Bomahe Simbegwire hasebatimezi, naishondile hahulu. Bondatahe Simbegwire neba likile katata kubabalela mwana bona. Hanyinyani hanyinyani, nebaitutile kutaba hape kokusina bomahe Simbegwire. Molipazulela, neba ina niku ambola kaza lizazi leo. Manzibwani neba lukisa za mulalelo hamoho. Kasamulaho wa kutapisa mikeke, bondatahe Simbegwire neba mutusa kwa musebezi wa sikolo wa kwandu.
When Simbegwire’s mother died,
she was very sad. Simbegwire’s
father did his best to take care of
his daughter. Slowly, they learned
to feel happy again, without
Simbegwire’s mother.
Every morning they sat and talked
about the day ahead. Every evening
they made dinner together. After
they washed the dishes,
Simbegwire’s father helped her with
homework.
One day, Simbegwire’s father came
home later than usual. “Where are
you my child?” he called.
Simbegwire ran to her father. She
stopped still when she saw that he
was holding a woman’s hand. “I
want you to meet someone special,
my child. This is Anita,” he said
smiling.
“Lumela Simbegwire, bondataho bani bulelezi zeñata zahao,” BoAnita babulela. Kono neba sikamenya kapa kuswala lizoho la musizani. Bondatahe Simbegwire neba tabile ni kunyakalala. Ba ambola za kupila hamoho kwa bona babalalu, ni bupilo bwabona mobukabela. “Mwanaka, nasepa ukalumela boAnita sina bomaho” babulela.
“Hello Simbegwire, your father told
me a lot about you,” said Anita. But
she did not smile or take the girl’s
hand.
Simbegwire’s father was happy and
excited. He talked about the three
of them living together, and how
good their life would be. “My child, I
hope you will accept Anita as your
mother,” he said.
Bupilo bwa Simbegwire bwa fetuha. Nasina nako yakuina ni bondatahe kakusanani. BoAnita nebamufanga misebezi ya fa lapa ye miñata kuli nakatalanga hahulu kupalelwa ni kuñola musebezi wa sikolo manzibwani. Nayanga kwa kulobala hasafeza feela kuca mulalelo. Sene simu ombaombanga feela neli kubo yamibalabala yene bamufile bomahe. Bondatahe Simbegwire nebasika lemuha kuli mwana bona nasikataba.
Simbegwire’s life changed. She no
longer had time to sit with her
father in the mornings. Anita gave
her so many household chores that
she was too tired to do her school
work in the evenings. She went
straight to bed after dinner.
Her only comfort was the colourful
blanket her mother gave her.
Simbegwire’s father did not seem to
notice that his daughter was
unhappy.
Hase kufitile likwelinyana, bondatahe Simbegwire baba bulelela kuli bakazwa fandu ka nakonyana. “Niswanela ku tama musipili wa musebezi,” babulela. “Kono naziba kuli mukaipabalela.” Simbegwire awisa sifateho kono bondatahe nebasika lemuha. BoAnita nekusina sene babulezi kakuli nibona nesikatabela.
After a few months, Simbegwire’s
father told them that he would be
away from home for a while. “I have
to travel for my job,” he said. “But I
know you will look after each other.”
Simbegwire’s face fell, but her
father did not notice. Anita did not
say anything. She was not happy
either.
Lika selitatafalela Simbegwire. Haiba asikafeza kueza misebezi yafa lapa, kapa kubilaela, boAnita neba munata. Hape ka nako ya mulalelo, boAnita neba canga zeñata, kusielanga Simbegwire bubulumusi bobunyinyani. Busihu kaufela Simbegwire naitilelanga konji kulobala, ali kufumatela kubo ya bomahe.
Things got worse for Simbegwire. If
she didn’t finish her chores, or she
complained, Anita hit her. And at
dinner, the woman ate most of the
food, leaving Simbegwire with only
a few scraps.
Each night Simbegwire cried herself
to sleep, hugging her mother’s
blanket.
Kakusasani leliñwi, Simbegwire alobala singomba. “Wena kasizani ka kabuzwa!” Anita ahuwa. Sahoha Simbegwire fa mumbeta. Kubo yekateleha yaswala kwa mapo nikupazuha kueza liemba zepeli.
One morning, Simbegwire was late
getting out of bed. “You lazy girl!”
Anita shouted. She pulled
Simbegwire out of bed. The
precious blanket caught on a nail,
and tore in two.
Simbegwire nafilikani hahulu mi aiketela kubaleha fandu. Ashimba tuemba twa kubo ya bomahe ni lico zemu mi azwa aikela. Alatelela nzila yene bangile bondatahe.
Simbegwire was very upset. She
decided to run away from home.
She took the pieces of her mother’s
blanket, packed some food, and left
the house. She followed the road
her father had taken.
Haseli manzibwani, apahama kota yetelele yeli kwa tuko ni kanukana ni kuipangela mumbeta mwa mitai. Hanese alobala, aopela: “Ima, ima, ima, munisiile. Munisiile mi amusika kuta. Bondate habasanilata. Ima, mukuta lili? Munisiile.”
When it came to evening, she
climbed a tall tree near a stream
and made a bed for herself in the
branches.
As she went to sleep, she sang:
“Maama, maama, maama, you left
me.
You left me and never came back.
Father doesn’t love me anymore.
Mother, when are you coming back?
You left me.”
Habusa Kakusana, Simbegwire aopela pina yeo hape. Basali habataha kuto tapisa libyana kwa kanukana, bautwa pina ya manyando yezwelela kwa kota yetelele. Banahana kuli mwendi ki moya wo nyanganyisa matali mi bazwelapili ni misebezi yabona. Kono musali alimuñwi kubona ateleza kwa pina katokomelo.
The next morning, Simbegwire sang
the song again. When the women
came to wash their clothes at the
stream, they heard the sad song
coming from the tall tree.
They thought it was only the wind
rustling the leaves, and carried on
with their work. But one of the
women listened very carefully to
the song.
Musali yo atalimisisa kwa kota. Abona musizani ni liemba za kubo ya mibalabala, alila, “Simbegwire, mwana kezelaka!” Basali babañwi batuhela kutapisa batusa Simbegwire ku tuluka kwa kota. Bondatahe ba basali bafumatela kasizani nikulika ku kaombaomba.
This woman looked up into the tree.
When she saw the girl and the
pieces of colourful blanket, she
cried, “Simbegwire, my brother’s
child!”
The other women stopped washing
and helped Simbegwire to climb
down from the tree. Her aunt
hugged the little girl and tried to
comfort her.
Bondatahe Simbegwire babasali baya niyena kwandu yabona. Bafa Simbegwire lico ze futumala ni kumu lobaza inge bamuapesize kubo ya bomahe. Busihu bo, Simbegwire nalilile hanaya mwa buloko. Kono neli mioko ya kulukuluha kakuli naziba kuli bondatahe babasali bata mubabalela.
Simbegwire’s aunt took the child to
her own house. She gave
Simbegwire warm food, and tucked
her in bed with her mother’s
blanket.
That night, Simbegwire cried as she
went to sleep. But they were tears
of relief. She knew her aunt would
look after her.
Bo ndatahe Simbegwire haba kutile kwandu, batofumana musiyo wahae mukungulu. “Kuezahalile sikamani, Anita?” Babuza ka pilu ye bukiti. Musali muhulu atalusa kuli Simbegwire ubalehile. “Nenibata kuli anikuteke,” abulela. “Kono mwendi nenitatafalile hahulu.” Bondatahe Simbegwire bazwa fa ndu ni kulatelela nzila yeliba kwa kanukana. Baliba kwahae ya kezelaa bona kuyo buza haiba baboni Simbegwire.
When Simbegwire’s father returned
home, he found her room empty.
“What happened, Anita?” he asked
with a heavy heart. The woman
explained that Simbegwire had run
away. “I wanted her to respect me,”
she said. “But perhaps I was too
strict.”
Simbegwire’s father left the house
and went in the direction of the
stream. He continued to his sister’s
village to find out if she had seen
Simbegwire.
Simbegwire nabapala ni likezeli zahae atobona bondatahe kwa hulenyana. Nasabile kuli mwendi baka nyema, konakuli amatela mwandu kuyoipata. Kono bondatahe baya kuyena mi babulela, “Simbegwire, uipumanezi bomaho bangana. Ba bakulata ni ku kuutwisisa. Nitabezi mi nakulata.” Balumelelana kuli Simbegwire uta pila ni bondatahe babasali kuisa fa kalatela.
Simbegwire was playing with her
cousins when she saw her father
from far away. She was scared he
might be angry, so she ran inside
the house to hide.
But her father went to her and said,
“Simbegwire, you have found a
perfect mother for yourself. One
who loves you and understands
you. I am proud of you and I love
you.”
They agreed that Simbegwire would
stay with her aunt as long as she
wanted to.
Bondatahe neba mupotelanga zazi ni zazi. Kufita nako yene batile ni boAnita. Baswala lizoho la Simbegwire. “Uniswalele mwanana, nenifosize,” balila. “Wakona kunifa sibaka sakulika hape?” Simbegwire atalimela bondatahe ni pata yabona yeikalezwi. Cwale ataha fa pata hainyani hainyani nikuto potoloisa mazoho ahae ku boAnita.
Her father visited her every day.
Eventually, he came with Anita. She
reached out for Simbegwire’s hand.
“I’m so sorry little one, I was
wrong,” she cried. “Will you let me
try again?”
Simbegwire looked at her father
and his worried face. Then she
stepped forward slowly and put her
arms around Anita.
Sunda yetatama, boAnita bamema Simbegwire ni likezeli zahae, ni bondatahe ba basali kwa ndu kuyoca. Neli malyalya! BoAnita neba apehile kaufela lico zanalata Simbegwire mi batu kaufela neba cile konji kukula. Cwale banana babapala, babahulu inge baambola. Simbegwire naikutwile kutaba ni bundume. Saketa kuli, cwanuñu, ukakuta kwandu kuto pila ni bondatahe ni bomahe bamutose.
The next week, Anita invited
Simbegwire, with her cousins and
aunt, to the house for a meal. What
a feast! Anita prepared all of
Simbegwire’s favourite foods, and
everyone ate until they were full.
Then the children played while the
adults talked.
Simbegwire felt happy and brave.
She decided that soon, very soon,
she would return home to live with
her father and her stepmother.
