ISLAND DREAM

"ISLAND DREAM"

Through living and traveling much of my life, in different locations, states, countries, and styles I have been fortunate to meet many wonderful people.  (some not so wonderful but I try to overlook those.)

Many, after hearing about my experiences, have suggested that I should write a book.  Well, I have!  I've written two, as a matter of fact, even had a short story published in three countries.  However, even though, there has been favorable comments on these books there has never been an offer made to actually publish them.  SSSOOO after getting tired of rejection letters telling me that they liked what they saw but, "it's just not for us."  I decided to "publish" it myself.  But if you have ever looked into self publishing you realize how expensive it is as well as there being no easy way to get your book noticed by the "buying public."  Since  my primary reason for wanting these books published is not the money, don't get me wrong I most certainly would appreciate having even a little revenue coming my way, but I would like to let people know that DREAMS CAN COME TRUE.

Now if you are one of those who have told me to, "write a book," then this is for you and anyone else interested in a true story that has romance, beauty, betrayal, action, desperation, sex, joy, and pain, then you might find these stories interesting.  I will begin with a prolog and continue with chapters of ISLAND DREAM, my life and adventures first and then go to DANCES WITH FIRE, which chronicles the adventures and misadventures of my precious late husband's life.

 

"ISLAND DREAM PROLOG"

I kissed Tavita good-by, as was usual when he left to use our car as a taxi, in Apia.  This was our livelihood until we were able to get the plantation (farm) far enough along to sell our taro, cocoa, and copra.

He had no more than pulled out of our coral covered driveway until I noticed several men coming toward our fale (house.)  I waited at the entrance with Prince, the dog that I had rescued from stones, that were thrown at him, and malnutrition, by my side.  A low rumble came from his throat at first, then as the men drew closer his entire body vibrated with snarls, growl, and barring of teeth.

"Shush, Prince, just wait right here."

I squatted down beside him and held on tightly, just in case.  After all, the people of the village, didn't call him, Mary's police, for nothing.  (Since they had problems pronouncing Mildred, most everyone just called me Mary.)

"Tavita just left," I told the six big Samoan men who stood, at the entry to my home.  "He'll be back this afternoon."

I realized that most of them didn't understand me but Villiamu, my brother-in-law, who seemed to be in charge, spoke English very well.

"Mary," he announced with assumed authority, "we've come to talk to you.  We want you to get Tavita to let us put the electrical line across his property, up above the falls."

"Villiamu, you know his price.  Any one of our trees that is felled must be brought down here to prevent them from flooding down the river into the falls and breaking the dam here by our house."

"Now Mary, you know that's a lot of hard work and the chiefs feel that they shouldn't have to do that."

"Villiamu," my voice rose several decimals in volume, "take your cowardly chiefs and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!  You didn't have the guts to come when Tavita was here, you had to wait and sneak in here and try to bully me into doing your dirty work for you!  There is no way that I'll be siding with you cowards, as far as I'm concerned I would never allow you to touch a single tree!  Now get out of here before I let Prince tear you to pieces, starting with you, Villiamu!

As my voice rose, so did Prince's growls, then they were emphasized my barks and lunges as he struggled to get free of me.  But I wouldn't turn loose, I knew what they would do to him if he ran after them. They would have stoned him to death in minute.  Samoans, even as little children, are know for their ability to kill pigs, chickens, dogs, and even intruders, with a stone just as easily as an American with a gun. 

I could hardly catch my breath while contemplating what had just happened.  Prince sensed my agitation and didn't get more than a foot from me as I tried to go on with my daily chores.

As always, Tavita wouldn't be back until late as he tried to make all he could each day, in town.  My mood darkened as the day wore on even though everything seemed peaceful.  BANG!  I jumped, prince barked, and my heart raced until I realized that it must have been a coconut had fallen on the metal roof.  But then bang again, and then again!  As if brought on by the bangs my mind retrieved a story that I had read about Samoa and  STONE WARS!

About that time two of the young girls, who had always enjoyed my lollies (candy that I made from the coconut gratings that were normally fed to the chickens or pigs) burst into my fale.

"Mary, Mary, you hide!  Stones!"

Then the young man, Tavita's nephew, who worked with us charged in behind them.  He spoke very little english but I understood that he was very scared, "chief's mad, throw stones!"

Just as I was about to tell him that surely they wouldn't hurt me another explosion hit the roof.  Everybody ducked, including me!

At that same moment one of Tavita's nieces raced into the fale, grabbed, and pulled me toward the only place, in our open fale that actually had walls.

"Loimata, what's going on?"

"The chiefs, Mary they have started a stone war.  Gaugau is trying to stop them but he can't do much by himself."

"What about your dad, is he in on this too?  He was with them this morning."

"No!  He wants the electricity but he won't be a part of this, against his own brother.  He sent me here to make sure that you stay out of the way and are safe."

"But what about Tavita?  I cried and screamed at the same time. "He'll be home anytime, what's going to happen to him?"

At that moment I heard the crunch of the Audi tires on the coral and saw the headlights that meant Tavita was home.  I broke free of Loimata and ran toward the car, but it stopped just barely on our property and I saw Tavita jump out and run across the river that separated our land from the rest of the village.  He disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.

I raced toward the river flying out of my flop flops as I ran.  My lava lava (sarong) caught on a vine, I ripped it loose, jumped down into the river, and scrambled up the other side, shouting as I ran, "Tavita, Tavita!  Where's Tavita?"

The first fale that I ran into had three angry looking men, one with a gun and the other two with piles of stones at their feet.  "Mary, go home!" they shouted!  "Go home before you get hurt!  This is none of your business!"

"This is my business!  What have you people done with my husband?"

Before they could answer Loimata came up, grabbed, and steered me back across the river and into my fale.  "Stay here Mary, Tavita will be all right, he is a high chief and he will take care of everything."

"But how do you know?" I screamed!

"These things happen in villages and Tavita knows how to handle them, you just stay here, go to bed."

"Go to bed!" I shouted "while my husband is in danger!  How can you even say that?"

"Mary, I know that Tavita wants you to be safe, he wants you to stay here."

I was about to object again when I remembered having heard Tavita say, as we watched a movie where there was a big problem that could get people killed and the leading lady would step in and try to make things better, Tavita would always say, "silly woman get out of the way so the hero doesn't have to worry about you, just let him do what he has to do."

So I did what Loimata suggested, grabbed Prince, and crawled under the mosquito net and shook together.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was no more than an hour I heard the Audi start up and pull to the front of our fale.  I threw the netting up and Prince and I jumped off the bed and tore out to meet Tavita.  We almost knocked him down, with our relief, but he grabbed us both and held us, even as Prince squirmed while we made our way into the fale.

With his arms full of us I noticed that he still clutched a small bag in his hand.  He sat me down at the table, scooted Prince aside and placed the bag in front of me.  A hamburger.  He had brought a Samoan hamburger, from town, as he often did, because he wanted me to have "real food" not always Samoan food.   

As he explained how he had settled the chief's down, I shared my treasured hamburger with Prince.

"I just told them that we wanted the electricity as much as they did but that we weren't willing to take a chance on the logs getting caught in the river, washing down the falls, and busting the dam here, possibly flooding the village.  When they finally listened most of them understood.  I still don't trust them, but for now we're okay."

After Tavita gathered several large stones and place them around out bed, we both crawled back under the mosquito net, Prince on the bed frame outside the net.  I curled into Tavita's stong arms, finally being able to go to sleep but not before wondering, again, what in the world have I gotten myself into?