Fathers whose wives are alive should be grateful.

They should treat them with love, care and respect.

Some other people, like 60-year-old Alatasi Tiumalu, from the village of Aleisa, can only dream his wife is alive.

Last month, Alatasi’s wife passed away.

He is still grieving. In the process, he has to try and pick up the pieces and when the Village Voice caught up with him, he was on his way to find a dressmaker to sew his children’s outfits. 

“Things are a lot harder now,” he admitted. “I have to be the father and mother at the same time.”

As a father of five children, he has promised to do his best for them.

 “Things can be hard if we don’t work. For me and my children, we may have lost the heart of our family, but that doesn’t mean we have to sit around and do nothing.”

Alatasi is a hard working farmer during the day. At night, he is a security guard for a local company. 

 “I don’t mind the cost of living,” he said. 

“I know things are expensive but life depends on what we do, there’s land and the sea, we have to work to make a living, not just sit and wait, nothing comes for free -- we must work to earn it.

“We can always plant taro, bananas, veggies and more.

“Working in a formal workplace is not the only way to get money or food. The land is also a God-given blessing for mankind.”

Alatasi’s oldest son is a barber. The money he earns helps the family.

 “Our work provides our little family with something to eat everyday and the basic needs,” he said.

“We miss the mother of the family but that is life. We’ve just got to do the best we can with everything.”