Ko e Meʻa Mahuʻinga Tahá
“ʻOku moʻui [ʻeku] Tamaí [mo ʻofa foki ʻiate au]. [Fanafana mai e Laumālié ʻo talamai ʻoku moʻoni]” (“ʻOku Moʻui ʻEku Tamaí,” Tohi Hiva ʻa e Fānaú, 8.)
Ne hoko ʻa e kalasi nimá ko ha taʻu faingataʻa kiate au. Ne u maʻu ha ngaahi kaungāmeʻa tatau pē ʻi ha ngaahi kalasi ʻe niʻihi, pea naʻá ku fakakaukau te mau kaungāmeʻa maʻu pē. Ka ʻi he ʻosi pē kamata ʻa e kalasi nimá, kuo kamata hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ʻoʻoku ke fakaʻaongaʻi ha ngaahi lea taʻefeʻunga mo fai ha ngaahi tōʻonga naʻá ku ʻilo he ʻikai hōifua ki ai ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní. Naʻa nau toe kamata foki ke anga taʻeʻofa ki he tamaiki kehe ʻi heʻemau kalasí mo lauʻi ʻa e kakaí ʻo ʻikai ke nau ʻilo ki ai.
Naʻe fāifai ʻo u hoko ko e taha ʻo e fānau naʻe fakakata ʻaki ʻe hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá. Naʻe aʻu ʻo nau ʻai kiate au ha hingoa fakatenetene: Sālote Loungutu Lahi, pe ko hono fakanounou ko e “SLL.” Naʻe mamahi lahi hoku lotó. Naʻá ku kamata leva ke fakamamaʻo mei hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ʻi he akó, ka naʻe faingataʻa koeʻuhí he naʻa mau ʻi he kalasi tatau pē.
Naʻá ku pehē ange ʻi ha ʻaho ʻe taha ʻi he maʻu meʻatokoni hoʻataá, ʻi heʻeku feinga ke mau kaumeʻa mo fiefiá, “ʻEi, kau tama!”
Nau tali fakataha pē mo fakakikila mai kiate au, “ʻEi! SLL! Sālote Loungutu Lahi!”
Naʻá ku hola, mo feinga ke taʻofi hoku loʻimatá. Naʻá ku maʻu meʻatokoni hoʻatā tokotaha pē mo lau ʻa e toenga taimí ka u foki ki ʻapi.
Ne ʻeke mai ʻe he fineʻeikí ʻi he taimi naʻá ne fakatokangaʻi ai e ʻilonga ʻi hoku kouʻahé hoku loʻimatá ʻi he tuku ʻa e akó, “Ko e hā e meʻa ʻoku hokó, ʻe hoku ʻofaʻanga?”
“Kuo kamata e tamaiki ia naʻe faʻa hoko ko hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻá ke ui ʻaki au ha hingoa palakū. ʻOku ʻikai ke mahino kiate au e ʻuhinga ʻoku nau anga taʻeʻofa pehē mai ai kiate aú.” Naʻá ku kamata leva ke toe tangi.
“ʻOku ʻikai totonu ke fai pehē ʻa e tamaiki ko iá. Ka ʻoku ʻikai fuʻu mahuʻinga pe ko e hā e fakakaukau ʻa e kakai kehé kiate koé. ʻOkú ke talavou pē koe, pea ʻoku ʻikai ha ʻuhinga ia ke ke fakafanongo ai ki he meʻa ʻoku leaʻaki ʻe he tamaiki anga taʻeʻofa ko iá.”
Naʻá ku talaange leva, “Ka, ʻe Fineʻeiki, ʻoku ou sio kiate kinautolu he ʻaho kotoa pē. ʻOku ou tokanga ki he anga ʻo ʻenau fakakaukau kiate aú. Pea ʻoku fanongo mo ha kakai kehe ki he meʻa ʻoku nau leaʻaki kau kiate aú. ʻE anga fēfē haʻaku tukunoaʻi ʻa e taha kotoa pē?”
“Sālote, ko e fakakaukau pē taha ʻoku mātuʻaki mahuʻingá ko hoʻo fakakaukaú mo e fakakaukau ʻa e ʻEikí. Kapau ʻokú ke ongo SAI PĒ mo e meʻa ʻokú ke faí, pea kapau ʻoku SAI PĒ ki he Tamai Hēvaní hoʻo ngaahi filí, ʻoku ʻikai toe mahuʻinga e meʻa ia ʻoku ui ʻaki koe ʻe he kakaí pe lau atú. ʻOku ou palomesi atu.”
ʻI heʻeku ʻalu ki he akó he ngaahi uike siʻi hono hokó, naʻe kei kataʻi pē au ʻe hoku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa fuoloá mo ui ʻaki au ha ngaahi hingoa. Ka naʻe ʻikai fuoloa kuó u ʻilo te u lava pē ʻo ʻeva takai mo nonga hoku lotó. Naʻá ku ʻilo kapau ʻe SAI PĒ ki he Tamai Hēvaní hoku loungutu matolú, ʻe pehē pē mo au.
Naʻá ku lava ʻo ʻosiki ʻa e kalasi nimá. Pea fakaiku ʻo ʻi ai haku ngaahi kaungāmeʻa foʻou naʻe ʻikai ke nau ui ʻaki au ha ngaahi hingoa pea naʻa nau tokoniʻi au ke u ongoʻi lelei fekauʻaki mo au. Ko e mahuʻinga tahá, he naʻá ku ʻilo kapau ʻe hōifua ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní ki hoku tuʻungá, pea ta ʻoku ʻikai totonu ke u toe hohaʻa ki ha toe faʻahinga fakakaukau ʻa ha taha.
‘Oku nofo ‘a Charlotte Wood ‘i Olikoni, USA.
Ko Sālote ʻi he kalasi nimá …
pea ʻi hono ʻaho malí.
Ngaahi tā fakatātā ʻa Shawna J. C. Tenney; below: ngaahi taá ko e angalelei ʻa Charlotte Wood Wilson