HONKHIA

By ~ Vz Vualnam

‘Kizuak na theih khawng om lou hia Ching, a naupang deuh,’ Lianpu’n a lawmnu Chingnu’ kiang ah a dong hi. ‘Thepthup eive. Kiphamoh gawp maw?’ Chingnu’n a chi chiamnuih hi. ‘Houh ke. Khat khawng ka deih. Tam a tam chi uh hi lou ahi? A zonkhiatna di le ka thei kei. A na kankhe do,’ Lianpu’n a chih leh Chingnu in, ‘Ke’n koilak a ka kanmawk di eita. Mi’n kei hon muangmoh un teh ut mahmah khang,’ chi’n a dawng hi. ‘A’ihleh a thei dia na gintak mi hon kawkmuh o leh,’ Lianpu’n a chi teitei a, ‘Huai kizuak taktakte’ sa le skul naupang, a poimoh chia kizuak thei zezeuhte ahi ka deih,’ a chi behlap hi. ‘A thei di le theih nei khang. Zi nei aw. Hileh poimoh lou mai di,’ Chingnu’n a chihleh Lianpu’n, ‘Ka laibu thak dia Lamka a kizuakte’ hinkhua tangthu a gelh ut ka hi. Huai dia houpih nuam ka hi,’ a chih leh Chingnu in, ‘Kei hon dot sese. Hon muangmoh na maw,’ chi’n a nui a, ‘Kua’n le thei di a diam maw. Na gintak teng kiah kan le teh na mu mai di,’ a chihsan hi. ‘Numeite’n hichidante khawng nana theikha nuam ua chia hon kan i ke. Na bang a. Hon zongkhia ou,’ Lianpu’n a chi hi. 

Lianpu ahihleh tangval ahi a, Lamka a khosa ahi. CCpur college ah lecturer a sem hi. Zomite’ lak a laigelhtu minthangpente lak a khat ahi a, tangthubu, novel leh tangthu tom tampi ana sunkheta hi. Young Paite Association Literary Award, Pauchinhau Award leh a dang tampi pahtawina a ngah a, India pumpi a minthang Sahitya Academy Award leng a saang hi. A laigelhte’n mite’ lungsim a zou mahmah a, khotang ah kikhenna tunzou phial hileh a kilawm zezen hi. 

Huchia a kankan nalam in Lianpu’n kizuak hi a a gen uh numei bangzah hiam phone number a ngah a, huaite lak a khat houpih ding in a kisa hi. ‘Nenem maw?’ chi’n khat thu a thon a, ‘Hi. Kua,’ chi’n Nenem in a dawng pah hi. ‘Lian. Hunnuam zang leng chisim. Na ut hia?’ Lianpu’n a chihleh Nenem in, ‘Chimawk. Bang hun nuam eita?’ a chi a, Lianpu’n, ‘Kithei lou sak ke’n la. Zingchiah zinglam dak sawm-le-khat vel in kimu ni. Dam i va hoh di,’ a chi hi. ‘Na chih taktak leh poilou eive,’ Nenem in a chi a, a kimuhna ding uh khawng kihilh in zingchia dak sawm-le-khat vel a kisutuah ding in vai a geel uhi. 

A zingchiang in Lianpu a mun a tung masa a, sawt lou a ngak nung in nungaknou khat a hong pai a, Lianpu’n huai nu hi dia gingta in a phone pah a, a na hi ngei a, sam in a gari a kipua in Dam lam a manoh uhi. Nungak lian lawtel lou ahi a, mi ngou, melhoih mahmah, sa pian hoih litlet ahi. ‘Kizuak di’n pammaih na mahmah chia maw,’ Lianpu’n a chi lungsim hi. ‘Dam lam a munlem om di amaw?’ Nenem in a dong a, ‘Om e. A omna thei ka hi,’ chi’n a taitou zel uhi. ‘Huai laigelh tupa na hi hia? Chiphut mawk le?’ Nenem in a dong a, ‘Himah ing. Laigelhte’n le a kaallak a hunnuam poimoh uh a ka,’ Lianpu’n a chi chiamnuih hi. Phunlou-paulou in a taitou ua, sawtsim nung in Lianpu’n gari lamnawl ah a koih a, a kumpih hi.

‘Hiai saklam a loubuuk nop a nop om ahi. Tuni kuamah lou kuan lou ding uh ahi,’ chi’n loubuuk lam a zuantou uhi. Loubuuk a tung ua, tuitha diil a kiphah zihziah a, khodak a nuam mahmah hi. A khawl tawldam ua, nek dia a puakte khawng a ne uhi. ‘Hon luppih dia hiai a hon tonpih ka hi kei,’ Lianpu’n a chi a, ‘na tangthu ngai nuam a hon tonpih ka hi. Lamka a kizuakte hinkhua toh kisai tangthu gelh ka ut a, huai di’n kizuakte’ hinkhua ka theih masak a kuul a, huai ziak a nang toh houlim ut ka hi. Hilele nang’ hinkhua tuh gelh het lou di. Kuamah kia le gensawn het lou di ka hi. Huai lampang ah tuh lau kei le teh. Luppih lou chih ziak a a thawn a hon koih tuan lou di ka hi. I houlim man hon pe thou di ka hi. Tangthu gen na siamleh huai sa tamzaw le hon pe di ka hi,’ Lianpu’n a chi a, Nenem bel tuitha diil lam en vungvung in a dai dide hi. 

Sawt lou tua bang a a daih dide nung un Lianpu’n, ‘Bangchidan a a na kizuakkha na?’ chi’n a dong hi. ‘Ka pa a dam lai in niteng kiloh in nek a zong a, ka nu’n bazar ah meh a zuak a, kei toh ka nau skul a hon kaisak uhi. Pawl sawmlekhat ka hong hih in phone ka hon deih a, hilele ka pate a pan bel kinepnase le a om kei. Huchih lai in lawmte phone neite a pan in whatsap group khawng a kizuak a summuh a baihlamdan khawng a hong kikhawksawn zel hi. Ka lawmte uh tua bang a hih zezeuh leng a om uh. Phone ka deihluat man in kizuak a phone neih mai di ahihlele poi ka sa kei mai sim. Pawl sawm ka hih lai in ka ngaihzawng pa’n a hon luppih a, virgin nawn lou thouthou chi in kizuak suk leng poisakna ka na nei kei. Huai a pan hichikha ka hi.’

‘Tua na pa om nawn lou maw?’

‘A sihna kum li lam hita. Ka pa a hong sihleh khosakna hong haksa semsem a, ke’n pawl sawmlenih ka zoh in skul ka kai zou nawn kei. Ka nu haksa tak a nekzong ka muh chiang in haksa ka sa a, ka nau beek hoihtak a skul a hong kaitheih khakleh chi in ka kizuaknate in ka nau fee di khawng ka pe zel. Ka muhna selna di’n pan dukan lian lou ka bawl. Huchi kei leh ka nu’n ka summuhna hon muangmoh di ahih chiang a.’

‘Kuate khawng a hong pawt tangpi?’

‘Ah, gen le nuam kei. Gintak louh pipi khawng hi uh.’

Lianpu’n a dong teitei ut kei a, awlawl a houpih touh zel ding in a koihzaw hi. Huchi’n a hong kiik ua, Lianpu’n a sum ding a pia a, Nenem in la ut ngel kei mahleh a pe teitei hi. ‘Na inn uah hun lem om chia hong pawt a houlim touhzel ka ut,’ Lianpu’n a chi a, Nenem in poi sa lou ahihdan a hilh hi. 

Huchi’n a vangkim in a va pawtzel a, a houlim zel ua, Nenem in leng awlawl in a neel deuhdeuh a, gen ngam louh leng a nei nawn kei a, thu tampi a hilh hi. 

‘Hinchia hinkhua na zat det di kon hehpih. Pawl sawmlenih zou na hihleh ka meltheihte’ skul khat ah hon gensak leng na ut diam?’ Lianpu’n a chi a, Nenem in bel, ‘Ei i hihna le hoih loulua ahihchia, naupang enkol di’n zaw ka kisiamtan kei,’ chi’n a dawng hi. ‘Mihingte tuh a hihkhialkha lou ki-om lou a maw. I puukna sang a i thohkhiatna ahi a poimohzaw. K’onna gensak dia, ut in aw,’ chi’n Lianpu’n a kun teitei hi. Nenem in a nial teitei a, a kunzou bilbel kei.

Ni khat Lianpu’n, ‘K’on ngailua?’ a chi phut a, Nenem in tuh lamdang satak in a en a, ‘Khemkhem eive,’ a chihsan hi. Thutak in a la ut kei hi. ‘Ka chih tatak ahi. Ka hon sit het kei,’ a chihleh Nenem in, ‘Tu’n huai chi leteh leng den chia na hon sit hun om di ahi. Keizaw nang bang khawng’ lawm dia taak le hi lou ka hi,’ chi’n a dawng hi. Himahleh Lianpu’n a vangkim a a gen gige ziak in Nenem in leng hon sit lou taktak ahi de aw chi in lam-etna khat a hon nei khong hi. A lungsim khat in bel gingta ut het kei bilbel a, himahleh bangtan hiam ah bel gintakna khat a hon nei hi. A tawp in bel Nenem in nial ut nawn lou in a hong kingai uhi.

Nenem in a dawr bawl a tawpsan a, inn ah a om hi. ‘Na kihihhalhna di’n tuma a k’on skul gen ah sem le teh hoih di hi veh aw,’ Lianpu’n a chi a, Nenem in bel, ‘Milak a nopchi sa lou ka hi,’ chi’n a dawng hi. ‘Huai chi a hichia na omom leh kikoihniam den di na hi. Milak ah kihel inla, kihihhalh le teh na lungsim le hong zaang di ahi,’ chi’n a sawl teitei a, Nenem in a nial teitei ut kei a, a semta hi. 

Hun hong pai zel a, a kingaih nung uh kum khat bang hong ching ding ahita hi. Lianpu’n leng a laibu gelh a hon zou a, a hon sun a, nidang a a laibute’ sangmah in leng mite’n a sim utzaw ua, khottampen (best seller) a hong suak hi. ‘Nang ziak ahi,’ Nenem ki’ah a chi a, a summuhte leng a kikim in a kihawmpih hi. 

Ni khat Lianpu’n Nenem a hou pih a, ‘Ka hon tawpsanta mai di aw. Na tung a ka thilhihdan pom haksa na sa di, himahleh a lampi omsun hi a ka theih ziak a hichi bang a gamta ka hi. Hon kingaihpih lou hi leng skul ah ka hon semsak zou kei dia, na thilhih sunzom in na hinkhua na zang tou lai ding. Huai ding in ka hon phal kei. Hon kingaihpih leng na thilhih tawpsan in ka thu na hon mang ding a, ka chihchih na hon mang ding chih ka theihziak a hiai tan hon tunpih ka hi. Tu in nekmuh na’ng siangthou na neita a, hinkhua lungmuang tak in na zang theita. Na hinkho lui in hon sukbuai ni a tam ding, himahleh kihihhaat inla, nunglam en lou in malam en gige in paizel in,’ a chita mai a, Nenem in naa a sa mahmah a, ‘hiai ding ka lauh ziak a ka hon gintak louh mah hia,’ chi’n a kap kekeuh mai hi. Himahleh khasiatna ding a neih louhdan a thei a, Lianpu chih bang in a kihihhaat a, malam kia en a hinkhua zang ding in a hanchiam hi.

© Siamsinna leh Vakiangbu