“Ko e Tuku ʻa e Pae Telefoni ʻa Seniliné,” Ko e Kaumeʻá, Māʻasi 2024, 36–37.
Ko e Tuku ʻa e Pae Telefoni ʻa Seniliné
Naʻá ne fuʻu fie sio ʻi he foʻi vitiō hokó. Pea mo e hoko aí. Pea mo e hoko aí.
Naʻe hoko ʻa e talanoá ni ʻi Malēsia.
Naʻe tohoʻi ʻe Seniline hono motuʻa tuhú ʻi he screen ʻo e telefoní. Naʻe ʻasi hake ha ngaahi vitiō. Naʻá ne kiʻi tuʻu ʻo sio ʻi ha foʻi vitiō ʻe taha, pea toe hoko atu ʻene paé. Naʻá ne toe tuʻu ʻi ha foʻi vitiō ʻe taha. Naʻe lahi ai ha ngaahi lea kovi, ka naʻe fakaoli, ko ia naʻá ne kei sio pē. Hili iá pea toe hoko atu pē ʻene paé.
“Seniline! Te ke fie haʻu ʻo tā fakatātā?” Naʻe taʻalo mai ʻaki hono kiʻi tehina ko Sōsioó ha laʻipepa.
Naʻe sio hake ʻa Seniline. “ʻIkai he taimí ni.”
“Sai.” Naʻe fakafulofula ʻa Sōsiō ʻo tuku ki lalo ʻa e laʻipepá.
Pae. Pae. Pae. Ngaahi vitiō ʻo ha fanga monumanu fakaʻofoʻofa. Ngaahi vitiō ʻo ha kakai ʻiloa. Ngaahi vitiō ʻo ha fānau ʻoku hulohula. Pea mo ha ngaahi vitiō pē ʻe niʻihi naʻe ʻilo ʻe Seniline ʻoku ʻikai taau ke sio ai. Sai, mahalo naʻe ʻikai ko ha ngaahi vitiō pē ʻe niʻihi ka naʻe lahi. Naʻe kamata ke ongoʻi ʻe Seniline ʻoku totonu ke tuku ʻene sio he ngaahi vitioó.
Naʻá ne fakakaukau, ka ʻoku pousi foki ʻe he kakaí ha ngaahi meʻa lelei lahi. Te ne lava foki ʻo ako ha ngaahi founga foʻou ke tā fakatātā ai mei ha ngaahi vitiō siʻi pē.
Naʻe ui ʻene fineʻeikí, “Seniliné.”
“Hmm?” Naʻe ʻikai toe sio hake ʻa Seniline ia he taimi ko ʻení.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe he Fineʻeikí, “Te tau kai laise mo e meʻatahi fakapaku he pooni. Te ke lava ʻo tokoni ki hono ngaohí?”
Naʻe saiʻia ʻa Seniline ʻi he laisé mo e meʻatahi fakapakú. Ka naʻe ʻikai ke ne fie tuʻu ki ʻolunga ʻi he taimí ni.
Naʻá ne kole ange, “ʻE lava ke u fokotuʻutuʻu pē ʻe au ʻa e tēpilé? Te u lava foki ʻo tokoni ʻi he fufulu peletí.”
Naʻe pehē ange ‘e he fineʻeikí, “Peʻi sai. Ka ʻe fiemaʻu ke ke fokotuʻutuʻu ia ʻi he taimi te u talaatu aí. Pea ʻe fakafoki mai leva ʻa e telefoní. ʻOku sai ia?”
Naʻe talaange ʻe Seniline, “Lelei ʻaupito.”
Naʻe hokohoko atu pē ʻa e sio ʻa Seniline ʻi he ngaahi vitioó. Naʻá ne toe ongoʻi pē ʻoku ʻikai totonu ke sio ʻi he ngaahi vitiō ko iá. Ka naʻá ne fuʻu fie sio ʻi he foʻi vitiō hokó. Pea mo e hokó. Mo e hokó. Pae. Pae. Naʻe faingataʻa ke taʻofi!
Naʻe faifai pea tuku hifo ʻe Seniline ʻa e telefoní. Mahalo naʻe mei lava pē ke ne toe sio ʻi ha foʻi vitiō fakaʻosi. …
Naʻe pehē loto pē ʻe Seniline, ʻIkai. Naʻe ueʻi ia ʻe he Laumālie Māʻoniʻoní, pea naʻá ne fie fanongo. Naʻe kei tuʻu pē hono nimá ʻi he telefoní. Naʻe faingataʻa ʻaupito! Naʻe kuikuinini ʻa Seniline.
Naʻá ne lotu fakalongolongo ʻo pehē, ʻE Tamai Hēvani. ʻOku ou feinga mālohi ke fakafanongo ki he Laumālie Māʻoniʻoní, ka ʻoku ou fiemaʻu tokoni. ʻOku ou loto ke tuku ʻeku sio he ngaahi vitiō ko ʻení, ka ʻoku ʻikai ke u ʻilo pe ʻe founga fēfē. ʻI he huafa ʻo Sīsū Kalaisí, ʻēmeni.
ʻI he taimi pē ko iá, naʻe ui ia ʻe he Fineʻeikí ke fokotuʻutuʻu ʻa e tēpilé. Naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa Seniline peá ne malimali. Ko ha founga ia ʻe taha ke tokoni ke ne mavahe ai mei heʻene telefoní.
Naʻe fokotuʻutuʻu ʻe Seniline ʻa e ʻū peletí ʻi he funga tēpilé. Naʻá ne pehē ange, “Mami, naʻá ku sio ki ha ngaahi meʻa taʻefeʻunga ʻi he telefoní.”
Naʻe sio hake ʻa e Fineʻeikí mei heʻene feimeʻatokoní. “Ngaahi meʻa fēfē?”
Naʻe fakamāhiki ʻe Seniline hono umá mo pehē ange. “Ngaahi meʻa hangē ko ha ngaahi lea kovi mo ha ngaahi vitiō kovi. Ka ʻoku ʻikai kovi kotoa ia.”
Naʻe fehuʻi ange ʻe he Fineʻeikí. “Ko e hā naʻá ke fai ʻi hoʻo mamata ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻoku koví?”
Naʻe fakalongolongo ʻa Seniline ʻi ha kiʻi taimi siʻi. Naʻá ne fokotuʻu ha ipu ʻi he feituʻu takitaha.
Naʻá ne tali ange, “Naʻá ku kei sio pē. ʻOku ʻikai ke u ʻilo hono ʻuhingá. Ka naʻe talamai ʻe he Laumālie Māʻoniʻoní ke tuku, ko ia ne u fakahoko ha lotu ki ha tokoni.
Naʻe tuku ʻe he Fineʻeikí ha laulau laise mo e meʻatahi fakapaku kei mafana ʻi he funga tēpilé. Naʻá ne pehē ange, “ʻOku mātuʻaki faingataʻa ʻaupito ʻi he taimi ʻe niʻihi ke taʻofi hono fai ʻo e ngaahi meʻá neongo ʻetau ʻiloʻi ʻoku nau koví. Pea ʻi he taimi ʻoku hoko ai ʻení, ko e meʻa lelei taha te tau lava ʻo faí ko e lotu.”
Naʻe malimali ʻa Seniline. “ʻA ia naʻá ku fai ʻa e meʻa totonú.”
“Naʻá ke fakahoko tonu ia.” Naʻe ʻoange ʻe he Fineʻeikí ha ʻū sēpuni ke tuku ʻi he tēpilé. “Pea ʻoku ʻikai kovi ʻa e ʻinitanetí. ʻE lava ke tokoni ia ke tau fetuʻutaki mo e ngaahi kaungāmeʻá pea mo vahevahe ha ngaahi fakakaukau. Ka ʻe lava foki ke faingataʻa ke tau fakamamaʻo mei he ngaahi meʻa ʻoku koví. Mei he taimí ni ʻo fai atu, kapau te ke sio ʻi ha ngaahi vitiō, tau toki sio fakataha pē ki ai. ʻI he founga ko iá te ma lava ai mo Teti ʻo tokoni kapau te ke sio ki ha meʻa ʻoku kovi.”
Naʻe kamo pē ʻa Seniline. Ko ʻene toe sio vitiō pē ʻe sio fakataha mo ʻene Fineʻeikí mo e Tangataʻeikí. Ka ʻi he taimi tatau, naʻe lahi ha ngaahi meʻa fakafiefia te ne lava ʻo fai taʻe kau ai ʻa e telefoní.
Naʻe kole ange ʻe he fineʻeikí. “Te ke lava ʻo tala ki he taha kotoa kuo taimi ki he maʻu meʻatokoni efiafí?”
“ʻIo! Pea ʻi he ʻosi ʻa e maʻu meʻatokoni efiafí, te u tā fakatātā mo Sōsiō!”
Ngaahi tā fakatātā ʻa Mitch Miller