“Tokoua ʻo Taʻengata,” Kaumeʻá, ʻAokosi 2024, 14–15.
Tokoua ʻo Taʻengata
“Ko e taimi ʻeni ʻo e temipalé!” Ko e fanafana ange ia ʻa Uloi ʻi heʻena hū ki lotó.
Naʻe hoko ʻa e talanoá ni ʻi Simipāpuē.
“Fie siofia ha temipale. Te u ʻalu ki ai ha ʻaho,” ko e hiva ia ʻa Laiení.
Pehē ange ʻe he tokoua lahi ʻo Laieni ko Uloí, “Alu ki ai he ʻahó ni!”
Naʻe pelupelu ʻe Mama ha vala ʻo faʻo ki ha kato fononga. Naʻá ne pehē, “Te tau kamata he ʻahó ni, ka ʻe feʻunga mo ha ʻaho ʻe ua ke tau toki aʻu ki he temipale ʻi ʻAfilika Tongá.”
Naʻe tatali fuoloa ʻa Laieni mo hono fāmilí ke nau ō ki he temipalé. Pea ko ‘eni, ko e taimi ʻeni! Te nau mavahe ʻi ha uike kakato ʻe taha.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Uloi, “Mami, toe fakamatala mai kau ki a Tauaniasa.”
Naʻe malimali ʻa Mami ki he ongo tamaiki tangatá. “Ko Tauaniasá ko homo taʻoketé ia. Naʻe siʻi mālōlō pē ʻoku kei taʻu taha. Ka ʻoku kei hoko pē ko homo tokoua, ʻo tatau mo Tafatiua mo Tatenita. ʻOkú ma ʻofa mo Papā ʻi he toko nima kotoa ʻo ʻema fānau tangatá.”
Naʻe malimali ʻa Laieni ʻi heʻene fakakaukau ki a Tauaniasá. ʻOku ongo fakafiefia ke ʻiloʻi ʻoku ʻofa ʻenau ongomātuʻá ʻiate kinautolu kātoa.
Pehē ange ʻa Mamā, “Ko e ʻuhinga ia ʻoku tau ō ai ki he temipalé. Ke silaʻi fakataha ko ha fāmili ʻo taʻengata!” Naʻá ne sipaʻi leva ʻa e kato fonongá. “Tānaki hoʻomou ʻū meʻá. Ko e taimi ʻeni ʻo e temipalé!”
Naʻe tokoni ʻa Uloi ki a Laieni he toʻo ʻenau kato fonongá ki tuʻá. Naʻe kau atu mo Papā, ʻo toʻo ʻa e puha meʻakai naʻe teuteu ʻe Mamā ki he fonongá. Naʻe toʻo foki ʻe Tafatiua mo Tatenita ʻa ʻena kató. Naʻe ʻikai fuoloa kuo kamata lue kotoa ʻa e fāmilí ki he fale lotú. Naʻe tatali mai ai ha pasi, ke ʻave kinautolu ki he temipalé.
Naʻe kaka hake ʻa Laieni ki he pasí ʻo tangutu he tafaʻaki ʻo Uloí. Naʻe ʻi ai ha fāmili kehe ʻe tolu mei honau uōtí naʻa nau heka mo kinautolu ʻi he pasí. Ko e taimi naʻa nau maau kātoa ai ki honau nofoʻangá, naʻe mavahe leva ʻa e pasí ʻi he fononga lōloa ki he temipalé.
Naʻe fakasio ʻa Laieni mo Uloi ki tuʻa ʻi he matapā sioʻatá. Ko e fahaʻitaʻu ʻuhá ʻeni, ko ia naʻe lanumata ʻa e meʻa kotoa mo fakaʻofoʻofa. Naʻa nau fakalaka atu ʻi ha ngaahi ngoueʻanga mo ha ngaahi fakatauʻanga meʻa ʻi he veʻehalá, ʻa ia naʻe fakatau atu ai ʻe he kakaí ʻa e tematá, siainé, mo e patetá. Naʻa nau sio foki ki ha fanga ngeli ʻi he halá! Naʻe fifili ʻa Laieni pe ko e hā mo ha toe fanga manu ʻoku toi ʻi he mohuku loloá mo e ʻuluʻakaú.
Ne ʻikai fuoloa kuo mafuli ʻa e ʻahó ʻo poʻuli, pea kei lele pē ʻa e pasí. Ko ha fononga lōloa, ka naʻe ʻikai lāunga ʻa Laieni mo Uloi. Naʻe mohe ʻa Laieni mo fakakaukau, Ko e taimi ʻeni ʻo e temipalé!
ʻI heʻenau aʻu ki he kolo lahí, naʻe fakasio ʻa e taha kotoa ʻi he pasí ʻi he matapā sioʻatá. Ko hai ʻe fuofua sio ki he temipalé?
“Ko ʻena!” Ko Uloi ange ia.
Naʻe, fāifai, pea hokosia ʻa e taimi ke nau hū ai ki he loto temipalé. “Ko e taimi ʻeni ʻo e temipalé!” Ko e fanafana ange ia ʻa Uloi kia Laieni ʻi heʻenau hū ki lotó. Naʻá na fetongi ʻo vala hinehina. Pea tangutu leva ʻa e tamaiki tangatá ʻi ha loki talitali, ʻi ha kiʻi taimi, mo e toenga ʻo e fānaú.
Naʻe ʻikai fuoloa kuo taki atu ʻe ha tokotaha ngāue temipale lelei ʻa e fānaú ke nau kau fakataha mo ʻenau mātuʻá. Naʻa nau hū atu ki ha loki naʻe ʻi ai ha tēpile molū ʻi lotomālie ke tūʻulutui ai ʻa e kakaí. Naʻe ui ia ko e ʻōlita.
Naʻe pehē ange ʻe he tokotaha ngāué ʻi muʻa ʻi he lokí, “ʻOku talitali lelei kimoulotu ki he loki silá. Te u fakaʻaongaʻi he ʻahó ni ʻa e lakanga fakataulaʻeikí ke silaʻi ʻa e fāmilí takitaha, ke taʻengata.”
Naʻe sio pē ʻa Laieni mo Uloi ʻi he taimi naʻe silaʻi ai ʻa e fāmili kehe ʻe tolú. Hili ia pea hoko leva kinautolu.
Naʻe tūʻulutui takatakai ʻa Laieni mo hono ngaahi tokouá pea mo ʻenau ongomātuʻá ʻi he ʻōlitá. Naʻe fakaafeʻi leva ʻe he faisilá ha taha ʻo honau ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ke ne fakafofongaʻi ʻa Tauaniasa. Naʻe sio hake ʻa Uloi kia Mamā mo Papā ʻi heʻene hilifaki hono nimá ki hona ongo nimá. Naʻá ne fakatokangaʻi ʻoku tafe hifo ʻa e loʻimatá ʻi he kouʻahe ʻo Mamá, ka naʻe malimali pē.
Ko e taimi naʻe ʻosi ai ʻa e silá, naʻe fāʻofua ʻa Laieni kia Mamā. Naʻe fanafana ange ki heʻene fānau tangatá, “ʻOku mou hangē ha kau ʻāngeló.”
Pea fanafana atu ʻa Uloi, “ʻOku hangē ʻoku ʻiate kitautolu ha ʻāngeló.” “ʻOku ou maʻu ha ongo makehe ʻi hoku lotó.”
Pehē ange ʻa Laieni, “Tatau mo au.” Naʻe ongo fakaofo ke ʻi he temipalé mo hono fāmili taʻengatá!
Tā Fakatātā ʻa Rachel Hoffman-Bayles