《美食祈禱和戀愛》Chapter 105 (252):告別

I haven't seen Ketut Liyer in so long. Between my involvement with Felipe and my struggle to secure a home for Wayan, my long afternoons of aimless conversation about spirituality on the medicine man's porch have long since ended. I've stopped by his house a few times, just to say hello and to drop off a gift of fruit for his wife, but we haven't spent any quality time together since back in June. Whenever I try to apologize to Ketut for my absence, though, he laughs like a man who has already been shown the answers to every test in the universe and says, "Everything working perfect, Liss."

Still, I miss the old man, so I stopped by to hang out with him this morning. He beamed at me, as usual, saying, "I am very happy to meet you!"(I never was able to break him of that habit.)

"I am happy to see you, too, Ketut."

"You leaving soon, Liss?"

"Yes, Ketut. In less than two weeks. That's why I wanted to come over today. I wanted to thank you for everything you've given me. If it wasn't for you, I never would've come back to Bali."

"Always you were coming back to Bali,"he said without doubt or drama. "You still meditate with your four brothers like I teach you?"

"Yes."

"You still meditate like your Guru in India teach you?"

"Yes."

"You have bad dreams anymore?"

"No."

"You happy now with God?"

"Very."

"You love new boyfriend?"

"I think so. Yes."

"Then you must spoil him. And he must spoil you."

"OK,"I promised.

"You are good friend to me. Better than friend. You are like my daughter,"he said. (Not like Sharon . . .) "When I die, you will come back to Bali, come to my cremation. Balinese cremation ceremony very fun—you will like it."

"OK,"I promised again, all choked up now.

"Let your conscience be your guide. If you have Western friends come to visit Bali, bring them to me for palm-reading. I am very empty in my bank since the bomb. You want to come with me to baby ceremony today?"

我已經許久未見賴爺。自從捲入斐利貝的生活，並努力爲大姐找一個家以來，我和藥師在午後陽臺的心靈漫談時光早已終止。我曾幾次在他家稍作停留，只是打個招呼，送他妻子水果當禮物，然而打從六月以來，我們即不曾共度美好時光。儘管如此，每當我想爲自己的缺席向賴爺道歉，他就宛如對於宇宙間各種考驗的解答皆已瞭然於心，笑說："一切都完美運作，小莉。"

我依然想念這位老者，於是今天早上去他家看他。他一如往常笑臉迎人，說："很高興認識你！"（我永遠更正不了他的習慣。）

"我也很高興見到你，賴爺。"

"小莉，過不久你就要離開此地？"

"是的，賴爺，再不到兩個星期。所以我今天想過來看你。我想要謝謝你給我的一切。要不是你，我永遠不可能返回巴厘島。"

"你永遠會回到巴厘島的。"他毫無遲疑亦無誇張地說："你還像我教你的，跟你的四兄弟一起禪坐？"

"是的。"

"你還是遵照你的印度導師所教的那般禪坐？"

"是的。"

"你還做噩夢嗎？"

"不了。"

"你對神滿意嗎？"

"非常滿意。"

"你愛新男友？"

"我這麼認爲，是的。"

"那你得寵他。他也得寵你。"

"好的。"我答應。

"你是我的好朋友，比朋友更好。你就像我的女兒，"他說（不像雪倫……），"我死的時候，你回巴厘島來，參加我的火葬。巴厘島的火葬儀式很好玩——你會喜歡。"

"好。"我又一次答應他，哽咽地說不出話來。

"讓你的良知引導你。你如果有西方友人來巴厘島玩，帶他們過來讓我看手相。從爆炸案過後，我的銀行很空。你今天想不想跟我一起去參加小娃儀式？"