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Mayi a Simbegwire atamwalira, anali achisoni kwambiri. Bambo a Simbegwire adachita zonse zomwe angathe kuti asamalire mwana wawo wamkazi. Pang’onopang’ono, adaphunziranso kusangalalanso, popanda amayi a Simbegwire. M’mawa aliwonse amakhala ndikulankhula za mawa. Madzulo alionse ankadyera limodzi chakudya. Atatsuka mbale, bambo a Simbegwire adamuthandiza ntchito 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 mochedwa kuposa masiku onse. “Kodi mwana wanga uli kuti?” adayitana. Simbegwire adathamangira kwa abambo ake. Anayima pomwe anawona kuti ali ndi dzanja la mkazi. “Ndikufuna ukakumana 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, bambo ako andiuza zambiri za inu, “adatero Anita.koma sanamwetulira kapena kugwirira dzanja la mtsikanayo.Bambo a Simbegwire anali okondwa komanso osangalala.Akakambirana za atatuwa omwe amakhala limodzi, komanso momwe moyo wawo ungakhalire Khalani. “Mwana wanga, ndikhulupilira kuti wavomera Anita kukhala amayi ako,” adatero.
“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.
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.
Zinthu zinafika poipa kwa Simbegwire. Ngati sanamalize ntchito yake, kapena adandaula, Anita adamumenya. Ndipo pachakudya, mayiyo adadya kwambiri, nasiya Simbegwire ndi zidutswa zochepa chabe. Usiku uliwonse Simbegwire amalira yekha kugona, kukumbatira bulangete la amayi ake.
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 adayimbanso nyimboyo. Amayiwo atabwera kudzachapa zovala zawo pamtsinje, adamva nyimbo yachisoni ikuchokera mumtengo wamtali. Amaganiza kuti ndi mphepo yomwe imawaza masamba, ndikupitilira ndi ntchito yawo. Koma m’modzi mwa azimayiwo adamvetsera mosamalitsa 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.
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. Adapatsa Simbegwire chakudya chotentha, ndikumugoneka pakama ndi bulangete la amayi ake. Usiku womwewo, Simbegwire analira pamene anali kugona. Koma anali misozi yotsitsimula. Amadziwa kuti azakhali awo azimuyang’anira.
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.
Abambo a Simbegwire atabwelera kwawo, adapeza chipinda chake chilibe kanthu. “Zachitika bwanji, Anita?” anafunsa ndi mtima wolemera. Mayiyo adalongosola kuti Simbegwire adathawa. “Ndidafuna kuti amandilemekeza,” adatero. “Koma mwina ndinali okhwimitsa zinthu.” Bambo a Simbegwire adachoka mnyumbamo ndikupita kulowera kwa mtsinjewo. Adapitilizabe kumudzi kwa mlongo wake kuti akawone ngati amuona 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 abale ake ataona bambo ake kuchokera kutali. Amachita mantha kuti mwina wakwiya, ndiye kuti adathamangira mnyumbamo kukabisala. Koma abambo ake adapita kwa iye nati, “Simbegwire, mwapeza mayi wabwino. Yemwe amakukondani ndikukumvetsetsa. Ndimanyadira za inu ndipo ndimakukondani.” Adagwirizana kuti Simbegwire azikhala ndi azakhali ake malinga 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 ankamuyendera tsiku lililonse. Pambuyo pake, adabwera ndi Anita. Adatambasulira dzanja la Simbegwire. “Pepani wachichepere, ndakulakwitsa,” analira. “Mungandilole kuyesanso?” Simbegwire anayang’ana abambo ake ndi nkhope yake yomwe ili ndi nkhawa. Kenako adasunthira pang’onopang’ono ndikuyika mikono yozungulira 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 adasewera pomwe akulu amalankhula. Simbegwire anali wosangalala komanso wolimba mtima. Adaganiza kuti posachedwa, abwerera kunyumba kukakhala ndi abambo ndi apongozi ake.
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.
