“Kuo Maau ʻa e Meʻatokoni Pongipongí,” Kaumeʻá, ʻEpeleli 2024, 38–39.
Kuo Maau ʻa e Meʻatokoni Pongipongí
Ko e lahi ange ko ia ʻa e ako feimeʻatokoni ʻa Tēvitá, ko e lahi ange ia ʻene ongoʻi loto-falalá.
Naʻe hoko ʻa e talanoa ko ʻení ʻi he ʻIunaiteti Siteiti ʻo ʻAmeliká.
Naʻe ongoʻi fiekaia ʻa Tēvita ʻi heʻene nāmuʻi ʻa e sipēketí. “ʻE maau fakakū ʻa e meʻatokoni efiafí?”
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Papa lolotonga ʻene heu ʻa e sipēketí, “ʻI ha kiʻi taimi siʻi pē.” Naʻá ne kiʻi hila atu kia Tēvita. “Ko e hā hoʻo meʻa ʻoku faí?”
Naʻe pukepuke hake ʻe Tēvita ʻene Tohi Fakahinohino maʻá e Fānaú. “ʻOku ou feinga ke fili ha taumuʻa foʻou. Ka ʻoku ʻikai ke u fakapapauʻi pe ko e hā e meʻa te u faí. ʻOku nau sai kotoa pē.”
“Ko e hā ha niʻihi ʻo e ngaahi meʻa ke fili mei aí?”
Naʻe huke hake ʻe Tēvita ʻa e tohi fakahinohinó. “Hivaʻi ha foʻi hiva Palaimeli, tokoni ki ho kaungāʻapí, talitali lelei ʻa e niʻihi kehé …” Naʻá ne fakatokangaʻi mo ha meʻa ʻe taha. “ʻOi! Papa, te ke lava ʻo tokoni mai ke u poto ʻi he feimeʻatokoní?”
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Papa, “ʻIo, te u tokoni atu. Te u ngaohi ʻeku meʻatokoni pongipongi makehe he Sāpaté ʻapongipongi. Te ke lava ʻo ʻā pongipongia ke tokoni mai kiate au?”
“ʻIO!” Ko Tēvita ange ia.
ʻI he pongipongi hono hokó, naʻe ʻā pongipongia ʻa Tēvita ʻo fetaulaki mo Papa ki peito. ʻI hono toʻo hake ʻe Papa ʻa e ʻū meʻa ki he feimeʻatokoní, naʻe fanofano ʻe Tēvita hono ongo nimá.
Naʻe fakaʻaliʻali ange ʻe Papa kia Tēvita ʻa e founga hono puke ʻo e helé mo e tofi fakalelei ʻo e fuaʻiʻakaú. Naʻá ne fekau kia Tēvita ke ne heu fakataha kotoa ʻa e ngaahi meʻa ki hono ngaohi ʻo e laʻikeké. Pea naʻe hokosia leva e taimi ke ʻai ai e konga lelei tahá. ʻA e pēkaní!
Naʻe fakaʻaongaʻi ʻe Tēvita ha meʻa-hiko ke fulihi fakalelei ʻa e pēkaní ʻi he fakapakú. Naʻe lililili hake ʻa e pēkaní, pea puna hake ha meʻi ngako ki hono ʻuluʻulutuhú. “ʻOiauē!” Ko Tēvita ia.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Papa, “Tokanga.” Naʻá ne fakamoʻui ʻa e vai ʻi he singí pea fekau ʻa Tēvita tuku hono nimá ʻi he lalo vai momokó ʻi ha kiʻi taimi siʻi. Naʻá ne ʻoange leva ha kofunima ke tui ʻe Tēvita ke maluʻi hono nimá mei he ngako velá.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Tēvita, “Ta ko e meʻa faingataʻa ʻa e feimeʻatokoni.”
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Papa, “ʻIo. Ko e meʻa faingataʻa ʻa hono ako ha ngaahi meʻa foʻoú. Ko hono ʻuhinga ia kuo pau ai ke ke ako ʻa e ngaahi founga totonú.”
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Tēvita, “Pea kuo pau ke toutou akoako tuʻo lahi. Naʻá ku ako ʻi he Palaimelí naʻe ʻikai ke ʻafioʻi ʻe Sīsū ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē ʻi he kamataʻangá.”
Naʻe kamokamo ʻa e Tangataʻeikí. “Naʻa mo Ia naʻe pau ke Ne ako māmālie ʻa e ngaahi meʻá.”
Naʻe ʻosi ʻena fakapaku ʻa e pēkaní pea fetuku kotoa ʻa e meʻakaí ki he funga tēpilé. Naʻe ifoʻia kotoa ai ʻa e fāmilí.
Naʻe tangitangi mai ʻenau pusí ko Nakó mei he lalo tēpilé.
“ʻOku ou tui ʻoku fiemaʻu foki ʻe Nako haʻane meʻakai!” Ko Sela ange ia ko e tuofefine ʻo Tēvitá.
Hili iá, naʻe tokoni lahi ʻa Tēvita kia Papa ʻi peito. Naʻe akoʻi ange ʻe Papa ha ngaahi founga feimeʻatokoni lahi mei heʻenau tohi feimeʻatokoní. Naʻe ako ʻe Tēvita ʻa e founga ki hono fua ʻo e ngaahi meʻa ki hono ngaohi ʻo e kūkisí, founga hono fakapaku ʻo e fuaʻimoá, mo e founga ki hono ngaohi ʻa e inu ʻokú ne saiʻia taha aí, ʻa e horchata. Ko e lahi ange ʻene ako feimeʻatokoní, ko e lahi ange ia ʻene loto-falalá.
Pea ʻi ha pongipongi Sāpate ʻe taha, naʻe ongoʻi ʻe Tēvita kuó ne mateuteu. “Papa, ʻe lava ke u ngaohi toko taha pē ʻa e meʻatokoni pongipongi ʻi he ʻahó ni?” Ko e fehuʻi ange ia ʻa Tēvitá ʻi heʻene ʻi peito mo Papá.
Naʻe pehē ange ‘e Papa, “ʻIo. Te u ʻi heni pē ʻo kapau te ke fiemaʻu ha tokoni.”
Naʻe toʻo hake ʻe Tēvita ʻa e ʻū meʻa naʻá ne fiemaʻú pea kamata leva ʻene ngāué. Naʻá ne tofitofi ʻa e situloapelí mo e siainé ʻo hangē ko e founga naʻe fakaʻaliʻali ange ʻe Papá. Naʻá ne fulihi fakalelei ʻa e laʻikeké ʻo ʻikai ke paku.
Pea ʻi he taimi naʻá ne fakapaku ai ʻa e pēkaní, naʻá ne ʻiloʻi ʻa e meʻa totonu ke faí. Naʻá ne tui ha kofunima mo ha ʻēpani ke maluʻi ia mei he pipihi ʻa e ngakó.
ʻI he ʻosi ʻene ngāué, naʻe fetuku ʻe Tēvita ʻa e meʻakaí kotoa ki he funga tēpilé. Naʻe tangutu hifo leva ʻa e toenga ʻo e fāmilí. Naʻe fai ʻe hono tuofefine siʻisiʻi ko ʻEmelií ha lotu, pea kamata leva ke nau kai.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe hono tehina ko Seilemí, “ʻOku fuʻu ifo ʻaupito ʻeni. Mālō, Papa.”
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Papa, “Ko Tēvita naʻá ne ngaohi toko taha pē ʻa e meʻakai kotoa ko ení.”
“Ko e moʻoni?” Ko Seilemi ange ia. Naʻá ne sio kia Tēvita. “ʻOkú ke fuʻu poto ʻaupito he feimeʻakaí!”
Naʻe fiefia ʻa Tēvita. Naʻe taimi lahi ʻene akoakó, ka naʻe fakafiefia ke ngaohi ha meʻatokoni pongipongi maʻa hono fāmilí. Naʻe ʻikai ke ne faʻa tatali ke ako ha ngaahi founga feimeʻatokoni lahi ange.
Tā fakatātā ʻa Liz Brizzi