Pamene amaiMai a Simbegwire anamwalira, anakhala wacisoni kwambiri. Abambo a Simbegwire adacita zothekera zonse kusamalira mwana wawo wamkazi. Pang’ono-pang’ono, adaphunziranso kusangalalanso, popanda amai a Simbegwire. M’mawa mulimonse amakhala ndikulankhula za tsiku la mawa. Madzulo mulimonse ankadyera pamodzi cakudya camadzulo. Atatsuka mbale, bambo wa Simbegwire anamuthandiza ntchito yasukulu yakunyumba.
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.
Tsiku lina, abambo a Simbegwire adafika kunyumba mocedwa kuposa masiku onse. “Kodi mwana wanga uli kuti?” adayitana. Simbegwire anathamangira kwa abambo ake. Anayima pomwe anawona kuti anagwiriradzanja la mkazi. “Ndikufuna iwe ukumane ndi munthu wapadera, mwana wanga. Uyu ndi Anita,” anatero akumwetulira.
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.
“Moni Simbegwire, abambo ako andiuza zambiri za iwe,” anatero Anita. Koma sanamwetulire kapena kugwirira dzanja la mtsikanayo. Abambo a Simbegwire anali okondwa komanso osangalala. Anakambirana za atatuwa kukhala pamodzi, komanso momwe moyo wawo ungakhalire bwino. “Mwana wanga, ndikhulupirira kuti wavomera Anita kukhala amai ako,” anatero.
“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.
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.
Patapita miyezi yaing’ono, abambo a Simbegwire anafotokoza kuti adzacokapo nyumba kwakanthawi. “Ndiyenera kupita kuntchito yanga,” adatero. “Koma ndikudziwa mudzasamalirana.” Nkhope ya Simbegwire idagwa, koma abambo ake sanazindikire konse. Anita sananene ciriconse. Sanasangalale nayenso.
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.
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.”
M’mawa mwake, Simbegwire anayimbanso nyimboyo. Pomwe azimaimai anabwera kudzachapa zovala zawo pamtsinje, anamva nyimbo yacisoni ikucokera mumtengo wautali. Amaganiza kuti ndi mphepo yomwe imawaza masamba, ndikupitirira ndi ntchito yawo. Koma m’modzi mwa azimaiwo anamvetsera mosamalitsa ku nyimboyi.
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.
Mai uyu anayang’ana m’mtengo. Ataona mtsikanayo ndi zidutswa za bulangete wokongola, aafuula, “Simbegwire, mwana wa mcimwene wanga!” Amai enawo anasiya kutsuka ndikuthandizira Simbegwire kutsika m’mtengo. Azakhali ake anakumbatira kamtsikanaka ndikuyesetsa kumutonthoza.
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.
Azakhali ake a Simbegwire adapita ndi mwana kunyumba kwake. Anapatsa Simbegwire cakudya cothuma, ndikumugoneka pabedi ndi bulangete wa amai ake. Usiku womwewo, Simbegwire analira pamene anali kugona. Koma inali misozi yampumulo. Anadziwa kuti azakhali ake azamusamalira.
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.
Pamene abambo a Simbegwire atabwelerako, anapeza cipinda cake ciribe kanthu. “Cinacitika ndi ciani, Anita?” anafunsa ndi mtima wokhumudwa. Maiyo analongosola kuti Simbegwire anathawa. “Ndidafuna kuti iye andiremekeze,” anatero. “Koma mwina ndinali okhwimitsa zinthu.” Abambo a Simbegwire anacoka mnyumbamo ndi kulowera ca kumtsinje. Adapitirizabe kupita kumudzi kwa mlongo wake kuti akafunse ngati anamuonako 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 anali kusewera ndi azisuweni ake ataona bambo wake kutali. Anacita mantha kuti mwina adzakwiya, motero anathamangira mnyumba kukabisala. Koma abambo ake anapita kwa iye nati, “Simbegwire, wadzipezera wekha mai wako wabwinomai. Yemwe akukonda ndikukumvetsetsa. Ndikunyadira ndipo ndikukonda.” Anagwirizana kuti Simbegwire azikhala ndi azakhali ake kulingana ndi momwe angafunire.
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.
Abambo ake amamuyendera tsiku lirironse. Pambuyo pake, anabwera ndi Anita. Anatambasulira dzanja lake kwa Simbegwire. “Pepani, ndinalakwitsa,” analira. “Kodi ungandirole kuyesanso?” Simbegwire anayang’ana abambo ake ndi nkhope yawo ya nkhawa. Kenako anayenda pang’onopang’ono cakutsogolo ndikukumbatira 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.
Sabata yotsatira, Anita adayitanitsa Simbegwire, ndi abale ake ndi azakhali ake, kunyumba kuti akadye. Ndi phwando labwino bwanji! Anita anakonza zakudya zonse zomwe Simbegwire amakonda, ndipo aliyense anadya mpaka atakhuta. Kenako ana anasewera pomwe akulu amalankhula. Simbegwire anali wosangalala komanso wolimba mtima. Anaganiza kuti posachedwa, abwerera kunyumba kukakhala ndi abambo ndi amai ake omupeza.
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.
