Ewi Jon̄an An Menin Aorōk?

Kelly Laing, Washington, USA

Tōre eo ikar iuweļo̧k ioon USS West Virginia, ekar itok juon ko̧o̧ļ n̄an juon opija eo ej kōnono kajin Portuguese bwe en etal in jerbal ium̧win jilu wiik ko ilo Navy eo an riBrazil. Kar n̄a wōt juon ilo jarin tariņae eo ilo waantulo̧k eo ekar kōnono kajin Portuguese.

En̄jake eo aō jinoin ekar bwe in jab etal. Ej kab mōj aō kadedeikļo̧k jilu allōn̄ in aō ito itak im waj im ikar reim̧aanļo̧k wōt n̄an aō loe baam̧le eo aō, ak oktak in jerbal eo aō ekar jab jako jān kōļmenļo̧kjeņ eo aō. Ikar oktakļo̧k n̄an Jemedwōj Ilan̄ ilo jar, ikar bōk juon uwaak ekajoor bwe in etal, im bōk ijjitōn̄ eo.

Ekar lōn̄ kapan̄pan̄ ko ilo karōk ko. Ilo juon iien ikar en̄jake āinwōt ibweer. Ikar ļōmņak, “Ewi jon̄an an aorōk menin?” Ijoke, Jetōb Kwojarjar eo, ekar im̧we eō bwe in wōnm̧aanļo̧k im kōm̧m̧ani karōk ko.

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.

Āliktata, ālkin jet tartarlikļo̧k ko, ikar itaakļo̧k ilo waan tariņae eo an riBrazil. Ke rekar jineeteļo̧k n̄a n̄an ruum̧ in m̧ōn̄ā eo, kapen eo an wa eo ekar lamōj im jitōn̄ļo̧k opiija eo edik. Kapen eo ekar kalimjōke n̄a, bōjrak, im ba ilo an bijin ilo kajin English, “A, riAmedka eo m̧ōtta emōj an itaaktok. Koruwainene Elōn̄ ke jabdewōt dān imaron̄ lewaj bwe kwōn idaak?”

Ikar uwaak ilo kajin Portuguese bwe ikōņaan idaak juon koļa in Brazil eo ij jan̄in bar idaake jān ke ikar mijen. Ekar ba n̄an eō bwe tim̧a eo eobrak kōn aolep kain dān in kadōk, ak ikar ba bwe ijjab idaak dān in kadōk.

Tokālik rej kōļļaļļal ilo kābin eo aō. Ke ikar kōppeļļo̧ke kōjem̧ eo, opiija eo edik jān ruum̧ in m̧ōn̄ā eo ekar jutak.

Ekar ba, “Kwoj juon riAmedka.” “Kwoj jab idaak dān in kadōk. Kwojeļā kajin Portuguese. Emaron̄ ke kwe juon Mormon?”

“Aaet, n̄a juon,” ikar uwaak.

Ekar letok pein im bakwij eō im jino jan̄.

Opiija in, Lt. Mendes, ekar juon rioktak ekāāl im juon ekar kadiwōjļo̧k jān Brazilian Naval Academy. Ke ekar iuwe ioon tim̧a eo, ekar jeļā wōt ke kiāptin eo ekōņaan bwe en kajjieon̄e wāween mour ko an opiija ro n̄e rej loļo̧k ob ko. Ijjelo̧kun, Lt. Mendes ekar wōnm̧aanļo̧k wōt im “kōm̧m̧an jerbal in wiakake dān ilo tim̧a eo” im jab kōm̧m̧an jerbal in leto letak ko ioon ob ko. Kumi eo an kiāptin eo rekar mōk kōn jerbal eo. Ke ikar deļo̧n̄ļo̧k ruum̧ in m̧ōn̄ā eo, ekar pūron̄eļo̧k Lt. Mendes kōn an jab kobaļo̧k.

“Kwonaaj etal ippān opiija rein n̄e ebar wōr jerbal rot in,” ekar jiron̄lok lietenant eo. “Kwonaaj kwaļo̧k n̄an opiija in Amedka eo elmen bwen wōr an iien em̧m̧an. Enaaj kōņaan bwe jen kwaļo̧k n̄an e.”

Ium̧win elōn̄ allōn̄ ko, Lt. Mendes ekar jar bwe kiāptin in an emaron̄ meļeļe im errā kōn pedped in katak ko an. Jān tōre eo ikar itaaktok, ekōnono kōn gospel eo ekar erom̧ men eo eaorōk tata ilo enan̄in aolep kōm̧m̧ao ko am̧ ilo ruum̧ in m̧ōn̄ā eo. Kōm̧ kar kōnono ippān opiija ro jet kōn Josep Smith, Jepļaaktok eo, Naan in Māletlet, im kien erreo. En̄jake ko n̄an Lt. Mendes ejjab etto rekar oktak. Opiija ro rekar tum̧i aolep pija ko renana jān jikin ko rejetmatmat, im ilo jikin po eo juon an tim̧a ko kōm̧ aolep kar m̧ōņōņō ippān doon ilo juon iien m̧ōn̄ā ilo juon restaurant im jab etal n̄an juon kūļab.

Jem̧ļo̧kinļo̧k jilu wiik ko jān ke ikar iuweļo̧k ioon tim̧a eo, im ālkin elōn̄ kōnono ko ippān kiāptin eo im opiija ro kōn tōmak eo aō, em̧m̧aan ro rekar kōmerāikļo̧k būruweer. “Kiiō imeļeļe,” kiaptin eo ekar jiron̄ļo̧k Lt. Mendes m̧okta jān aō kar em̧m̧akūt, ba bwe ej jāmin bar kajjitōk ippān kōn pedped in katak ko an.

Ij jāmin meļo̧kļo̧k en̄jake in. Lt. Mendes im n̄a kar katak bwe Jemād ilo Lan̄ ejeļā kōn kōj kajjojo, Ej iakwe kōj, im Ej kea kōn mour ko ad.