Ai Kakawakira te Bwai Aei?

Kelly Laing, Washington, USA

N au tai ni mataku iaon te USS West Virginia, e roko te bubuti ibukin te aobitia ae taetae ni Portuguese bwa e na kaibibiti ma te Neiwi ae kain Brazil n te maan ae teniua te wiiki. Ti ngai n te tanga ni buaka n te tiabumwariin ae I taetae ni Portuguese.

Moan au namakin bwa n na aki nako. I a tibwa tia ni kabanea teniua te namwakaina n tararua ao n rangin n ingainga ni kan noriia au utu, ma I aki kona ni mwaninga taekan te kaibibiti. I nakon te Tama are i Karawa n te tataro, karekea te kaeka ae korakora ae I riai n nako, ao ni butimwaea te mwakuri.

A rangin ni mwaiti totoko ni karaoan te babaire. N te taina I namakinna ae kaanga n na aki nako. I iango, “Ai kakawakira te Bwai Aei?” Te Tamnei ae Raoiroi, e, wairikiriki nakoiu bwa n na wakinako (karaoi babaire ibukin te kaibibiti).

Illustration depicting men on board a Navy ship. One of the men is pointing and yelling at a man sitting at a table. Another officer is standing in the doorway.

N tokina, imwiin tabeua te rimwi, I roko iaon kaibuken Brazil. Ngke I uotaki nakon ana ruu ni katangaina te aobitia, e takarua kabenin te kaibuke ao ni kotea te kairake n aobitia n tabonibaina. E norai te kaaben, e tei, ao e taku n ana Ingiriti ae rengarengan, “Ah, raoraou ae kaain America e a roko. Butimwaai I kona n anganiko te bwai teuana bwa ko na mooi iai?”

I kaeka n te taetae ni Portuguese ae n na tangira te moi te tiin ae kinaaki mai Brazil ae I tuai ni katongnga n au mition. E tuangai bwa a mwaiti aekaia nako mooi matoatoa iaon te kaibuke, ma I taekinna ae iaki mooi matoatoa.

Imwiina iai ae karebwerebwe n mataroan au kaebin. Ngke I kauka te mataroa, e tei ikekei te kairake n aobitia man te ruu ni katangaina.

“Ngkoe te i America,” e taku. “Ko aki momoi n te kamanging. Ko taetae ni Portuguese. E kona n ae ngkoe kaain te Moomon?”

“Eng, kaaina ngai,” I kaeka.

E taakin ni katokai baina iaou ao e moana tangina n ae korakora.

Te aobitia aei, Lt. Mendes, bon te aomata ae tibwa rairaki ao te aomata ae tibwa reke ana beeba n te Brazilian Naval Academy. Iaon te kaibuke, e waekoa n reiakinna bwa ana kantaningaia te kaaben bwa e na tibwaua aekan maiuia aobitia n tokono ngkana a kawarii taabo n rooro. Irarikin anne, Lt. Mendes e teimatoa n angananona ibukin “tiute ni bwaai aika roko” ao totokoi katabetaben-kakukurein-waerake n taabo n roroo ake a kawari. E moanna ni kua te kaaben n aro aei. Ngke I rin inanon te tabo n amwarake, e takarua nakon Lt. Mendes ibukina ae aki raoniia.

“Ko na nako ma aobitia n ara tabo n roro are imwiina,” e tuanga te riutenanti. “Ko na kaotia nakon te aobitia ae roko mai i America bwa aekakira aron reken te tai ae kakukurei. E na kantaninga anne mai iroura.”

Ibukin namwakaina, Lt. e a tia Mendes n tataro bwa e na oota ana kaaben ao ni butimwaai ana reirei. Ma rokou, maroroakinan te euangkerio e riki bwa boton ara marooro inanon te ruu n amwarake. Ti taekina rongorongon Iotebwa Timiti ma aobitia ake tabeman, Tuan te Mauri, ao tuan te itiaki. Namakin nakon Lt. Mendes e waekoa ni bitaki. Aobitia a kanakoi tamnei n tangako, ao n te tabo n rooro are imwiina ti bane ni kukurei n amwarake n te tabo n amwarake irarikin are te nakon te kirabu ni mooi.

Ni uakaan ma tokin au kateniua ni wiiki iaon te kaibuke, ao imwiin te maroro ae mwaiti ma te kaaben ao aobitia iaon taekan ara onimaki, a kamwarauaki nanoia mwaane. “Ngkai I a oota iai,” te kaaben e tuanga Lt. Mendes imwain ae I nako, n tuanga bwa e na aki manga tuanga bwa e na aki manga kaaitarai ana reirei.

N na bon aki kona ni mwaninga te taneiai aei. Lt. Mendes ao Ngai ti reiakinna bwa Tamara are i Karawa e kinaira n tatabemaniira, e tangiriira, ao e tabeaianga ni maiura.