He Tai Pari (Upoko Tuatoru / Chapter Three)

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Upoko Tuatoru

Ka māma te wairua a Ari i tana kitenga atu i a Māmā e whanga ana ki a Koro i te hōhipera.
I hoatutia ki a Koro he rongoā hei kaupare i te mamae, nā konā ia i ngū ai ia mō te wā poto.
“Tō waimārie hoki, e Koro.” te kōrero o te tākuta. “Me whakarite whakaata roto māu, ka matua kite i te whatinga i tō ringa, engari e whakapono ana ahau kāore he tino mate o ōu hope. Ahakoa tērā, ka mamae tonu koe hei ngā rā e tū mai nei, e Ted. He tangata rānei e wātea ana ki te noho ki tō taha?”
“Āe marika! Ka noho ia ki tā mātou taha,” te whakahoki a Pam, te Māmā a Ari. “Kāre i kō atu i tērā, e Ted. Kātahi nā te āhuatanga ohorere ko tēnei.”
“Me whai āwhina ngā hurutea-ūpoko māro pēnei i ahau i ētahi wā, nērā, e Ari? Tēnā koe e whakawātea mai i tō kāinga māku, e Pam.” Kahore he ngoi ō Koro ki te tautohe me Māmā.
I kitea e Ari te mataku e patu ana i a Koro i a ia e takoto ana i te kihini rā i mua. Ahakoa ka kore a Koro e whāki atu, i kitea tonu. Ka pupū ake te mamae i te poho o Ari – he māharahara tōna. Ka mahara ia mō tō Koro whāki atu ki a Māmā mō te korenga a Ari e taea te whakahuahua mai i te kupu ‘Theodore’.
Ka tae mai te Pāpā a Ari, kātahi ka hoki atu a Ari rāua ko Māmā ki te whakarite he moenga mō Koro. Ka whakamiha atu a Māmā ki a Ari mō tōna māia i te rangi nei. Kāore a Ari i te paku hiahia ki āna mihi – ki te mōhio ia mō ngā mahi tūturu a Ari, ka kore tonu ia e whakaaro pērā. Ka whakamā pea ia i ngā mahi a Ari.
Ka hoki a Pāpā rāua ko Koro ki te kāinga mō te kai o te pō, kua mutu ināianei ngā aumihi a Māmā ki a Ari.
Kahore a Ari i te hiahia kia mōhio a Māmā mō āna mahi tūturu, nāreira ka haere wawe atu ia ki te moe i mua i te taenga mai o Koro.
E tou tīrairaka ana tā Ari takoto ki tana moenga. E ware tonu ana mō ngā mahi o te rā. I reira tonu te mamae i tōna poho, e patu tonu ana i a ia. Nāia, kua tipu te mamae i tōna korokoro, nā konā ka rongo ia i te roimata e whakakī ana i ōna kape, heoi, kāore ia mō te whakahore i a rātou. Ka pōkaina ōna turi, ka whakaaro ki ngā mea hākoakoa.
Tāria te wā, ka rongo a Ari i a Koro rāua ko Pāpā e kuhu mai ana. I rongo ia i a rātou reo e hamumu ana i tawhiti, ka mihi rātou ki a rātou anō: ‘Pōmārie.” Ka rongo a Ari i te tangi o ngā paraihe e wharowharo ana i ngā niho. Ka tōtika atu rātou ki te moe i te nui a ngā mahi i tēnei rā.
Ka mārire tā Ari moe ināianei – kua tōroatia tō Māmā mōhio mō āpōpō. Kua pau katoa tana hau.

Kua takaroa te ohonga o te whānau i te ata, kua warea katoa e te moe. Nā te kōrukitanga o te rangi i pouri katoa te whenua, koinā pea i noho moenga ai te whānau.
Ka whātoro a Ari i roto i tana moenga, me tana rongo i te pākikini o tōna tinana nā ngā mahi o inanahi. Ka tau mai te toimaha o āna torohū, o āna hara ki runga i tōna tinana. Me puta pea ia i te whare. Ka pai ake māna ki te haere ki te kura, tērā i te noho whakamā ki te kāinga mō ngā mahi o inanahi. Ka ngū tā Ari whakarite i a ia anō, me te puta i te whare. I a Ari e puta ana i te whare, ka kotokoto mai te papa i takahia e ia.
“E Ari, e tōku hoa tata ko koe tēnā?” Ko Koro e karanga ana i te rūma wātea.
Ka mau a Ari, ka mānenei. Kāore e taea e ia te wehe me te kore kōrero i te paku aha – he hiahia anō hoki nōna ki te hihira atu ki a Koro. Ka hongi, ka puha a Ari, nā, ka kuhu ki te rūma wātea.
E noho tika ana a Koro me tana pera. Te ruruhi hoki o tōna āhua i tēnei rā. He mea hou te kite atu i a Koro e noho noa iho ana, e noho moenga hoki ana.
I reira hoki a Māmā e tiaki ana i a Koro. Nāna ngā ārai i tūwhera, nāna anō he kapu tī i whakarite mō Koro. He perehi tō Koro e tiaki ana i tōna ringa, mai i ōna matimati, tae rawa atu ki tana tukepona.
“Morena, e poi,” te oha a Māmā. “I pai rānei tō moe? Māku tētahi pene e kimi, māu te perehi o Koro e hāina i te tuatahi.”
“Hei tōna wā pea, nērā, e hoa?” Te kōrero o Koro i a ia e ngana ana ki te titiro ki te mata a Ari.
“He tōhi e tatari ana ki a koe, e poi. Kua rite mai āu kai mō te rā. Tēnā, haria he huarākau hoki hei kīnaki i āu kai.” Te kōrero o Māmā, me tana kihi i a Ari.
I a Ari e puta ana i te rūma, ka whakatata atu a Māmā ki a Koro, ā, ka mea, “Kāti, e Ted, ka whakarite ahau i taku nohoanga, ka kōrero mai koe mō te aituā inanahi, nē?”
Ka kukuti te puku o Ari i te māharahara. Ka tikina e ia tana tōhi hei kai māna i tana hīkoi. Ka hikina tana pouaka kai me tōna pēke, ā, ka patua e ia te huarahi ki te kura, ka pōhiri ki tōna whānau: “Hei konā!”
He rangi kēkēao i waho, he kikorangi, he kiwikiwi anō hoki te āhua o te rangi. Te maroke hoki o te tōhi nei a Ari, nāreira ka whiua ki etahi karoro e āmiomio haere ana i te rangi.
E manawa kiore ana a Ari me tana huna i te torohū nei mō āna mahi. He mōhio nōna, mō te wā ka hoki a Ari ki te kāinga kua whākina kētia e Koro mō tana hē inā tata nei. Nā, ka whakawhiti kōrero a Māmā rāua ko Pāpā mō te hē nei.

Ka kuhu koropuku a Ari ki te akomanga, ā, ka ngaweki atu ki tana tūru, ka tūpou i tōna māhunga.
Ka kotete mai a Dan ki roto i te akomanga, ā, ka ūmere atu “Ari! I rongo kōrero au mō tāu rauora i tō koroua!” “I rongo kōrero ahau, i horoa e koe tōna kāinga, anā, i tō kuhunga, i reira tō koroua e mate haere ana!” te pararē a Maia e kuhu mai ana i muri i a Dan. “Nā tōku tuaka ahau i kōrero, nāu te kuaha i tuki kia puta pai ai kōrua ko tō koroua!” te kīnaki a Neil.
“Aaa, e hē … kāore i pērā e hoa mā,” te whakautu a Ari ne noho tūpou tonu ana.
“Me he hautipua koe, e Ari! Nāu tō koroua i rauora ai.” E mau tonu ana a Dan ki tāna i rongo ai, me tana hiahia kia tūwhiria ngā kōrero katoa.
I pērā hoki ōna hoa katoa. I patapātaihia a Ari e ōna hoa, me ā rātou komekome mō āna mahi.
“Tenā, e hoa mā! Kāore i paku pērā. I hīkoi ahau ki tōna whare. Kāore ia i whakautu mai i taku pātōtō. I kuhu ahau mā te matapihi, ā, i … tukuna te waea ki a ia,. Nāna te waka tūroro i waea. Koirā anake! Ka pērā hoki koutou, e kare mā! Ehara au i te hautipua. Kāore tahi!”
Ka māma ake te wairua a Ari i tana kitenga i a Whaea Woods e kuhu mai ana. Māna ngā ngutu kuia nei i whakakapi, kia pai ai te kōkiri i ngā mahi o te rā.
“I tae mai te rongo mō tō rā manahau inanahi, e Ari,” te kōrero a Whaea. “E whakahīhī ana ahau i a koe, e tama. Kātahi te hautipua ko koe, te kaupapa kōrero o ngā kaiako i tēnei rangi.” Ka menemene atu ia kia a Ari.
Ka tiro whakamā atu a Ari ki a ia, ka whero ōna pāpāringa.
Ka tōtika a Whaea Woods ki te whakatau i te akomanga me te kōkiri i ngā mahi o te rā.
Kātahi te hīkaka a Ari ki te timata i āna mahi kura. I aro tahi pūmau ia ki ngā mahi pangarau i tana pepamahi. Te māma hoki o ngā pātai timatanga, engari i a ia e patu ana i tana pene, ka nanunanu haere ngā nama i runga i te pepa nā tana hiamoe. He hiamoe nā runga i tana kaha ware ināpō.
Ka mukua e ia ōna karu, ka rūru i tōna māhunga. Ka pā mai te ringa mahana o Whaea Woods me tana kōrero: ‘Kia māmā tō haere i te rangi nei, e Ari. Kātahi nā te wheako ko tēnā, nē? Me taku mōhio he hoa pūmau kōrua ko tō koroua.”
Ka whakaae atu a Ari, engari e tūpou tonu ana ia. Nā, ka wehe hīkoi tonu a Whaea.
Kua kore he kaiako a Ari pēnei i a Whaea Woods. He tangata mauritau, he tangata harikoa, he tangata manaaki anō hoki. Ahakoa kua toru wiki pea ia e whakaako ana i a ia.
Ākuanei, ka kite a Whaea Woods i tā Ari koretake ki te tuhiruhi me te pānui. Hei konā pea ka mutu tō Whaea Woods kaha āwhina i a Ari.

Ka tae ki te wā paramanawa. Nā, ka hui katoa ngā tamariki ki te tēpu a Ari, me te pātai mō tana kake i te waka tūroro, me tana whakarauora i tōna koroua. I tata pahū mai te ūpoko o Ari.
Ka kukua e ia ōna ringa, ā, ka tetē hoki mai ōna niho.
“Ka rawe! E noho kotahi ana koutou katoa. Kua whakakorehia taku aruaru haere i a koutou.” Ka whakawhiti mai a Whaea Woods.
“Kua tae mai ngā pōro hou, e kare mā. E hiahia rānei ana koutou ki te whakamātau i mua i a mātou mahi kori i te ahiahi nei?” Tana pātai ki ngā tamariki.
Ka tā te ngākau a Ari, me tōna whakaaro ki a ia anō, ka pēhea a Whaea Woods e mōhio me pēhea te whakawai i ōna hoa, ia te wā. He matakite rānei ia … ko te manako, kao.
“Māku te pōro poiwhana e whakamātau!” te karanga a Ari. Ka makaia e Whaea Woods, nā, ka timata tā Ari tākaro i te whīra. Ka pau katoa te wā tākaro i a ia e whanawhana haere ana i te pōro, kahore i whai wā ki te tū me te kōrero.
Kua hoki nga tamariki ki te akomanga, kua tūpou anō te māhunga o Ari me te mea nei e whakatange riaka ana ia ki āna mahi. Ka tika e whakapau kaha ana ia, heoi, kāore ia i te whakapau kaha ki ngā mahi ā-kura, kei te māharahara kē.
Ka tae ki te wā tina, ka tikina anō e ia te pōro poiwhana, nā, ka puta tōtika atu ki te whīra i te ringihanga a te pere. Ka kurua atu, ka kurua atu e Ari te pōro ki te kōura me te whanga ki ōna hoa e kai tonu ana. Ka mutu ana tā rātou kai, ka ūpoko pakaru rā anō a Ari ki te tākaro, me he pakanga kei te haere.
Hoki rawa atu ki te akomanga i muri i te wā tākaro, ka mahara a Ari mō te korenga ōna i whai wāhi ki te tino kai i te wā tina. Kāore he aha ki a ia, i te mea, nā taha kaha tākaro, i kauparea ngā miriona pātai a ōna hoa.

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