Ko e Taimi ʻOku ʻíkai Tētē ai e Fanga Pató
Naʻa mau pehē pē ʻe kimautolu ʻe lava ʻemau fanga kiʻi pató ʻo moʻui he vaí. Ka naʻa mau ʻohovale.
Naʻe kamatá ʻi hono ʻomi ʻe he tangataʻeikí ha meʻaʻofa fakaʻohovale maʻa hono ngaahi ʻofefine ʻe toko tolú. Naʻa mau fakasiosio ki he loto puha pepá mo kikī ʻi heʻemau fiefiá. Ko e fanga kiʻi ʻuhikiʻi pato! Naʻe ʻikai te mau faʻa tatali ke puke mai ha kiʻi pato. Ne mau feteketekeʻi ʻo mei homo e puhá mei he tangataʻeikí.
Naʻá ne kata mo pehē mai, “ ʻAiʻai lelei pē he ʻoku mou taki taha!”
Naʻá ku ʻohovale he siʻisiʻi ʻa e kiʻi pató heʻeku toʻo ʻi hoku nimá. ʻI he molū ʻeku pukepuke iá, naʻá ku ongoʻi naʻe hangē pē hono lahí ha sēniti ʻe uanoá pea toe pehē pē hono mamafa.
Ne u pehē ange, “ Meʻa ko e maʻamaʻa! Tāneʻineʻi ke lava pē e fanga kiʻi pato valevalé ʻo tētē!”
Naʻe toe kata e tangataʻeikí peá ne ʻalu atu ki he fineʻeikí ʻi peito. Naʻe saiʻia maʻu pē ʻa e tangataʻeikí ke fakaʻohovaleʻi kimautolu, tautefito pē ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻe malimali ai hono fāmilí. Ko e taimi ia ne u manatuʻi ai e kiʻi meʻa kaukauʻangá. Ko e ʻapi lelei taha ia maʻa ʻemau fanga kiʻi pato foʻoú.
Ne u fekau ki hoku tokouá, “Nola, ʻomi e meʻa kaukauʻanga pelesitiki mei he fale kaá.”
Naʻa mau tukuange mai e vai mokomokó ʻi he tiupí ki he meʻa kaukauʻangá he tafaʻaki ki mui homau falé, pea mau kamata vakavakaiʻi e fanga kiʻi pató mo fakahingoa kinautolu. Naʻe ʻi ai e kiʻi foʻi toti lanu melomelo he muʻatosi ʻeku kiʻi pató pea fuʻu lahi mo hono vaʻé.
Ne u manatuʻi fakafokifā hake hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá. Te nau kata heʻeku fuʻu tokanga pehē ki he fanga kiʻi pusiaki foʻoú ni. Peá u toki fakatokangaʻi leva he ʻikai te nau ō mai ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho siʻi ka hokó. Naʻe fakangofua ʻe heʻenau mātuʻá ke nau ō ʻo nofo kemi ʻi he ʻotu moʻunga ofi maí pē. Te nau heka pasikala holo ʻi ha fanga kiʻi hala motuʻa, fili ha feituʻu ke nau kemi ai, fokotuʻu tēniti. Te nau maʻu ha fiefia lahi pea nau foki mai he ʻaho hono hokó, ʻo nau kakata mo talanoa ki heʻenau nofo kemí. Naʻe ʻikai fakangofua ʻe heʻeku faʻeé ke u ʻalu. Naʻá ne talamai ʻoku ou fuʻu kei siʻi!
ʻI he fonu ʻa e kiʻi kaukauʻangá, naʻa mau haʻohaʻo takai mo ʻemau tatali lahi ki he momeniti ko ʻení. Naʻa mau tuku hifo ʻemau fanga kiʻi pató ki he vaí ʻoku nau tāpate mo tangi ʻo nau ngoto hifo ki he takelé. Naʻe ngoto kotoa e toko tolú!
Ne mau ala hifo ki he loto vaí ʻo toʻo hake siʻi fanga kiʻi pató kuo nau fonuhia. Ko e hā e meʻa ʻoku fehālaakí? Naʻe ʻikai ke mau kole ange ke nau fai ha meʻa faingataʻa, hangē ko haʻanau kakau. Ko e meʻa pē naʻe fie maʻu ke nau faí ko e tētē. ʻIkai ko e meʻa faingofua ia ke fai ʻe ha pato?
Naʻe fifili hoku tokouá, pe “Ko e hā e meʻa naʻe hokó?”
“Mahalo pē naʻa tau fakaʻohovaleʻi kinautolu!”
Ne mau pehē kotoa naʻe hangē pē ia ko e ako ʻalu ʻa e fanga kiʻi pēpeé. ʻE ʻi ai pē ʻa e taimi te nau tō ai ki lalo. Ne mau loto taha ke toe ʻahiʻahi.
“Taha, ua, tolu, tukuange!”
Naʻa nau ngoto kotoa ki lalo hangē ha ngaahi foʻi pulu ukameá.
Monūʻia pē fanga kiʻi pató naʻe ʻikai te mau fakahoko ʻemau fakakaukau ko ia ke ʻai ke nau toutou ako. ʻI he fokotuʻu mai ʻe Nola ke mau puhi fakamōmoa honau fulufulú ʻaki e meʻa puhi fakamōmoa ʻulu ʻuhilá, naʻa mau lele kotoa ki fale. Naʻe puhi fakamōmoa ʻe hoku ongo tokouá e siʻi fanga kiʻi pató ʻaki ʻeku meʻa puhi fakamōmoa ʻulu lanu pingikií kau kumi ʻe au e fika telefoni mei he hingoa ʻi he puha pepá.
“Mālō e lelei, tangataʻeiki? Ko kimautolu naʻa mau toki fakatau mai—naʻe toki fakatau mai ʻe heʻemau tamaí ʻa e—fanga kiʻi pato ʻe toko tolu. ʻIo. ʻOku ʻi ai tama e palopalema mo ʻemau fanga kiʻi pató. Meʻá he ʻoku mau loto ke tētē ʻemau fanga kiʻi pató.”
Naʻe toki mahino kiate au ʻi he meʻa naʻe talamai ʻe he tangatá ni. Naʻe ʻikai te u fakatokangaʻi e lahi ʻo e meʻa ne u akó ka ne taʻe ʻoua ʻeku fakamatalaʻi ia kia Nola mo Susí: “Mou ʻiloʻi, ʻoku ʻikai tafe ʻa e vaí ia ʻi he fulufulu moluú. ʻOku hanga ʻe he fulufulú ia ʻo misi e vaí. ʻOku fie maʻu ia ke tau tatali ʻi ha uike ʻe taha pe ua ke fakatupu ʻe honau sinó ʻa e lolo te ne ʻai ke hekeheke ʻo tafe e vaí ʻi honau fulufulú.”
Naʻe fakakikihi mai ʻa Nola, “ ʻOku ʻikai moʻoni ia. Kuó u ʻosi sio au he fanga kiʻi pato ʻoku nau muimui pē ʻi heʻenau faʻeé ʻi he vaitafé. Ko e ngaahi ʻaho siʻi pē ʻa honau motuʻá.”
“Naʻe ʻosi fakamatalaʻi mai ʻena ʻe he tangatá kiate au. ʻI hono fāʻeleʻi mai ʻo e fanga pató, ʻoku ʻōʻōfaki kinautolu ʻe heʻenau faʻeé ʻaki hono kapakaú ke nau māfana. ʻOku tau leva e lolololo mei he kapakau ʻo e faʻeé ʻi hono fanga kiʻi ʻuhikí. ʻE lava ke nau tētē ʻi heʻenau fakataha mo ʻenau faʻeé. Taimi ʻoku ʻikai ʻi ai e faʻeé, ʻe fie maʻu ia ke nau kiʻi lalahi ange ka nau toki malu ʻi he vaí.”
Ko e taimi ia naʻe ʻalu ai hoku ʻatamaí ki he ʻotu moʻungá, ʻo u fakakaukau ki hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ʻi honau tēnití. Mahalo naʻe fie maʻu pē ʻe heʻeku faʻeé ke ne ʻōʻōfaki au ʻi hono lalo kapakaú ke kiʻi taimi lōloa ange. Naʻá ku amoamo pē tuʻa ʻo ʻeku kiʻi pató ʻaki hoku foʻi tuhu ʻe taha.
Ne u palōmesi ange ki ai, “Te u kiʻi fakamamaʻo koe mei he vaí he taimí ni.” Ne u toe fakakaukau peá u pehē ange, “ ʻOkú ke ʻofa ki hoʻo faʻeé?”
Tā fakatātaaʻi ʻe Jim Madsen.