subject I majored in; I told him electronics and asked him his. He graduated from the same college my sister did, a school famous for being KMT’s party cradle and when he told me he majored in Dr. Sun-Yi-Sien’s political theory I almost said ‘What the fuck? Is that even a major?’ He then told me that there was going to be another ROTC officer joining us for the trip but he was out there on the street shopping for some personal items and would not be back for another half an hour or so. He then pointed at the short fat manager and told me that he also was an ROTC but would be wrapping up his tour of duty in a few months. I looked at my newly acquainted friend; wondered how he got all these information within such short amount of time? I concluded that some have good people skill and others don’t and that’s it. All in all, I was glad to have a few other college graduates to station with for the next 22 months - what a snub! 【這人 - 就是 Ken - 是補給站廣場上唯一著軍服的人，而且軍服漿燙得筆挺。他自我介紹是新任行政官，也是個預官，有個碩大無朋的方形的大頭，是三民主義研究所的碩士，畢業於以國民黨政治搖籃著稱的某大學。他說還有一個預官也要同行，但這時正在街上買東西；還有那胖子其實也是預官，再幾個月就要退伍了。此人消息之靈通頗讓大哥訝異。】 By twelve o’clock there was a very good crowds gathering around the yard. I began to wonder how all these people were going to fit into one truck, with all the supplies and stuffs when Ken, that was his name, strolled back toward me from wandering off a few minutes ago to talk to the fat man. Ken told me that if I wanted I could ride in the taxicab to the base, 300 bucks per head. I was a bit surprised at hearing this and told him that judging from what I had heard about how remote our base was, I couldn’t see why any cab driver would want to make a run it. He pointed his thumb toward the main gate and started for it. I reckoned he wanted to show me something so I got up too, dragging my sack with me and followed him out of the gate. There I saw a long row of taxicabs already lined up along the small alley against the wall with their owners joking, smoking and horsing around. Most cars were regular YL 2000cc sedans, good usually for four passengers plus a driver. He told me that for trip like this they, the drivers, would usually jam six, sometimes seven people in it to max out the profit. I told him I am not going to spend 300 bucks so someone could can me in like a sardine and wondered what idiots would do that. He shrugged his shoulders and said that he agreed with me in general except he had heard stories about how the trip could get rough from time to time and riding inside a cab might not be a bad idea. I asked him if he was thinking about taking it and he said no; said he wanted to feel the truck riding for once at least, just for the heck of it. By this time I figured he had gathered quite some information about our destiny so I asked him how well he knew the place and from where did he get all these information, if he didn’t mind telling me. He said not at all; said he grew up in the Air Force housing compounds and knew a lot of people still in the Service. From what he had heard, this place we were heading to was notoriously famous for its lousy living condition among its peers, but not too terribly busy (an understatement) as far as active duties were concerned. If we just kept our teeth together and followed orders we should come out alright. 【接近中午的時候，廣場上人愈發多起來。軍卡塞得下這麼多貨物和人嗎？大哥正懷疑時，Ken 問他想不想坐計程車上山，一人300元，不過一車可能要塞個六七人。身軀壯大的大哥不願當沙丁魚，Ken 便也打消主意。“不過我聽說路況有時很糟”，Ken 說。原來 Ken 在空軍眷村長大，人頭熟，消息靈通；他還告訴大哥，聽說山上的單位生活條件極差，但不怎麼忙，只要聽命行事就不難混過去。】 We strolled back to the yard just in time for the roll calls before boarding. He said that’s a good sign indicating that officers would get called first for the boarding. Well, he wasn’t too happy when he found out that this place operate on Darwinism, not Hinduism; we all said ‘aye’ when our names got called but no one mentioned anything about getting in the truck until all on the list were accounted for. Then without any warning all these old timers (I became one later) rushed toward the truck and started boarding it from all side as if they were humping a blue elephant in an orgy, leaving us three ROTC rookies standing there like three idiots. The fat man shouted at us from afar to get our college asses on the truck (I later beat the snot out of that piece of crap, with the help from another officer and I will never regret for doing what I did for as long as I shall live). We ran toward it, got on from its rear end with some helps from a few guys sitting in the back , pulling us in; not that we’re physically unfit but because they had already pulled up the back panel and it’s hard to climb over once it’s raised. The truck started, circled the court yard once and headed straight out of the gate. 【到了出發的時刻，上車前先點名。Ken 認為點名對軍官有利，表示軍官可以優先上車。可惜他不知這群人奉行的是達爾文主義，可不是印度教的種性制度。點名一完畢，老鳥一哄而上，從四面八方攀爬上車，留下三名菜鳥預官呆立於地。從後頭傳來胖子的叫囂，“你們這群死大學生還不趕快移動屁股！”三名預官掙扎著被人拉上車。 （過了若干時日，大哥也成老鳥，與另一名軍官合力把補給站的胖子痛扁了一頓。此事他終生不悔）。 關於上車的秩序：大哥在比較文明的臺北長大，所受的生活教育缺乏實用性。我在嘉義上小學的時候，學校的“生活與倫理”剛教了上下車要排隊守秩序，但每到公車站，就見識到父母把孩子高舉從窗戶塞進車子搶座位的奇景，迄今記憶猶新。我的軍人父親看著搖頭，告訴我：“就算沒座位，我們也不做這種事。”我謹遵父訓，但是對於依序上車之事再也不存幻想。當然，今日臺灣的排隊文化已經極為先進，非三十年前可比。】 ----- 待續 ----- |
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