North Carolina thlang lam, Blue Ridge tlang mawi tak maiin a hual khupna khua, khaw lian lêm lo tak, Ashville-ah chuan, khualzinten inhnangfâk nân taka an hman thin Cafe satliah, lian leh changkâng lêm lo tak, concrete in pawh ni lo, thinga sak, ‘Cafe Carolina’ chu a ding a. Chu Cafe chuan nghâktu nula rinawm, a neitu ni hauh si lo, chuta thawk satliah ve mai a nei a—a hming chu Maggie a ni.

Peih loh tûk leh nawmsam loh deuh nî pawh sawi loin, Maggie chu khuantevîk dâr 4-ah a tho tûk tin thin. Blue Ridge Mountain tlâng kâra kâwl a’n rawn ên tan sêt sêt lai, zîng dâr 5 a’n rîk meuh chuan Maggie chu, an Cafe counter-ah a lo thu fel vân tawh thin. Nakin lawkah truck driver rual an rawn thleng khâwm leh tuk tuk dâwn a, tûkthuan fâk tûrin an rawn ri lût leh lûng lûng hlawm dâwn tih a hre kar mai. Chûng truck driver-ho, an Cafe-a rawn châwl thangho chu a thiante an ni mai a—an ni mai takzet!

Chûng a driver thiante chu Maggie chuan hriat loh tû mah rêng a nei lo a. An hmingin a ko thei vek hlawm … ti ila, an hming pum kher loin. Eng nge an order leh dâwn a, eng nge an ei leh dâwn tih te, eng lam hawi titi nge an vawrh leh dâwn tih zawng zawng thlengin Maggie chuan a hre chiang êm êm vek thin.

An thil ei thin mai ni loin an ‘titi-chawhmeh’ zawng zawng chenin, Maggie chuan a hriatsak kîlh kêlh vek hlawm si a. Anniho pawn nêl pawh an nêl è. Hmun hla tak taka an zinna chanchin te; hla taka an kalsan tâk an chhûngkaw chanchin te, an ngaihzâwng chanchinte thleng thlengin, an khua Ashville hualtu tlâng piaha khawvêl dang la hmu ve miah lo Maggie chu an hrilh ve tliar tliar thin. A chhan chu—a hun pum … mai ni lo, a nun pum, kum 30 chuang ni tin thingpui leh coffee no chawi kual rêng rênga rinawm taka hê Cafe nghâktu hnâ a lo thawh tawh vâng a ni. Tûnah hian, amah pawh hi nula kum 30… ni lo 40—mai ni tawh nâng, 50 hnaih tawh lam a lo ni reng tawh mai!

Thil an ei kham, an han titi khaw muan hnuah, driver-ho kal a’n lo hun a. Cafe Carolina chu chhuahsanin an mahni truck theuha lâwnin an han inkhalh liam leh ta vut vut hlawm a. Cafe nghâktu Maggie chan ve thung chu—a thiante thil eina ningnawi, dawhkan tina awm hnawk nuai mai te leh an thil ei man pawisa an hnutchhiahte mai chu an ni tlawng ta thin a—suangtuahna leh ngaihtuahna thui tak, dâwn zui vawng vawng tûrte nên…

Cafe nghâktu khawhar Maggie chuan bialpa a nei lo. Tin, ngaihzâwng emaw hmangaih emaw pawh a nei chuang hek lo. A hmel that loh vâng emaw a pian thiam loh vâng lam emaw pawh a ni hran lo. Ani Maggie chuan a hnâ avângin mipa lam ngaihtuah a, a nun chhûng ril luah tûr khawpa hun neiin a inhre tlat lo a. A nun khaw buai lutuk avâng leh nun leh hun âwl a neih loh lutuk vâng ni berin a hria!

Tûna a dinhmun, a awm dân, a khawsak dân leh a khawvêl lo ni ta hi, tûn hmaa a lo suangtuah thin dân ang ngawt kha a ni bîk miah lo asin! ‘Engtik nîah emaw chuan mo kawr hain pasal ka la nei ve ang a; ka hmangaih ber nupui ka la ni ve dâwn a ni,’ ti te’n a lo suangtuah nasa ve thin. Chu chu a rilru leh a ngaihtuahna luahtu ber pawh a ni fo thin a, a lo dáwn lâwk dîm diam ve tawh thin asin—kum 17 mî a nih lai daih tawh khân!

Chawhnu khua a lo tlai leh ang a; nîin Blue Ridge tlang thlang lam a’n her tan leh riai riai ang a. Dâwrtu an neih loh lai, an âwl lai, a khawhar lai tak mai chuan a thingremzaithei chu chuhin hla lungkuai tak tak a’n zaitîr leh ang a. Tukverha dâk dauh dauh pahin a ngaithla leh ang. Hmuhnawm a tih êm êm vâng pawh ni chuang loin a hmaa kawngpui insial ruih mai chu a’n thlîr vawng vawng leh ringawt thin ang a. Khawhar taka hla lungkuai tak ngaithla chunga a thil thlìr—kawng dung insial ruih chuan khawi khua tak pawh ang maw aw … tih chu a ngaihtuah leh vawng vawng ringawt thin ang. A hâwna tûr kawngpui insial a ni lo tih a’n hriat chhuah leh meuh chuan Cafe khâr a lo hun leh reng tawh thin…

Nula tû mah hi, duh rêng vanga senior an awm lo a; an khawhar rûknate hriatpui aih loa fiamthu thawh nân taka hman hi, hringnun ze mawi leh dik a ni ngai ang em le? Duh rêng vângin an lêng rei bîk lo asin! Sipai nupui ai fêin an khua hi, nasa takin a har zâwk daih tih te hi, hriat thiampui thiam ve tawh ila aw…

Maggie’s Dream
–Don Williams
Maggie's up each morning at four a.m.
By five at the counter at the diner
Her trucker friends out on the road will soon be stoppin' in
As the lights go on at Cafe Carolina.

Maggie's been a waitress here most all her life
Thirty years of coffee cups and sore feet
The mountains around Ashville
She's never seen the other side
Closer now to fifty than to forty.

Maggie's never had a love
She said she's never had enough
Time to let a man into her life
Oh! But Maggie has a dream
She's had since she was seventeen
To find a husband and be a wife.

Maggie knows the truckers most by first name
What they'll have to say and what they'll order
And they take her in their stories to places far away
And leave her with the dishes, dreams and quarters.

And she relies upon the jukebox on the lonely afternoon
When the business starts to slow down
She plays the saddest tunes
And she stares off down the highway
And she wonders where it goes
Nobody to go home to
And it's almost time to close…