He Tai Pari (Upoko Tuatahi / Chapter One)
Illustrations By Jenny Cooper and Translation By Kaharau Keogh
Aug 01 ● 11 min read ●
To read previous chapters go to Stories
Upoko Tuatahi
Ka takoto a Ari ki tana moenga, ka whakataurite i tōna hū ki te pito o tōna matiwae-nui, me te kaute i te roa o te noho o tōna hū ki reira.
. Ka rongo ia i āna tuāhine e whawhai ana i tērā taha o te whare. Ehara i te mea hou ki a ia. Ka are taringa atu ia, ka ngana ki te wewete i te take o tā rāua whawhai, mō te tūpono he take pea e taea ai e ia te whakakōhete i a rāua, he take rānei hei whakamahinga māna i tōna wā, kia noho nama rāua ki a ia. Heoi … tē aro i a ia te take o tā rāua whawhai, he takeo katoa tā rāua whawhai ki a ia.
. Ki te nuinga, he tamaiti noa a Ari McInnis. Kāre he mea motuhake tā te tama nei. Pēnei i ōna hoa, e ngākaunui ana ia ki te kauhoe, ki te hī tuna me te tākaro poiwhana. He mea noho te tamaiti nei ki te taha i ōna mātua, me āna tuāhine ki tētahi whare māhanahana i te tiriti mārire, kāre he paku aha e tūpono ana i te tiriti rā.
. I haumaru a Ari ki te whakaaro, e pēnei ana tōna ao. I te mea, he māmā ake māna ki te huna i ngā mea rerekē ōna. He torohū ā Ari, kāre e manakohia ana kia tohaina ki tangata kē atu. Ka mutu, ka pau katoa tōna wā ki tāna ngana kia noho tapu ēnei torohū. Ko te hanga nei, he mahi nui tēnei māna.
. Whā tekau mā ono, whā tekau mā whitu, whā tekau mā waru … pakō.
. Ka pīrori iho a Ari i tana moenga. Ehara i te kaute pai, heoi, ehara i te mea he kaute kino.
. ‘E tika ana pea kia tae pai au ki te kura i te wā tika.’ Te whakaaro pāhunu a Ari.
. Kāre he paku aha tā Ari mō te kura … i te nuinga o te wā. Ka koa tōna ngākau i te whakahoahoa ki ōna hoa, ki te tākaro poikaro, poiwhana me te kōutuutu. He pai hoki ki a ia te wā kai, me te akomanga toi. Heoi anō ko te toenga o te rā … Kāre e minamina ana ki a ia. E kaha whakapono ana a Ari he koretake ia. Ehara i te mea he korekiko ia … engari ka tāea hoki pea taua kupu.
. Ka ngū te hīteki a Ari ki te kīhini ki te tiki i tana pouaka kai. Ka āta whakapuare ia i te tatau o muri …
. “Maaaamaaaa! E wehe ana a Ari me te mahue mai i ahau!”
. Ka tū a Ari. Ka mahara ia mō tana kawe i a ‘Wahapapā’ ki te kura i te rangi nei. Ka noho a Ari, ka whakaaro mō ōna kōwhiringa: ka puta tere ia me tōna kotahi, ka hoki puehu mai i muri i te kura. Ka mate rānei ia ki te hīkoi tahi ki te kura ki tō pākiwaha taha.
. “Ari Dylan McInnis!” Aiare, kua takaroa rawa. “Māu a Emmy e hīkoi ki te kura i te rangi nei, engari i mōhio kē koe ki tēnā, nē?” Ka kimo atu a Māmā ki a ia me te menemene. “Kia kama e Emmy, e whanga ana tō tungāne ki a koe.”
. Kātahi a Māmā ka kōhimu ki a Ari, “Kia manawanui atu, kaore e roa, ka hīkoi ngātahi ana ia me ōna hoa, kātahi koe ka wātea ki te hīkoi me tō kotahi. Kia pai tō rā e tama.”
. Ka wharara atu a Māmā ki te kihi i a Ari. Ka kōrapa a Ari. Me pono … kua pakeke rawa ia mō ngā kihi a Māmā.
. Ka rere tārewa mai a Kiri, te tuakana a Ari rāua ko Emmy, ka puta i te kihini me te mihi atu ki te whānau, “Hei konā!” Ka tuki tōna pēke ki te puku o Ari i tōna hipanga i a ia, ka hī ōna pewa.
. I a Ari rāua ko Emmy e heke ana i te arapiki, ka karanga atu a Māmā, “Me tū pea koe ki te kāinga o tō koroua i tō hokinga mai i te kura, pātai atu ki a ia mō taua aromatawai āu.”
Ka tere atu a Emmy rāua ko Ari ki te kura i te ata tārewa o te arawheu. I te hipanga i te whare karakia, ka rongo a Ari i te kakara e kōhengihengi mai nā i te tapātai. E kite ana i te pārera me te karoro e taukumekume ana mō ngā maramara rīwai e marara mai nā i waho o te toa.
. Tokoiti noa iho ngā toa i konei, nā, i mōhio a Ari ki ngā ingoa katoa a ngā kaimahi o aua toa rā. He apataki katoa rātou ki te whare whakatika waka o tōna pāpā. Ka waiho mā Ari ngā tāngata nā e manaaki, e kōrero anō hoki i a ia ka haere tahi ki te mahi me tōna pāpā i ngā Rāhoroi. Ka waiho hoki mā Ari te whare e tahitahi, māna hoki ngā taputapu ā Pāpā e whakarite. Nā tana kaha haere ki taua whare rā me tana mātaki i a Pāpā e mahi ana, kāre i roa, i mau i a Ari ngā ingoa me ngā whakamahinga o ngā taputapu katoa.
. Ka huri whaka-te-māui a Ari rāua ko Emmy i te hipanga atu i te toa, ā, ka menemene a Ari i tana kitenga i te awa. Ko te awa tana tino wāhi i te taone katoa. E kōpikopiko haere ana i ngā pae maunga, ki ngā papakāinga, heke iho ki te wahapū, ā, puta noa atu ki te moana. E mau hoki ana te awa nei i tētahi o ngā tino torohū ā Ari.
. I te hikuwai o te tau kātahi anō kia hori, i heke a Ari rātou ko ōna hoa, ko tōna pāpā ki te awa ki te hī tuna. Ka kōrero pūrākau tōna pāpā mō ngā rā nōna e taiohi tonu ana, i riwha i a ia ētahi mahi nanakia e kore rawa e tutuki e Ari me ōna hoa.
. “He rerekē tōku whakatipuranga i tā koutou, e tama ma,” te kōrero a Pāpā me tōna rūrū i tōna māhunga. Kātahi ngā tama ka tuku kōrero pōhewa ki a rātou anō mō a rātou mahi nanakia, ā, ka hikaka ake, ka autaia ake ia kōrero. Nā te kaha rata a Ari ki ngā kōrero hianga, me ngā kōrero pōhewa a ōna hoa, ka wareware katoa ia mō tana āwangawanga mō te hoki ki te kura.
. He rite tonu tōna aroha ki te puta tahi me ōna hoa, me tōna pāpā rawa atu. Ka pau katoa te raumati i a rāua/rātou e kauhoe tahi ana i te awa me te takutai.
. I tētahi rangi, i kōrero atu a Pāpā mō tana whakamiharo atu ki tā Ari mātai i ngā au o te wai. Nā ka mea, he whakaaro pai pea mehemea ka tomo atu ia ki te Karapu Kauhauora. Ia a rāua ko Pāpā e takoto ana ki tātahi me te whakarongo ki ngā ngaru, ka huhū ake te koa i roto i a Ari. Te koi hoki o Pāpā. Rongonuita whānuitia ana a ia mō āna mahi i tōna hare whakatika waka, inā te kōrero, mehe e kore e taea e Ari McInnis te whakatika, hokongia he mea hou!
. Kotahi anake te mea e manako tonu ana kia noho huna ki a Pāpā, ko tētahi o ngā torohū a Ari …
. Ki te kore koe e mataku ki ngā tuna kaikiko, ka taea pea e koe te karohi whakarunga atu ki ngā takiwā marino o te awa e kore nei e kaha te au o te wai. Kei reira e noho huna ana i te parenga tētahi pā-harakeke whero. Kei muri tonu i tērā tētahi poti tawhito. He paripari kei tērā taha o te pā-harakeke whero nei, nāreira, ka tae noa iho koe ki tēnei wāhi mehemea koe ka piki mā te awa. Ahakoa te hakahaka o te poti nei, ka hunaia ōna komeme ka whitingia ia e te rā. He tino wāhi tēnei mō te whakangā me te whakaaro. I haria e Ari tētahi uhi kia noho maroke ngā rawa i hunaia e ia ki te tinana o te poti nei.
. Ko Ari anake i mōhio mō te poti nei, nā, ko tāna hiahia, kia pēnei tana noho. Koia anake te wāhi e taea ai e ia te noho me tōna kotahi. Me ko ia anake te tangata kotahi i tēnei ao.
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