車奴 / A Car-Slave

車奴 金雨田	A Car-Slave   Jin Yu Tian
找修車師傅，爲的只是車在奔馳時，發出些許擾人聲響，其實不留意也聽不到，留神時它就刺進耳鼓。遇到阿昆，駕一輛跑車，這已是他一年內第五次拜訪陳師傅了。	BECAUSE of a little disturbing sound from the car in running, I visited Mr Chen, a repairman, though the noise hardly stirred my eardrum unless I listened attentively.  At the garage, I met Ah Khoon, who arrived in his sports car.  That was the fifth visit in a year that he had paid to the repairman.
每一次車子這兒那兒發出一點些微噪音，他就渾身不舒服。花十多萬元買一輛跑車威風，他當然要求完美、完美、完美。	Each time a slight noise was detected somewhere about the vehicle, Ah Khoon would feel terribly ill at ease.  Since the symbol of prestige had cost him more than $100,000, certainly he would expect perfection, full perfection, and nothing but perfection.
他對陳師傅信心十足，有一回，新車上路不久，不經意間車盤底總傳出一兩小聲響，像我這類人，壓跟兒就沒有那種敏感度，陪他上路，他聽了直呱呱叫，我怎麽傾耳，就是聽不清楚。即使代理商車廠的電腦也解決不了。還是他心血來潮，找上老師傅，憑數十年經驗，一聽就解決了。	Ah Khoon has complete confidence in Mr Chen.  While his car was still new on the road, I was once beside him at the wheel.  Unexpectedly, a soft click or two came from under the chassis.  That was enough to rouse the driver to a hue and cry, although it failed even to touch my listening ear, given my far inferior sensitivity.  Even the car dealer’s computerised equipment couldn’t spot the problem.  At last, with a sudden inspiration, Ah Khoon turned to Mr Chen.  With decades of experience, the repairman fixed the glitch straight away.
阿昆可十分佩服陳師傅這塊老薑，但陳師傅一見阿昆，總是笑笑說：“車奴又來了！”	That’s how Ah Khoon became a great admirer of the veteran mechanic.  Yet, whenever Ah Khoon returned, Mr Chen would say, jokingly, “Here comes the car-slave again!”
說的也是，跑車和阿昆，誰是主人？	Surely, he has a point there.  Who is the real master, after all – the sports car or its owner? (Translated by Allen Zhuang)
[原載新加坡《聯合早報》(2000)；收入《不着地族 / A Lift-Off People》(潘正鐳著、Allen Zhuang 英譯；Singapore: All Publishing House, 2002)]