Hami’s Lot
Kua pau kē ngā kōwhiringa a Hami, ā, ka tae mai tōna whanaunga. I tangoa e ia tana kete Amway, he kete whakapai whare, mai i tana Mercedes.
I whakahapaina e te Kaunihera ētahi o ā rātau kaimahi, ā, ko Hami tētahi. Ka mutu, ko te kōhimuhimu i moumou ngā moni ki te papa hahaupōro hou. Ahakoa te aha ko ngā tangata pupuri i te rākau rare papa te hunga tuatahi i panaia. Te pōuri hoki o Hami, kāore ia i pōwhiri atu, i menemene atu rānei ki ngā tāngata e hipa ana i a ia, ia rā, ia rā.
Atu i tana Merc, me āna kaka tino tau ka tonoa a Hami e tana whanaunga ki te hokohoko i ngā rawa o te kete Amway. “E te whanaunga, māhau taku tuara e rapirapi, māku tāhou na, nēra…” ka tiro mākutu ana a Hami ki tana whanaunga e tere ana i roto i tōna Merc. “E tā, ka tika rā ko au kē tērā…” te wawata a Hami.
Ka hopukina e Hami te pahi ki tērā atu taha o te taone, ki tāna mahi hou. Ka whai rawa te hunga e noho ana ki tēnei wāhanga o te taone, nō rātau tonu o rātau ake whare, ā, kāore rātau e mōhio i a Hāmi.
Me tana hāte Amway e tohutohu ana ki te ao, ka manauhea te haere a Hami ki te whare tuatahi. He koro mā, he puna kaukau manu, he tia kirihou hoki e noho mai ana i mua. Mā te kakau kōura ka pātōtō i te kuaha parauri, ā, ka tatari a Hami. He wahine Māori i huaki mai i te kuaha. Ohorere pai a Hami, he pōhēhē nōna, ko tētahi wahine Pākehā, he muimui te tinana, he pēpē kē i te hope. Ka tūwhera te waha o Hami ki te taki tana whaikōrero, kātahi nā ka kāhakingia mai e Aunty, te ingoa o te wahine Māori nei, ki roto te whare. Ka whakanōhia ki te tēpū, he pereti poaka wheua, he paraoa parai me te kapu tī e hora ana i mua i a ia.
I a ia e kai ana ka whakarongo a Hami ki ngā kōrero o Aunty. Nā Matiu rāua ko Aunty, te ingoa tuturu o tōna whāea, i whakatipu i a ia, ā, i tapaina te ingoa Aunty ki a ia. Ka mate a Aunty, ā, ka ngau kino te aroha mō tōna tau, ka mate hoki a Matiu. I te matenga o tōna matua kēkē, i riro i a Aunty te pāmu poaka me ngā rawa. Kua waihotia rā, ko Aunty anake, kātahi ka whakaaro, me neke ki te taone, hei whai i tētahi oranga hou.
He painga tō te noho taone. I hoki atu a Aunty ki te kura. Mā ngā akoranga ipurangi, kaute, me te hokohoko i tana kōpaki haumitanga i whakaemi. Ahakoa tēnā, e mokemoke tonu ana tōna ngākau mō ōna whanaunga. Ā, ka taka te kapa, nā te tūpono noa a Hami ki tōna kuaha kua whai hoa kōrerorero a Aunty.
I muri i tō rāua kapu tī, ka haere rāua ki muri i tōna whare, ka whakaatu i te whenua i tāpaetia e Aunty. E rima ngā whīra whutupōro te rahi. Ka kite a Hami i ngā tohu moni ki ōnā whatu. I te pātaitanga mai o Aunty mō ōna whakaaro i tapepe atu a Hami, “K..kāre he kore, h..he tino whai rawa tēnei!”
He maara putiputi, he pourama tiriti, he ara hīkoi, he paaka, he hapori kiritata te moemoeā a Aunty. Kua tae te wā ki te whakatinana i tēnei moemoeā, “Ka tapaina ko Matiu’s Grove” te kī o Aunty.
I tō rāua hokinga ki rō whare, ka tiro whakatoatoa kē a Hāmi ki tana kete Amway. Kātahi ka pupū ake te whakaaro, ka whakaputaina tōna whakaaro ki a Aunty. Ka noho ia hei kaitiaki tiriti. Māna e tahitahi i te ara hīkoi, e kohi rāpihi, e whakapai haere i te paaka, he horoi wini, he tapahi otaota, he peita hoki i ngā taiapa. Māna a Aunty e āwhina ki te whakatinana i tana moemoeā, arā, kia noho ko Matiu’s Grove te tiriti ataahua rawa atu o te taone. Ka hiahia te katoa ki te noho ki reira. Ka titiro a Aunty ki a Hami, ka muramura, tino pakiri tana kanohi.
I reira a Hami i te tīmatanga o te hanga whare. Ka tūtū haere ngā whare, ka hūnuku mai ngā whānau, ā, ka pupū ake te moemoeā a Aunty. Ka whānau mai a Matiu’s Grove.
He whakapai ara, he kohi rāpihi, he hoko atu i ngā mea Amway, ā, he peita hoki i ngā taiapa. He pai tonu tōnā oranga, ā, kua ngata hoki ki āna tutukitanga. Engari i te matenga o tōna waka he nui rawa te utu ki te whakatika. Kua kaha ake tōna hiahia ki tēnei mea te whai i te rawa, ko tōna hiahia he oranga mō ngā rā e heke mai ana, he kāinga mōna ake.
Ka whākī atu e ia ōna whakaaro ki a Aunty. Ka nohopuku, ka whakarongo a Aunty, ka menemene atu. Kātahi anō ka honoa tētahi whare iti hou ki tōnā whare, ki te taha o te puna kaukau. He kāinga mō Hami, tata ki te mahi, karekau he utu pahi, karekau he utu whare hoki. Kua rite kē a Hami ki te neke, kāti, ka neke. Tōna waimarie, nōna ake te kāinga.
Harakoa ana a Hami, engari ko tōna whakaaro kia rapua he momo taitara māna, kia noho haumaru ai ia mō ngā rā e heke mai ana. Ka wāwāhīhia e Aunty te whenua ka hainatia e ia tētahi wāhi paku ki a Hami. Pau noa te marama ka riro i a Hami tana whare tuatahi.
Pai ana ngā whakahaere katoa. Ka mahia tonu e Hami nga mahi, he ātaahua te whenua me te tiriti o Matiu’s Grove, he oranga tōna. Ka haere ngā whanaunga o Aunty ki tōna kāinga noho ai. Ia wiki ka penapena pūtea a Hami.
Ka noho a Hami, e mĀtakitaki ana i ngā ika koura e kauhoe ana, nā wai rā ka puta te whakaaro, ko ia tērā, he ika iti noa a ia i roto i te moana nui. Ka tirotiro a ia ki ngā kapa whare kei ngā taha e rua o te tiriti, me te mōhio he panoni kei te haere.
Ka rētihia e ia tōna whare, ā, ka neke a Hami ki te wharau i waho. He pai ake te wharau i ētahi atu wāhi kua moe nei a Hami. Ahakoa kōpiripiri te āhua, ko te mea nui, ka kuhu mai ngā moni, ka harakoa a ia.
Ehara! Kuhu mai ana ngā moni.
Ka purua ana moni ki te pouaka maitai i raro i tana moenga. Kore rawa a ia e pono ki ngā peeke, ā, he pai ake ki a ia te noho tata ki āna moni, he pai hoki te kaute ahakoa te wā.
I hūnuku tētahi o ngā kairēti whare a Aunty, ka tono atu a Hami, māna te whare e hoko. Ka whakaae a Aunty. Ka haere a Hami ki te pēke, ka tonoa he pūtea tārewa, ka whakaae mai te pēke. Ka hokona te whare o Aunty. Ka rua ōnā whare i Matiu’s Grove.
Nā wai rā ka riroriro haere i a Hami ngā whare o Matiu's Grove. Hūnuku ana tētahi o ngā kairēti whare, ka hokona e Hami i taua whare. Ka noho tonu a Hami ki tana wharau, ā, i te penapena tonu a ia i ana moni, i te pupuri tonu a Aunty i ana tahua tāpae, ā, pai ana te haere o ngā mea katoa.
Pau noa te wā, ka riro katoa i a Hami ngā whare o Matiu's Grove, i tua atu i te whare o Aunty, nōna ake tērā me te wharau. Harikoa ana a Aunty, kua tutuki ana moemoeā, i te koa hoki kua taetae mai ōnā whanaunga, ahakoa pēhea nei te roa o te noho, harikoa hoki, ka tipu āna tahua tapae.
Ka kautehia e Hami i ana moni ia wiki, ka mātakitaki i ānā moni e tipu kau ana. Nā te iti o te pouaka maitai ka raua e ia tētahi pouaka taonga ki raro i te papa o tōnā wharau. Ka taupokingia ki te rākau, me te whāriki. “Haumaru pēnei i te whare”, te kī a Hami ki a ia anō.
I tētahi Rāmere, ka tangoa mai e ia te rākau ki te huaki te pouaka taonga, ka ngaua ia e te pūngāwerewere. Pōhēhē katoa nā te wāpu ia i weroa me te hōhā kāore ia i kite te kaiwero. E rua rā whai muri mai ka pupuhi tana ringa mauī, tana kakī, me te taha o tana kanohi, ka maumahara a ia ki taua wā rā.
Kotahi te pō ia i te hōhipera, pau noa ngā whakamātautau, i kitea kua urutā te paihana o te pūngāwerewere ki tana tinana. Kāore e taea e ngā tākuta te aha, mō tēnei tahumaero kaikiko, ko tā rātau noa iho he poka i ngā kiko pirau.
Ka puta mai a Hami i te hōhipera, he tangata anō, kua anuanu katoa a ia, kua kore ngā tāngata e mōhio ko wai ia. Ka tiro mākutu ngā tamariki, ka kōhimuhimu. Kāore ngā mātua e tiro atu ki a ia, i te wā kohi rēti. He anuanu rawa, nā te kaha mataku o tētahi tama i tana kitenga i a Hami, ka mīmia tana tarau. Ka whakaaro ngā tangata me hūnuku rātau. Kāore i whakamārama atu, he kī noaiho, i te kimi wāhi kē rātau.
Ka mau kanohi rua hai huna i tana kanohi anuanu, engari nā tēnei mahi, ka kino kē ake tēnei āhuatanga. Ka hūnuku ētahi anō. Ka pau te ono marama ka tūhea a Matiu’s Grove.
He tangata pouri, he tangata nonoi a Hami. Ka tangi hotuhotu ki a Aunty. Ka kōrero atu a Aunty ki a Hami, kia tirohia te ipurangi, ka kitea pea he rongoa, he tākuta rānei hei whakatika i tana tinana, i tana āhua hoki.
Ka āwhina haere a Aunty i a Hami, ka kitea he whare hauora, he whakatika haere i te hunga kua pākia e te tahumaero kaikiko. I Amerika rā anō te whare hauora, ā, he nui tonu te utu mō tēnei tū āhua. Nā te kaha hiahia a Hami, ka rere atu ia ki Amerika, ka tautoko, ka mihi atu a Aunty mā.
I tōnā taenga atu, ka tīmata tonu te whakaoratanga a Hami. Ka whakatika, ka hangaia anō tana kanohi, tana kakī, tana pakihiwi, tana ringa. He mahi uaua, he nui hoki te utu. Ahakoa he pai rawa ngā mahi a ngā tākuta, kāre anō kia oti, ā, kua pau ana moni. Ka hokona atu ōnā whare katoa ki a Aunty. Kua hoki atu a Matiu’s Grove ki a Aunty. Ka hūnuku mai anō ōna whanaunga, ka noho ora anō a Matiu’s Grove.
E ono marama a Hami e ngaro atu ana i Amerika, i tōnā hokinga mai, he tauhou kē. Ahakoa i pakaru te pūkoro he harikoa, he oranga hou tōna.
Taro ake, ka whai mahi anō a Hami. He mahi mā te Kaunihera. Kei waho i a Matiu’s Grove, i te kokona tonu, ka tū a Hami, tana rākau rare papa ki tōna ringa. Ka menemene atu a ia ki a Aunty me ōnā whanaunga i a rātau e hipa ana. E harakoa ana a ia ki āna mahi.