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.
Juuba jimo bashanji Simbegwire kechi babwelele kunzubo bukiji nobe byonka byobaubanga kimye kyonse ne. “Baipwizhe amba, “Ujipi mwanami? Simbegwire wanyemejile kuba shanji. Simbegwire waimenetu zhoo byoamwene amba bashanji bakwachile kuboko kwa babakazhi. Ba shanji bamulumbulwijile amba, “mwanami mbena kukeba namba uyuke uno muntu wakilamo kunema. Uno muntu jizhina janji ye Anita,” ba ambile nakumwemwesela.
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.
“Byepi Simbegwire, bashobe bambula bintu byavula bingi pe obewa,” Anita waambile. Bino Anita kechi wamwemwesejile nangwa kukwata kuboko kwakwa Simbegwire ne. Bashanji Simbegwire batemenwe ne kusangalala bingi. Besambile pabwikalo bwabo bwakulutwe bonse basatu. Ba shanji bamwambijile mwanabo amba, “Mwanami, naketekela usa kwibaswa ba Anita kwikala bainobe.”
“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.
Bwikalo bwa kwa Simbegwire bwa pimpwilwe. Kechi wajingapo na kimye kyakwikalapo nabashanji kimye kya lukeelo ne. Ba Anita bamupelenga mingilo yavula yapa nzubo kyakuuba keakankalwe ne kunemba mingilo ya kusukuulu mabanga namambo akukooka. Simbegwire wayangatu nakulaala panyuma yakuja kajo ka mabanga. Kyamutekeneshangatu kemwemba wanji wawama wamushijile bainanji. Bino ba shanji Simbegwire kechi bayukile amba mwanabo wajinga nabulandane.
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.
Pakupitapo bañondo bacheeche, bashanji Simbegwire babujile Simbegwire ne bainanji amba bakafumapo panzubo moba aavula. Bebalaile amba “nkayanga ku mingilo. Bino nayuka mukelamatu bulongo.” Simbegwire wamwesheshe kilungi kyabulanda, bino bashanji kechi bamwene ne. Anita aye kechi waambilepo kintu kiji kyonse ne. Kabiji kechi wamwemwesheshe kiji kyonse nangwa kubula kusangalala ne.
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.
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.
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 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.
Byokyafikile kimye kya mabanga, wakanjijile ku kichi kyalepa kwipi namukola ne kunengezha pakulaala mumisampi. Saka akyangye kulaala watendekele kwimba lwimbo amba. “Maama, maama, maama, mwansha mwabunke. Mwanshile kwakubula kubwela ne. Ba taata kechi bantemwa byobantemenwe ne. Maama nanchi mukabwela ñanyi kimye? Mwansha bunke.”
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.”
Juuba jalondejilepo, Simbegwire waimbilenga yenka uno lwimbo jikwabo. Bainetu baishile nakuchapa bivwalo kukakola, baumvwine muntu saka emba lwimbo wa bulanda kufuma kukichi kyalepa. Balangulukile amba kampe mwelatu wasunkanyinyenga mabula kabiji batwajijile na mingilo yabo. Bino umo inetu watelekeshe bingi bulongo ku uno lwimbo.
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.
Uno inetu watajishishe bingi kukichi. Wamwene mwanyike wamukazhi ne bipimvwa byanji bya mwemba saka abena kujila. Ponkapo wabijikile amba, “Simbegwire, mwana kolojami wamulume!” Bainetu bakwabo balekele kuchapa ne kukwasha Simbegwire kwikila kukichi. Ba shanji-nkazhi bamukumbachile kabiji baesekele kumutekenesha.
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.
Ba shanji-nkazhi bamusendele Simbegwire kunzubo yabo. Ba mupeele Simbegwire byakuja byakaba ne kumuvweta bulongo mumwemba wa mupeele bainanji. Abwa bufuku Simbegwire wajijile bingi saka akyangye kuponena mutulo. Bino wajijilenga mipolo yalusekelo. Wayukile amba ba shanji-nkazhi bakamulama bulongo.
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.
Ba shanji Simbegwire byo babwelele kunzubo, batainetu mu kibamba moalaalanga ufwamo. “Kika kyamwekele, Anita?” Bashikishe na muchima wa bulanda. Anita walumbulwile amba Simbegwire wanyemene. “Nakebelengatu namba a anemekenga,” wakumbwile. “Kampepo nakizhizhemo bukaji.” Ba shanji Simbegwire balupukile munzubo ne kuya mwaya kakola. Batwajijile kuya kumuzhi waba nyenga yabo nakukeba kuyuka inge ba mumwenepo 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 wakailenga nabavyala banji kimye kyoamwene bashanji paleepa. Waumvwine moyo amba kampe ba shanji basa kumukajipila. Onkao mambo, wanyemejile munzubo nakufyama. Bino ba shanji bayile koajinga ne kumwambila amba, “Simbegwire, kyawama watanapo bainobe bawama muchima. Bano bakutemwa kabiji bakuyuka byouji. Nji bingi nalusekelo neobewa kabiji nakutemwa.” Baswañene amba Simbegwire ekalenga naba shanji-nkazhi monka moakebela.
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.
Ba shanji bayanga nakumupempula moba onse. Juuba jimo ba shanji baile nakumupempula saka bajine Anita. Anita wakwachile kuboko kwakwa Simbegwire. “Ndekeleko mambo, nalubankenye,” Anita waambile. “Kana wakonsha kunswisha ngesekeko jikwabo nyi?” Simbegwire watajile ba shanji nakilungi kya bulanda. Simbegwire wanyamukile pachepache ne kukumbata Anita.
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.
Mulungu walondejilepo, Anita waichile Simbegwire, bavyala banji ne ba shanji-nkazhi kunzubo na kujiila byakuja pamo. Anita wanengezhezhe konse kajo ko atemenwe kuja Simbegwire kabiji bonse bajile nekwikuta. Banyike baile na kukaya bino bakulumpe besambilenga. Simbegwire waumvwine bulongo ne moyo wapwile. Nanchi wafukwilepo kubwela kunzubo nakwikala na ba shanji ne bainanji bakumushinda.
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.
